A poll released on Thursday showed that the majority of New Yorkers oppose the proposed mosque, which has already been given the green light by the city, while on the same day a group of Jewish religious leaders stood up in support of the mosque.
The day before a lawsuit was launched saying that the building that will be demolished for the mosque should be deemed a historic landmark.
The Siena Research Institute released a poll on Thursday that found 61 percent of New Yorkers oppose the construction of a mosque and community center just blocks away from where the World Trade Center buildings once stood.
“Large majorities of all New Yorkers, every party, region, and age give a thumbs-down to the Cordoba House Mosque being built near the ground zero site,” according to Dr. Don Levy, SRI’s director.
But, even though the majority oppose the mosque, they say they are willing to consider both sides of the argument, the poll found.
Only 26 percent supported construction of the mosque. The 13-story building would cost $100 million. Cordoba Initiative, which is looking to build the mosque, has said they are trying to improve relations between the Muslim world and the West by building a mosque there. The poll has an error margin of plus or minus 3.9 percent.
Meanwhile, Republican running for governor Carl Paladino released a video statement on Monday saying he would stop the mosque if he was elected.
“As governor, I will use the power of eminent domain to stop the mosque and use the site as a war memorial instead of a monument to those who attacked our country,” says Paladino, a rich real estate developer from upstate.
The proposed mosque has high-level political support, including Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, and Rep. Jerrold Nader. Among those who oppose the mosque’s construction include former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.
Jewish Group Supports Mosque
A group of Jewish religious leaders came out in support of the proposed mosque on Thursday. They gathered at 45 Park Place, the site of the proposed mosque.“As Jews committed to religious freedom, to honest dialogue, to peacemaking, and to the celebration of the one God, we strongly support the plans of the Cordoba Initiative to build a mosque and Islamic cultural center,” reads a statement from the group.
The group says that the Cordoba Initiative’s motives are genuinely good.
“The Cordoba Initiative took that name precisely to celebrate the history of that city and neighboring areas of Andalusia in what is now Spain, where for centuries Jews, Christians, and Muslims lived together not only in mutual tolerance but in mutual harmony,” reads the statement.
Mosque Triggers Lawsuit
After the proposed mosque cleared its latest hurdle after the Landmarks Preservation Commission voted 9 – 0 against turning the building into a landmark, a conservative advocacy group filed a lawsuit against the decision on Wednesday.
The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), on behalf of firefighter Tim Brown who survived the 9/11 attacks, filed suit against the commission. The attacks were carried out by Islamic extremists.
“We believe that they rushed to a vote, that they rushed a decision without a full and fair public hearing and public debate,” ACLJ counsel Brett Joshpe told CNN. ACLJ, a group founded by televangelist Pat Robertson in the early 1990s, is calling on the court to take back the commission’s decision that was made earlier this week.
Joshpe added that the lawsuit is not about taking up a fight with Islam but is about insensitivity. Brown said that he lost many of his friends during the 9/11 attacks.
