Issue Position: The Cordoba Mosque at Ground Zero

Issue Position

The construction of the Cordoba House mosque at Ground Zero is a perfect example of the lack of true leadership and judgment in our nation today. The events and rhetoric regarding its construction polarizes our city, as salt is being rubbed in the wounds of millions who have been personally affected by the 9/11 tragedy.

A person does not have to know someone who was murdered at the Trade Center on this unforgettable day to understand the tremendous pain and rage that so many people feel about 9/11. For Imam Faisel Abdul Rauf and his supporters to erect a 13 story mosque in the shadow of Ground Zero is not just an act of insensitivity, it is an absolute affront to those who perished that day. There have been no outreach to the families and survivors of this attack prior to the decision to build and their sensitivities have been ignored.

Imam Rauf once suggested, in a TV interview, that the 9/11attacks were brought about as a result of U.S. policies. Additionally, Imam Rauf refuses to make public which overseas organizations are funding its construction. We ask for transparency and get no response. It is incomprehensible to me that our leaders can say in the name of religious tolerance that it would be un-American to object to this project.

To most practicing Muslims, this tower may be seen as a house of worship. But to those radical Islamists who still seek to destroy America, this Mosque will be seen as a "victory tower". Most Americans fully support efforts to improve relations between all religions but we cannot turn a blind eye to the mindset of radical Islam in the name of religious tolerance and political correctness.

I urge all of our leaders to stand together in solidarity and have the courage to speak out against this misguided effort. We must say no to the Cordoba House Mosque at Ground Zero.

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