In this following, I agree with Mayor Bloomberg:
"“If somebody wants to build a mosque in a place where it’s zoned for it and they can raise the money, then they can do that,” he said. “And it’s not the government’s business.”"If the purpose of the community center/mosque is to build interfaith ties, then given the opposition to constructing it at this site (we are told Gov. Patterson offered up state land at another site), then it is off to a bad start.
PS: Patterson:
Paterson stated, "If the sponsors were looking for property anywhere at a distance that would be such that it would accommodate a better feeling among the people who are frustrated, I would look into trying to provide them with the state property they would need."
The Democratic governor admitted that he does not have issue with the Cordoba Initiative and supports their mosque proposal. However, the NY governor stated he is "sensitive" to the feelings of those adamantly opposed.
Mosque developer Sharif El-Gamal rejected the governor’s proposal for an alternative site and claimed a need to “serve Lower Manhattan.”
Another prominent mosque supporter also rejected the governor's proposal and stated, “Paterson's remarks validate the idea that all Muslims are responsible for what terrorists did on September 11, 2001.”
