Early NYC Islamic center backers have new vision

[dkf]

NEW YORK (AP) — A Muslim couple who had a role in founding a controversial Islamic community center and mosque near the World Trade Center, but were effectively booted from the organization in January, say they are pursuing a new vision for the project.

Activist Daisy Khan said Tuesday that she and her husband, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, have spent some seven months having planning discussions with the relatives of 9/11 victims, first responders and others, talking about alternative concepts for the center, including the possibility that it could become a multi-faith center focusing on religious conflict.

Speaking to reporters at a luncheon organized by More magazine, Khan also said the center she and her husband have been discussing might no longer be suited to the current planned location.

The couple's ability to turn such brainstorming sessions into reality, however, isn't clear.

The developer of the Islamic center, Sharif El-Gamal, announced in January that Rauf would no longer be involved in planning the center. Khan has never had a formal role in the project.

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