Good Grief: Plans For Second Mosque Near Ground Zero?

Considering plans for the mega-mosque near the World Trade Center site have hit financial stumbling blocks, it seems to me this is little more than some trashtalk by some Islamic psychopaths intent on milking the current controversy. But given the craven pandering by local community boards, would it surprise anyone if the entire neighborhood isn't soon overrun by scores of mosques.

Another mosque could be built in the shadow of the World Trade Center.

Officials of Masjid Manhattan, with 1,500 members, clearly want to be near the site of the worst terror attack on US soil.

"Build the 'House of Allah' next to the World Trade Center! Help us raise the flag of La Illaha Illa Allah in downtown Manhattan," reads a banner on its Web site.

The mosque, on nearby Warren Street since 1970, says it's raised $8.5 million of the needed $11 million.

More here.

Unlike the massive $100 million Cordoba House mosque, the Masjid Mosque is small – and it is no stranger to the neighborhood. Since 1970 it had been located at 12 Warren Street, about four blocks north of the World Trade Center, in a neat but nondescript industrial space that once housed a printing shop. It lost its lease in 2008 when the building was sold, and it was evicted from its second-floor prayer space on May 25 of that year. Since then it has been operating out a cramped basement space in a nearby building at 20 Warren Street.

On Friday evenings the mosque, which is popular with street vendors and taxi drivers, becomes so crowded that worshipers spill onto nearby sidewalks to pray in what has come to be a community event.

A press representative for Daisy Kahn, executive director of the Cordoba Initiative, said neither she nor anyone in her group had been aware of the Masjid’s efforts. “They have no connection to us,” she said. “We didn't even know they were there.”

Masjid mosque leaders claim on their website that they are deeply involved in converting people to Islam and run a special program to convert those who are interested.

Efforts to reach mosque leaders were not successful. Calls left with Naheem Mohammed, the mosque’s treasurer, were not returned. Calls to the mosque itself were not answered. And efforts to reach Abdullah El-Khory, the president of the mosque's board, were not successful.

Julie Menin, chairwoman of Community Board 1, also declined to return several calls. The board, which monitors and approves all development in the financial district surrounding Ground Zero and has been stung by criticism from the families of 9/11 victims, is permitted to assess the impact of building a mosque at the site.

Seems like nobody wants to talk, but when people complain, nobody wants to listen, either. Before long criticism of these abominations will probably be criminalized as hate speech.