"On Sept. 11, the landing gear assembly of one of the planes used in the attack crashed through the roof of what was then a Burlington Coat Factory."
Planned Sign of Tolerance Bringing Division Instead
Ozier Muhammad/The New York Times
By JAVIER C. HERNANDEZ / Published: July 13, 2010
The Cordoba House was supposed to be a monument to religious tolerance, an homage to the city in Spain where Muslims, Jews, and Christians lived together centuries ago in the midst of religious foment.
If the Landmarks Preservation Commission, above, grants landmark status at the site, the project would come to a halt.
Its 15 stories, home to a Muslim community center and a mosque, would rise two blocks from the pit of dust and cranes where the twin towers once stood, a symbol of the resilience of the American melting pot, its supporters said.
But instead of inspiring mutual respect, the center has opened deep divisions marked by vitriolic commentary, pitting Muslims against Christians, Tea Partiers against staunch liberals, and Sept. 11 families against one another.
And so what began as a gesture of combined good faith by Muslims and non-Muslims has turned into a familiar game of New York City political football.
The bellicose discourse was on full display on Tuesday in an auditorium at Hunter College in Manhattan as the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission considered whether to grant one of the buildings that would be torn down for the project, at 45-47 Park Place, status as a protected landmark. The entire center would occupy 45-51 Park Place.
In a city where the memorial to those killed on Sept. 11 is only now taking shape, it is perhaps not surprising that the idea of a mosque near the ruins of the World Trade Center would stir such passion.
Sally Regenhard, whose 28-year-old son, Christian, a firefighter, died on Sept. 11, said in an interview that the center would amount to “sacrilege on sacred ground.”
“People are being accused of being anti-Muslim and racist, but this is simply a matter of sensitivity,” said Ms. Regenhard, who lives in Yonkers. “It’s hard enough to go down to that pit of hell and death.”
In recent days, politicians have called for an investigation of the group’s finances and expressed concerns about the views of its leader, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, who has held services in a small mosque in TriBeCa since 1983. The Internet has featured fury from all sides, and some bloggers have labeled the proposal a sub-rosa effort to spread extremist Islam.
Many Muslim-Americans have been taken aback by the intensity of the reaction, saying it was a sign that discrimination was alive and well nearly nine years after 9/11. But they said the vigorous opposition underscored the need for the $100 million center, which would include a 500-seat auditorium and offer a range of programs modeled on the Y.M.C.A. and the Jewish Community Center in Manhattan.
“There is such an ignorance about Islam,” said Sharif El-Gamal, chief executive of SoHo Properties, the developer of the building. “This is the voice of the moderate Muslim.”
Mr. El-Gamal released a fact sheet on Tuesday playing down the center’s religious connections and calling it an “institution for all of us.” There are also plans to give the building a blander name: Park51.
Though those skeptical of the project consider it an offense to the memory of those killed in the attack, others say its proximity is its strength: a symbol of American religious freedom to counter the extremism that came to the fore on that day.
“I want tolerance, I want inclusion, and there is no better embodiment,” said Valerie Lucznikowska, 71, whose nephew, Adam Arias, died in the Sept. 11 attack. “This is a living city. Ground zero is not a static shrine.”
With a November election approaching, politicians have latched onto the issue as a high-profile platform to attack their opponents.
On Tuesday, Rick A. Lazio, a Republican running for governor, urged the landmarks commission to protect the building, constructed in the late 1850s in the Italian Renaissance palazzo style; this would effectively halt the plans for the Muslim center. The commission expects to vote on the issue in August.
“This is about getting questions answered,” Mr. Lazio told reporters. “This is about transparency. This about the safety of the people of New York.”
“Religion has nothing to do with this,” he added.
Representative Peter T. King, a Republican, joined Mr. Lazio in calling for an investigation into the financing of the project. But Andrew M. Cuomo, Mr. Lazio’s Democratic opponent and the state’s attorney general, has rebuffed those requests.
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg has strongly endorsed the project, arguing that it is not the role of government to meddle in religious and business affairs.
“Government should never — never — be in the business of telling people how they should pray, or where they can pray,” Mr. Bloomberg said on Monday. “We want to make sure that everybody from around the world feels comfortable coming here, living here and praying the way they want to pray.”
In May, the Lower Manhattan community board also voted to support the center.
The building was once part of a textile district surrounding City Hall.
On Sept. 11, the landing gear assembly of one of the planes used in the attack crashed through the roof of what was then a Burlington Coat Factory.
For Muslim-Americans, the controversy surrounding the center has rekindled worries that life in the United States may continue to be clouded with mistrust. In Staten Island and in Brooklyn, proposals for mosques are facing strong opposition from community members.
Yvonne Haddad, a professor at the Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at Georgetown University, said Muslims were facing renewed hostility after enjoying some acceptance in the aftermath of Sept. 11.
“It is a palpable difference,” Ms. Haddad said, attributing the antagonism to the war in Afghanistan, the attempted bombing of Times Square, and the shootings at Fort Hood, Tex.
“Americans have always been open toward religion and prayer and people’s faith as a private space,” Ms. Haddad said. “But building mosques makes a statement that ‘we are here and we are here to stay,’ and some people would like to wish them away.”
A version of this article appeared in print on July 14, 2010, on page A22 of the New York edition.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/14/nyreg ... .html?_r=1
