Rudy Giuliani: “Ground Zero” Mosque Is A “Desecretion”
Not surprisingly, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani has joined the likes of Sarah Palin and Newt Gingrich in opposing the construction of an Islamic community center and mosque at a location two blocks away from Ground Zero:
This went way under the radar three weeks ago, but Rudy Giuliani made what, as best as I can tell, were his first public comments about the planned mosque near Ground Zero on the Jeff Katz show on radio (someone will I’m sure correct me if I’m wrong).
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“It sends a particularly bad message, particularly (because) of the background of the Imam who is supporting this. This is an Imam who has supported radical causes, who has not been forthright in condemning Islamic (terrorism) and the worst instincts that that brings about.
“So it not only is exactly the wrong place, right at Ground Zero, but it’s a mosque supported by an Imam who has a record of support for causes that were sympathetic with terrorism. Come on! We’re gonna allow that at Ground Zero?
“This is a desecration,” he added. “Nobody would allow something like that at Pearl Harbor. Let’s have some respect for who died there and why they died there. Let’s not put this off on some kind of politically correct theory.
“I mean, they died there because of Islamic extremist terrorism. They are our enemy, we can say that, the world will not end when we say that. And the reality is it will not and should not insult any decent Muslim because decent Muslims should be as opposed to Islamic extremism as you and I are.”
From a guy who spent his entire Presidential campaign reminding people that he happened to be Mayor of New York on September 11, 2001, this isn’t at all surprising.
Meanwhile, it looks like the final legal move to try to block the project is headed for failure:
The Mosque planned for Ground Zero is expected to pass a major hurdle Tuesday.
Board members at the Landmarks Preservation Commission intend to vote unanimously against granting protected status to the 152-year-old building that would be knocked down to make way for the project, the Daily News has learned.
The Italianate building on Park Place, two blocks north of Ground Zero, simply does not meet architectural criteria for protection from the city, sources with knowledge of the issue said.
“The building is not worthy,” a source said. “It does not rise to the level of an individual landmark.”
Which happens to be the only criteria that Landmarks Preservation Commission considers. Maybe after this happens, people will quiet down.
Who am I kidding ?
