FINANCIAL DISTRICT — Word of a 13-story mosque and community center slated to rise two blocks from the World Trade Center site has sparked strong reactions in the neighborhood and online.

Some are outraged: relatives of 9/11 victims are upset, some Islamic leaders are calling the center a mistake, and a You must login or register to view this content. Others say the center would provide much-needed services to the neighborhood.

Patrick Ashley, the founder of the Facebook group, hopes the mass objections will force the Cordoba Initiative, the group behind the center, to back off.

“I don’t have any problem with them building a mosque, just not so close to the site,” said Ashley, a stay-at-home father from Rochester, N.Y.
Mosque to Open Two Blocks From World Trade CenterA preliminary rendering of the 13-story Cordoba House on Park Place. (DNAinfo/Julie Shapiro)

“It’s saying, ‘We destroyed the Twin Towers and we’re planting our flag right there for the rest of the Islamic world to see.’”

Daisy Khan, executive director of the Cordoba Initiative, said the goal of the Cordoba House is to bridge the divide between the Muslim and non-Muslim world, while at the same time building a center the entire community can enjoy.

The $100 million center, named the "Cordoba House," would replace the shuttered Burlington Coat Factory building on Park Place, which was damaged on 9/11.

Khan said the Cordoba Initiative did not pick the site just because of its proximity to the World Trade Center.

“In New York City, it’s not that easy to find real estate,” she said. “This was the right kind of footprint — height, width, what we could build. We didn’t say, ‘We have to be right next to the memorial.’”

The objections to the Cordoba House could likely come to a head at Community Board 1’s next meeting May 25. The board’s Financial District Committee unanimously supported the mosque last week, and since then the board has become a target, too.
Mosque Moves In Two Blocks From World Trade CenterThe Burlington Coat Factory building on Park Place, where the Cordoba Initiative hopes to build a $100 million Islamic cultural center. (DNAinfo/Julie Shapiro)

Ro Sheffe, chairman of the Financial District Committee, said the Cordoba House will be much more than a mosque — it will also offer secular events and provide the community with a much-needed theater, gym and pool.

Sheffe also pointed out that a mosque near the World Trade Center is nothing new — a smaller mosque on West Broadway about 10 blocks north of the site has been holding services since long before 9/11.

The Cordoba Initiative currently has all the rights and permissions it needs to build the mosque and community center, so even if politicians wanted to hold up the plans, there would be little they could do.

Some of downtown’s leaders, including Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and CB1 Chairwoman Julie Menin, are keeping quiet on the issue. They both say they want to hear more from the community before taking a position.

For many local residents and workers, the issue is more practical than political.

“You need something like that around here,” said Tyrone Gamble, 38, manager at Uncle Mike’s bar around the corner from the Cordoba House.

TriBeCa could use an affordable community center, “instead of all these expensive gyms,” Gamble said.

The Cordoba Initiative hopes to hold one-on-one meetings with those concerned about the project and is accepting requests at [email][email protected][/email].

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Please look them up for yourself. Nobody made them up, they're right there for everyone to see.

No way can't have it. There are plenty of places to build shrines to ignorance but near a place that was blown up because of those retarded beliefs isn't one of them.

So they want to build not one...but 2 ****ing mosques within a block of ground zero. I'm all for religious freedom but this is just ****ing crossing the line.

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Thats the facebook group

It wasn't osamas religion that caused his actions, as thats not what it teaches.

You can not condemn a faith simply because of the actions of one group.

Like I said in the other thread look at the catholic church and the horrible events
done in its name & directly ordered & sanctioned.

Its a mosque not bin ladenland theme park let them build their mosque
and play make believe worshipping their god.

Totally agree with you...
I think most of these people are getting much more then they deserve.

Religious freedom is ok as well,but they don't want freedom or to be helped.

Just look at Iraq and Afganistan.


And yet they come to your country and claim everything,and even get everything!!

Question for you all: How come there never was a Catholic church build in an Arab country?

---------- Post added at 08:22 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:16 AM ----------



i always look at it like this:Back in the middle ages we did the same thing. We (europeans) wanted everyone to become a catholic.if someone wanted to stay with their own religion,the would kill those person.mostly chop of their head and plant it on a stick on the townsquare.we weren't good for our women either.And let's not forget that the koran came a 1000 years after the bible..What i want to say is:They still have a lot to learn and i think they are stuck at the same point we were back in the middle ages.it took us a while to notice what we were doing wrong as well..The taliban is killing all the "infidels".( silence!!!i kill you!!!!)we did the same thing about 500/600 years ago.And a woman is less than a man in their religion..That's my point of few...


(just jumping in and agreeing with you..

There in a way are catholic churches in arab countries, islam is an extrem version
it was the angel gabriel that delivered the message to mohammad. allah is not a different god he is the same one catholics believe in but gabriel revealed gods name to mohammad as allah.

Yes i know..

There's 1 i can think of in Istanbul( Capitol of Turkey)

That city used to be Constantinopel (Don't know it's name in English)

When Turkey grew into a muslim country, the didn't take down the Catholic church, but they made the interieur look like a mosque...


(i'm on PS3 now ,so i can't look anything up...)