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| Ground Zero mosque protests |
Source/Credit: Muslim Examiner | National
By Harris Zafar | September 21, 2010
Leaders of local and national Muslim group convened in New York Sunday to meet with Sharif el-Gamal, 37, the real estate developer spearheading the Park 51 Islamic Center project. The meeting was organized by the Majlis Ash-Shura of New York, also known as the Islamic Leadership Council of Metropolitan New York, which represents 55 mosques and Muslim groups. But it also included leaders of some (not all) other national Muslim groups, including the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) and the Muslim American Society.
There had been (and continue to be) some disagreement among Muslims groups in America regarding whether or not this Park 51 Islamic Center should continue as planned. While some addressed the issue of building on a site near Ground Zero, there were others who were upset that they had not been consulted prior to the project beginning. According to people at the meeting, Mr. Ghamal apologized to those present for not consulting more with leaders ahead of time and said that he did not realize how strong the opposition would be.
During this meeting, Mr. Ghamal also was able to address the concern some Muslims have raised that this Islamic Center would only be for Manhattan "elitists" who can afford expensive membership or who have personal relationship with Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf. Mr. Ghamal assured them that the center would be accessible to all people, regardless of how rich or poor they may be.
Mr. Ghamal also clarified who the true project leader is for the Park 51 Islamic Center. Although much attention has been given to Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, Mr. Ghamal confirmed that he was “the decision maker” and that Imam Rauf (who did not attend the meeting on Sunday) was heading only the center’s religious and interfaith programs.
As a result of this day-long discussion, the leaders from this meeting convened at the proposed site of the Park 51 Islamic Center in a news conference and declared not only that the planners had a constitutional right to build it, but also that they would help the project move forward in the face of heated opposition. They insisted that, as a matter of principle, the center should not budge from its planned site.
"We stand for the constitutional right of Muslims, and Americans of all faiths, to build houses of worship anywhere in our nation as allowed by local laws and regulations," the Muslim leaders said in a statement delivered at the site of the proposed Islamic center, to be called Park51.
"We ask Muslims to open mosques nationwide to welcome people, to let them understand the Islamic faith and what American Muslim community is," said Nihad Awad, national executive director of the Council on Islamic-American Relations. Incidentally, such open house events have already been taking place all around the country over the past couple of weeks, with Muslim American organizations partnering with other faith organizations to show solidarity and unity in faith. Please take a look at this video of one such event held by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in Portland, Oregon.
Whether or not the support of these Muslim leaders will help is yet to be seen, but what is becoming abundantly clear is that this community center will most likely be built. So the question now is: how do we deal with this? Can we as a nation learn to accept that an Islamic center is joining the host of other religious buildings, churches and synagogues within a few blocks of Ground Zero? Or will we continue to insist that all religious buildings are fine...other than Islamic centers?
Read original post here: Muslim leaders support NY Islamic Center
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