Ground Zero Mosque Seeks Money From 9/11 Fund
Still think this has anything to do with "understanding?"
by John Hayward
11/23/2010Trackback Link
The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation was created by Mayor Giuliani and Governor Pataki in the aftermath of 9/11, to “ensure Lower Manhattan recovers from the attacks and emerges even better than it was before,” as their mission statement has it.
Guess who applied for a $5 million grant under the LMDC Community and Cultural Enhancement Program? That’s right: Park51, the group that wants to build its Cordoba House mosque and cultural center near Ground Zero. If the grant request is honored, Americans in all fifty states will get to become investors in Cordoba House, right alongside people who donate money to Hamas “charities.”
This move has sparked considerable outrage from opponents of the mosque. Fox News quotes Representative Peter King (R-NY) as saying, “It is entirely wrong for any taxpayer money to be used to fund the Ground Zero mosque. This is particularly true when it is being done in such a secretive way. This just further offends the memory of all those who were murdered on September 11th.”
Proponents of the mosque say there is no reason to listen to its detractors, since they are just trying to drum up political support from bigots for the 2010 midterm elections, as current NYC mayor Michael Bloomberg suggested, and should be “ashamed of themselves.” They should be even more ashamed now that the 2010 midterm elections are over, and they’re still trying to drum up support. They could turn violent at any moment, like opponents of ObamaCare, blamed by Bloomberg for the attempted Times Square bombing before it was discovered to be the work of an Islamic terrorist. Perhaps Nancy Pelosi was right, and these sinister anti-mosque forces should be investigated. We certainly can’t ask any questions about the Park51 organization. That would be rude.
Park51 has always maintained the purpose of the Cordoba House project is to foster unity and understanding. They obviously don’t understand much about the people they’re lecturing, if they thought applying for a federal grant from the 9/11 reconstruction agency was a good idea. There would be no greater act of submission for the strong majorities who oppose construction of the mosque than being forced to pay for it.
Mosque proponents like Bloomberg should be asked to explain why the Cordoba House project should not enjoy federal funding. Their request appears to have met LMDC guidelines. If they’re a harmless and welcome part of New York’s gorgeous mosaic, and their mosque would be a gesture of respect for the victims of 9/11, then why shouldn’t it receive federal funding, along with the shopping centers and restaurants of lower Manhattan? President Obama has spoken passionately on every conceivable side of this controversy, so we should get his opinion on federal funding, too. I’m sure it would be fascinating.
It’s time for everyone who supports the construction of the Cordoba House mosque to put their mouths where our money is. Tell us why this project, in this spot, from this organization is a good idea. If so, why shouldn’t we all chip in to fund it, the way our massive government expects us to fund everything it finds virtuous? I’m sure Park51 could really use that five million bucks, to free up their own money for other purposes. Those Hamas charities aren’t going to fund themselves, you know.
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John Hayward is a staff writer for HUMAN EVENTS, and author of the recently published Doctor Zero: Year One. Follow him on Twitter: Doc_0. Contact him by email at jhayward@eaglepub.com.
And this, related, from Beliefnet:
Government dollars to build Park 51?
Developers of the so-called "Ground Zero Mosque", also known as "Park 51", are seeking federal funds designated for the redevelopment of lower Manhattan. And like most issues in the ongoing controversy around this project, the loudest voices on both sides are getting it wrong. Such funding would not necessarily be either a "disgrace" or "an affront to the memory of those murdered on 9/11", as NY Congressman Peter King is proclaiming. Even if that is Mr. King's personal opinion, how dare he present as fact, a conclusion based entirely on his subjective experience? Aside from being presumptuous, his comments only serve to inflame an already combustible situation. While that style is increasingly popular with politicians of all stripes, it need not be acceptable to the rest of us. At the same time, it is unimaginably arrogant and dangerously misguided for project head, Sharif El-Gamal to even imagine that it is appropriate to seek almost one third of the 17 million federal dollars which are in play for post 9/11 lower Manhattan buildings and programs. Aside from being grossly disproportionate, it smacks of seeking help for precisely the kinds of community building projects for which the Muslim community should be assuming responsibility. While public-private cooperation is a lynchpin in the communal work of both the Jewish and Christian communities, and should also be so for the Muslim community, such funding should follow, not lead each group's commitment to community building and to serving the general public -- For it to be otherwise is inappropriate and, in this case, particularly disturbing. For months, defenders of the Park 51 project, including myself, have argued based not only on the fundamental constitutionality of any community's right to build and worship anywhere the law allows, but also on the importance of supporting institutions which offer constructive alternatives which remain proudly Muslim - institutions which are committed to healing past hurts and building bridges to the larger New York community. The first stage of that commitment would be to pony up and take full responsibility for the construction and programming, at least in the initial phases. While that may still happen, it does nobody any good for this to be the first major public funding plan for Park 51. The premise was that there was a critical mass of partners, from within the American Muslim community, who both could and would assume that responsibility. This is all about partnership - a partnership between Muslims and non-Muslims, in which each side addresses the challenges and abuses within its own community. It falls on the non-Muslim partners to step up and speak out against unreasonable fears, unfounded hatreds, and the exploitation of either in the name of protecting either the memory of 9/11 or the safety of our nation. And it falls on the Muslim partners to go beyond saying the right words or even supporting the right actions. They need to organize the necessary resources to build the dream we supposedly share. Peter King is wrong, and so is Sharif El-Gamal. It's up to the rest of us, the vast majority who are neither animated by rage nor looking for someone else to carry our water, to speak out. Park 51 will get built because it's the legal thing to do, but it will only be the good thing to do when it gets built primarily with the hard work and hard earned dollars of the community which claims it as its own.
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