The Kominas are NOT an “Islamic band”. If you read their interviews, none of them are practicing Muslims and at least one of them is openly ATHEIST.

It would be revolutionary to see PRACTICING Muslims do something like what they did – fundraising for a Hindu Temple. However, I wouldn’t expect it because iconography is HARAM in Islam.

Also, I agree with this post: “Why is people being genuinely being uncomfortable with the Mosque next to the propsed WTC site a slap in the face of America, like I said there is already a mosque at Warren street which is a few blocks from there. It is still an emotional issue for a lot of people, the last company I worked at lost almost 300 people and I have colleagues that still don’t come downtown. This is an avoidable issue as there are 10000 other spots this mosque can be built.”

I think it is a completely insensitive to build one near or on ground zero. I wonder how those who suggested the idea missed the huge “DUH” in the picture. Of course something like this would cause controversy and provoke idiots like Mark Williams. This would do nothing to facilitate or bridge relations between east/west cultures and religions. An inter-faith or multicultural center would be a better alternative.

Ummm.. it’s spelt grammAr.

ts evident that majority of New Yorkers living and working downtown wouldn’t want an Islamic center after 9/11 and the recent bomb scare, also related to Islamic extremists

Unless you believe that Islam and extremists are indistinguishable or at least synonymous, well, yeah, it is a bigoted idea. I guess freedom, property rights, right to contract and all that are good for everybody… except Muslims.

Apart from bad grammer (“your” done) you also seem to have no regard for freedom of speech and somebody voicing their opinion. Its evident that majority of New Yorkers living and working downtown wouldn’t want an Islamic center after 9/11 and the recent bomb scare, also related to Islamic extremists. Why a simple comment like “not wanting to hear Allah uAkbar when downtown” deserve such intolerance from the blog-managers is beyond me.

Cordoba Initiative aims to achieve a tipping point in Muslim-West relations within the next decade, bringing back the atmosphere of interfaith tolerance and respect that we have longed for since Muslims, Christians and Jews lived together in harmony and prosperity eight hundred years ago.

Commendable. But how will this mission be achieved by building a grand mosque near the ground-zero site?

I hate this guy Mark Williams. If it werent for racist bigoted idiots like him, people could have looked at the underlying issue of whether building a mosque there is the right thing in a more objective manner.

(DISCLAIMER: Please be advised that we are by no means affiliated with any other organization trying to build anything new in the area of downtown Manhattan.

Since 1970, Masjid Manhattan has been a peaceful, not-for-profit organization located in the area of downtown Manhattan. Our members are City, State and Federal employees, as well as professional employees of the Financial area who come to our Masjid to perform their daily prayers.

Masjid Manhattan and its members condemn any type of terrorist acts. In particular, the attacks of 9/11 where non-Muslims as well as Muslims lost their lives. Islam always invites for peace; therefore Islam is not responsible for the actions of some ill individuals who, independently from what Islam advocates, have hatred against humanity. As Muslims and as Americans, we will never forget the beloved ones who perished that terrible day of September 11, 2001.)

It’s interesting how they have to distance themselves from people who are doing something obviously psychotic and something that is a sin in their religion (killing innocent people, committing suicide)…if a quarter of the world’s population is muslim, does every one of those people have to make a statement when people they don’t know do something awful because they do it in the name of their religion (when the terrorists aren’t practicing the religion)?