New York Community Board Supports Ground Zero Mosque

New York Community Board Supports Ground Zero Mosque




A community board in New York has voted to support a proposal to
build a mosque in a building just a short walk away from "ground zero,"
the site of the devastating terrorist attack on September 11, 2001.
After hours of contentious debate on Tuesday, the board voted 29-1 in
favor of the proposal, with 10 members abstaining.
Critics of the plan say it is disrespectful to the victims of the
attack to build a Muslim religious space so close to a site destroyed by
Islamist extremists.
But supporters, including the Manhattan borough president, say it is
important to show tolerance for all religious groups and that the space
will encourage a moderate interpretation of Islam very different from
the extremist views behind the attack.
The board's vote is only a recommendation, but is being seen as an
indicator of community opinion (...)