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Below: An Associated Press news clip shows New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's response to former vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin's comments on the "Mosque" controversy. Below: In a speech in August, a month before the anniversary of the attack on the WTC, New York mayor Michael Bloomberg gave a speech defending American Muslims' freedom to worship and to build a place of worship where they wished, if it was lawful to do so. An amateur cameraman recorded the event. Below: On August 13, US President Barack Obama weighed into the controversy when he made a speech at a White House dinner celebrating Ramadan, the Islamic holy month. Mr Obama strongly defended the right of Muslims to build the "Ground Zero Mosque" ... Below: ... however, the President later "clarified" the speech when he said to reporters that, while he upheld the right of Muslims to build the centre, he did not necessarily see "wisdom" in the decision to undertake the project . |
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On July 30, 2010, Salon published an overview of the opinion of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) that the Muslim community centre should not be built on the proposed site because it would foster anti-Muslim feeling in the United States. The full text of the ADL statement can be found at http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2010/07/30/adl_mosque_statement
On August 3, 2010, Salon published the full text of a speech given by Michael Bloomberg, the mayor of New York, defending the right of the Muslim community of New York to build a community centre at a place of their choosing. The full text of Bloomberg's speech can be found at http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2010/08/03/mayor_bloomberg_on_mosque/index.html
On August 22, 2010, SBS Dateline produced a report titled, 'Ground Zero Mosque'. The report includes background information and a wide range of opinions both for and against the building of the Muslim prayer centre. The full text of this report can be found at http://www.sbs.com.au/dateline/story/transcript/id/600697/n/Ground-Zero-MosqueThe video of the report can be found at http://www.sbs.com.au/dateline/story/watch/id/600697/n/Ground-Zero-Mosque
On August 24, 2020, the 7.30 Report gave a comprehensive overview of the issues surrounding the building of a Muslim community centre near the site of the World Trade Centre. The full text of the report can be found at http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2010/s2992382.htmThe video of the report can be found at http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/201008/r625903_4232846.asx
On September 9, 2010, the online opinion site, On Line Opinion, published a comment written by Sadanand Dhume and titled, 'Manhattan project: the great mosque divide'. The piece outlines the arguments on both side of the issue and concludes 'Western conservatives and liberals need to find common ground on one of the most pressing issues of our time. The failure to do so weakens both the West's culture of individual rights and the struggle against radical Islam'.
The full text of the article can be read at http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=10956
On September 11, 2010, President Barack Obama defended the religious freedoms of American Muslims. A report of the president's address can be found at http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/09/12/3009278.htmAn audio recording of part of President Obama's speech can be found at http://mpegmedia.abc.net.au/news/audio/am/201009/20100911-sam-01-us-muslims.mp3
In an earlier speech given on August 13, 2010, President Obama similarly, and at greater length, defended the religious freedoms of Muslim Americans. A full transcript of that speech can be found at http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2010/08/13/transcript-president-obama-at-white-house-iftar-dinner/
On September 18, 2010, The National Times published the opinion of Randa Abdel-Fattah that the Muslim community centre would help promote moderate Muslim views. The opinion piece is titled, 'Ground Zero mosque is an antidote to extremism' The full text of the opinion piece can be found at http://www.watoday.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/ground-zero-mosque-is-an-antidote-to-extremism-20100917-15g7p.html
The Internet site of the conservative lobby group Stop the Islamisation of America can be found at http://sioaonline.com/
The site presents a range of extreme anti-Islam views, including opposition to the building of a Muslim community centre near the site of the World Trade Centre.
The Internet page of the American Society for Muslim Advancement can be found at http://www.asmasociety.org/home/