This and other actions of president Obama will cost him the 2012 reelection but
he spoke from his heart and from his training as a constitutional lawyer. Now
that the backers of the mosque have got recognition, the proper thing for them
would be to give up the fight for the spot near ground zero if they want to see
Obama reelected in 2012.
The average American is not ready for the kind of vision that Obama has and I
can predict you will not hear the end of political discussions on this for the
next few weeks.
My support to Obama on this does not mean I endorse him for 2012 - this is
senator Deka speaking from Texas. :-)
Obama backs mosque near ground zero
* * AP – ** RETRANSMISSION TO CORRECT DATE OF ATTACK **
President Barack
Obama hosts an iftar dinner, the meal …
By ERICA WERNER, Associated Press Writer Erica Werner, Associated Press Writer
–
50 mins ago
WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama on Friday forcefully endorsed allowing a
mosque near ground zero, saying the country's founding principles demanded no
less.
"As a citizen, and as president, I believe that Muslims have the same right to
practice their religion as everyone else in this country," Obama said, weighing
in for the first time on a controversy that has riven New York City and the
nation.
"That includes the right to build a place of worship and a community center on
private property in lower Manhattan, in accordance with local laws and
ordinances," he said. "This is America, and our commitment to religious freedom
must be unshakable."
Obama made the comments at an annual dinner in the White House State Dining
Room
celebrating the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
The White House had not previously taken a stand on the mosque, which would be
part of a $100 million Islamic center two blocks from where nearly 3,000 people
perished when hijacked jetliners slammed into the World Trade Center towers on
Sept. 11, 2001. Press secretary Robert Gibbs had insisted it was a local matter.
It was already much more than that, sparking debate around the country as top
Republicans including Sarah Palin and Newt Gingrich announced their opposition.
So did the Anti-Defamation League, a Jewish civil rights group.
Obama elevated it to a presidential issue Friday without equivocation.
While insisting that the place where the twin towers once stood was indeed
"hallowed ground," Obama said that the proper way to honor it was to apply
American values.
"Our capacity to sho not merely tolerance, but respect towards those who are
different from us — and that way of life, that quintessentially American creed,
stands in stark contrast to the nihilism of those who attacked us on that
September morning, and who continue to plot against us today," he said.
Obama harkened back to earlier times when the building of synagogues or
Catholic
churches also met with opposition. "But time and again, the American people
have
demonstrated that we can work through these issues, and stay true to our core
values and emerge stronger for it," he said. "So it must be and will be today."
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, an independent who has been a strong
supporter of the mosque, welcomed Obama's words as a "clarion defense of the
freedom of religion."
But some Republicans were quick to pounce.
"President Obama is wrong," said Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y. "It is insensitive and
uncaring for the Muslim community to build a mosque in the shadow of ground
zero. While the Muslim community has the right to build the mosque they are
abusing that right by needlessly offending so many people who have suffered so
much."
Entering the highly charged election-year debate, Obama surely knew that his
words would not only make headlines but be heard by Muslims worldwide. The
president has made it a point to reach out to the global Muslim community, and
the over 100 guests at Friday's dinner included ambassadors and officials from
numerous Muslim nations, including Saudi Arabia and Indonesia. Seated around
candlelit tables, they listened closely as Obama spoke, then stood and
applauded
when the president finished his remarks.
While his pronouncement concerning the mosque might find favor in the Muslim
world, Obama's stance runs counter to the opinions of the majority of
Americans,
according to polls. A CNN/Opinion Research poll released this week found that
nearly 70 percent of Americans opposed the mosque plan while just 29 percent
approved. A number of Democratic politicians have shied away from the
controversy.
The group behind the $100 million project, the Cordoba Initiative, describes it
as a Muslim-themed community center. Early plans call not only for prayer space
but for a swimming pool, culinary school, art studios and other features.
Developers envision it as a hub for interfaith interaction, as well as a place
for Muslims to bridge some of their faith's own schisms.
Opponents, including some Sept. 11 victims' relatives, see the prospect of a
mosque so near the destroyed trade center as an insult to the memory of those
killed by Islamic terrorists in the 2001 attacks. Some of the Sept. 11 victims'
relatives, however, are in favor.
The mosque has won approval from local planning boards but faces legal
challenges, and New York's Conservative Party is planning a television ad
campaign to pressure a New York City utility to use its power to block the
project.
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