Woody Allen: Build The Mosque

Woody Allen is very clearly in favor of the proposed Islamic cultural center near Ground Zero.

At the premiere of his new film "You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger" this week, Allen shared his feelings on the Cordoba House with "Inside Edition."

"I'm for the building of the mosque," Allen said. "I think that all the people weighing in on it except for the people that lost someone at Ground Zero...are exploitative, fake frauds using it for personal reasons and political reasons."

The director also said that he had a message for people who lost loved ones on 9/11.

"If I could speak to people that lost relatives and loved ones, I would try and convince them, if I could, that to build the mosque goes a way towards seeing that this kind of thing doesn't happen again," he said. "And to intolerantly not build the mosque is just polarizing and leads to the kind of problems that rake up this type of conflict."

Watch video of his comments at InsideEdition.com.

Comments

[ShahdKad3]

02:01 PM on 09/28/2010

"If I could speak to people that lost relatives and loved ones, I would try and convince them, if I could, that to build the mosque goes a way towards seeing that this kind of thing doesn't happen again," he said. "And to intolerantly not build the mosque is just polarizing and leads to the kind of problems that rake up this type of conflict."

- Well said and sums up what I've been thinking.
Side note: It's funny how the ill-informed react when someone says something that goes against their beliefs. Instead of rebuttals to what Allen is saying some people are trying to low blow him and write him off by saying "he married his daughter." What does that have to do with anything? Seems like some people have no response to an intelligent comment and don't know enough about the situation or Islam to saying anything but "he married his daughter." To those people, please read a book or go to school or never speak because you add nothing but idiocy to society.

[Ron Mossad]

11:43 PM on 09/21/2010

Hey what do you know, I agree with Woody Allen for maybe the first time ever.

http://ronmossad.blogspot.com/2010/09/build-ground-zero-mosque.html

Although somehow I think we're not exactly coming at this from the same angle...

[BlueCheesehead]

06:56 PM on 09/20/2010

The problem with the opposition to this ... ok one of many problems ... is that there is the implicit argument that we are at war with Islam and Muslims. We are not. That would be akin to saying we were at war with Lutherans during WWI and WWII.

It's not all, most, or even a healthy plurality of Muslims that we are at war with. It is a small percentage of reactionary right-wingers that are using a perversion of their religion to justify their political actions.

[PelePele10]

11:42 AM on 09/20/2010

Build the mosque and maybe Woody have new material for another vapid and boring movie.

[Internationalopinion]

02:17 AM on 09/18/2010

Very well said!

[Para Digm]

03:32 PM on 09/17/2010

http://www.rallytorestoresanity.com

[Whigist]

02:17 PM on 09/17/2010

Woody Allen: "Marry your daughter"!

[peacefullittlebunny]

01:48 PM on 09/17/2010

While the Imam behind plans for a mosque near Ground Zero was jetting around the globe and advocating for his Downtown project, a pair of dilapidated apartment buildings he owns in New Jersey fell into such disrepair that cops have to stand watch in the event of a fire.
The fire watch, at taxpayer expense, was revealed during a court hearing today when Union City lawyers asked to have two buildings owned by Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf placed into receivership so that rent s could be used to fix dozens of violations, including inoperable alarms and sprinklers.

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/ground_zero_mosque_imam_faisal_rauf_o173R8S3JZnekEC4V08H9L#ixzz0zoIKaXCg

[Tags]

01:34 PM on 09/17/2010

Build a mosque on the top floor of the new tower with a plaque saying, "May Allah be merciful to the infidels who brought down the original tower."

[Tags]

01:37 PM on 09/17/2010

In every language spoken by Muslims.

[negogato]

08:44 AM on 09/17/2010

First you control what people think. Then you control what they do.

The only way for that to happen is to deny the right for people to speak and say who they really are.

If you ALLOW that to happen - telling the nation what and who someone is: fails.

Of course the Right does not want a study center, and a place for those who came to the USA for freedom, political and religious, FROM places that do not have it – to speak for themselves..
If they speak and are heard - the hate bubble will burst.
Americans will understand the truth.

[Macready]

08:01 AM on 09/17/2010

well said Woody Allen . . . agree with this totally: "I'm for the building of the mosque," Allen said. "I think that all the people weighing in on it except for the people that lost someone at Ground Zero...are exploitative, fake frauds using it for personal reasons and political reasons."

for the record many who lost loved ones in 9/11 are in favour of building the cultural centre

[ExitZero]

06:52 AM on 09/17/2010

I'm not a fan of Allen, but this is the truth. There was a mosque in the World Trade Center the day it was blown up. There is a mosque at the Pentagon. This is all a fake controversy ginned up by exploitative rightwingers. It's an insult to our Constitution. They know this but don't care because they'll exploit any hatred or ignorance that can get them back some of the power they crave.

[Macready]

08:02 AM on 09/17/2010

fanned ExitZero . . . great blog

[Nabil Muhammad]

04:12 AM on 09/23/2010

f&f! insightful

[NWPennsy]

03:55 AM on 09/17/2010

Wow. Woody Allen. 9/11. I haven't seen a bo mb like this since my last 10 films! (Sorry, Stripperella!)

[Balzac]

03:48 AM on 09/17/2010

I agree. It's time for the debate to end. Everybody had to have a good melee, like Super Mario Smash Brothers. A lot of prominent politicians and personalities either got a few hits in, or got mashed themselves. Is there anything left unsaid, and is there real reason the project hasn't yet begun?

[NWPennsy]

04:00 AM on 09/17/2010

Yes everyone got to have a good melee, just like Super Mario Smash Brothers.

[blissfulmitch]

02:25 AM on 09/17/2010

I've always loved Woody Allen. Even though I'm 24, I love his entire body of work. I love his sense of humor. I love his politics. I do have a problem with him dating his stepdaughter. But I think I can even forgive him that because he's on our side.

Full disclosure: When I say he's on our side, I mean Muslim-raised, secular progressive, Bengali-American New Yorkers who've ACTUALLY lost loved ones on 9/11. Like me.

[Doug Sandlin]

10:02 AM on 09/17/2010

I'm sorry for your loss. Great post - specifically coming from someone who can speak from an informed perspective, in terms of being Muslim-raised, and having lost someone on 9/11.

Here's a good overview from NPR on the multiple perspectives of people who lost loved ones on 9/11, including the mother of Salman Hamdani (a Muslim-American who voluntarily went into the towers to try to save people, died, and was then maligned in the press as a possible terrorist --- prior to being cited, officially, in the Patriot Act as a hero).

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129317519

The people against the community center are trying to play "victims' families" as political pawns.

Opinions vary, of course - but a community center open for all, run by Sufis (ultra-liberal, mystical "everybody accepting" sect within Islam) can and will help everyone heal and understand - even the people against the center who are willing to check it out, once it's open.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfIPO7CVflA

Peace to all.