Gov. Paterson offers land for mosque if it moves

[Jeffersons Ghost]

Gov offers land for mosque if it moves

By BRENDAN SCOTT, Post Correspondent

ALBANY -- Gov. Paterson floated a possible state solution to the Ground Zero mosque fight yesterday -- offering public land for the proposed Islamic center farther away from the World Trade Center.

The governor, who backs the mosque, offered surprising support to opponents of the planned center with his suggestion that the state could give the developers land to move the project to a neutral site.

"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," Paterson told reporters.

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/gov_offers_land_for_mosque_if_it_YKrG1nuNaSdMbNuoZ7IabM#ixzz0wIDCgIeX

[RandomThoughts]

1. That whole conversation is one of coercion or not.

If the mosque is made to move by coersive edict, then the muslims are treated wrongly.

If they are allowed to put it there, but the insensitivity is brought up, then the high ground is maintained, and it is the people that want the mosque there that have to decide if they will build it there.

Hence why Bloomberg did so well with his comment.

[aquart]

2. Hopefully in a neighborhood where Muslims actually live.

And can thereby benefit from the opulent resources. There are mixed communities in Queens and Brooklyn that have been living together for decades and wouldn't mind a swimming pool and a basketball court one little bit.

[Spider Jerusalem]

3. Right, because no Muslims live in Manhattan?

An estimated six hundred thousand Muslims in NYC. Surely they aren't all in Brooklyn.

[Jeffersons Ghost]

4. it's simply hate-mongering to feed an unpopular war

[sinkingfeeling]

12. As there are in Manhattan, where this building gets much higher approval ratings than in either

Queens or Brooklyn.

http://blogs.wsj.com/metropolis/2010/08/02/ground-zero-mosque-founder-we-want-to-repair-the-breach/

Metropolis: You have been in the Lower Manhattan community for nearly three decades with Masjid Al-Farah without controversy. How do you explain the opposition to Park51?

Khan: No one should be asked to leave their neighborhood. This is our neighborhood and we’ve been part of it for 27 years. Our opponents are not from this neighborhood…We were shut down for four weeks after 9/11. The sad part was that we felt victimized like everyone else in New York because it was our city that was attacked but we were never given permission to mourn.




http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local-beat/New-Yorkers-Oppose-Ground-Zero-Mosque-Poll-97602569.html
Broken down by borough, Manhattan was the most in favor of the mosque, with only 36 percent of residents against it. On the other end of the spectrum was Staten Island, where 73 percent of respondents were opposed.

[Sea Witch]

16. There are Muslims living in the area

It is a community center and there is already a Mosque closer to ground zero that has been there for 40 years.

[no_hypocrisy]

5. The governor's missing the point.

1. It isn't a mosque. It's a recreational center like the YMCA.
2. One room is multi-functional, one function of which is prayer.
3. The message is tolerance and healing.
4. The funding will be scrutinized like no other building project.
5. The wholesale intolerance, hate, discrimination against Muslims needs to be addressed and condemned.
6. Moving to another site ignores my previous points and encourages more anger towards Muslims.

[Jeffersons Ghost]

6. don't you think publicity about the project encourages more anger towards Muslims?

[no_hypocrisy]

7. Only if it's in a vacuum.

I would hope for elected officials to make statements that would neutralize the situation by offering perspective.

[Jeffersons Ghost]

9. headlines call it a "mosque." it's become an element of war-time propaganda...

No one seems interested in neutralizing the situation by calling it a rec. center.

[pinboy3niner]

10. Where he misses the point: there is no "neutral site"

Protests are occurring at mosque sites across the country. Murfreesboro, TN is not far enough away from Ground Zero. Not even Temecula, CA is far enough away. The only thing that's different is the rationale given for the objections.

[pnorman]

11. A (non-sectarian) "AMEN!" to that!

No particular admirer of Organized Religion, particularly Islam, but I'm a passionate supporter of the First Amendment. The Governor may have been well intentioned, but would be WRONG, WRONG, WRONG on this. It would be a`tacit "admission of guilt" by the backers of that project, and one that the Teabaggers would exploit to the hilt.

[hedgehog]

8. What would the governor think if someone offered African-Americans

public land to build on so as to placate European-Americans who object to them building in "their" neighborhoods?

[Raineyb]

13. Why the fuck is Paterson catering to these morons? Leave the people and their

community center alone. They don't need to move. The bigots need to STFU and get the hell out.

[Bill McBlueState]

14. now *that's* Nanny state

Poor little douchebags have their feelings hurt by religious pluralism, so the government's going to make it all better for them.

[Sea Witch]

15. It is not a mosque, it is a community center

There has been a mosque next to ground zero for 40 years. Paterson should rethink pandering to the fear mongers. Asking them to move it does nothing but re-enforce the belief that Islam = Bad and Muslim = Terrorist.

[Scurrilous]

19. Indeed. n/t

[geek tragedy]

17. Can't wait for Cuomo to replace this dunce. nt

[joeybee12]

18. I like Paterson, but this is really stupid...it really isn't the location...it's the ignorance...

...of the people fighting it.