Lower Manhattan, NY
Description
Creator
Proposed Project
Outcome
Narrative
Background on the Case
Park 51 was a project that was envisioned as an interfaith Islamic community center and mosque in Lower Manhattan. The developer, Sharif El-Gamal, sought to promote interfaith relations and dialogue through the proposed community center. However, the project was soon dubbed the “ground zero mosque” due to its proximity to the 9/11 attacks. Thus, a national controversy ensued.
People that opposed the project viewed it as disrespectful to build an Islamic center so close to the place where Muslim terrorists had killed American citizens in the name of Islam. It was referred to as a “victory mosque.” However, the project’s organizers maintained that the space was to be a place to build peaceful interfaith relations.
While the project’ opponents described the project as a mosque, the project’s organizers emphasized that it would be a community center with a prayer space. The official Park 51 website mentioned that although a mosque was part of the plan, the mosque would be run separately from the rest of the Park 51 center and open to all, regardless of religion.
Key events*
- July 2009: An empty building at 45-47 Park Place, New York, NY was purchased by the real estate company Soho Properties. The building, which was previously a Burlington Coat Factory, was purchased for 4.85 million dollars. This purchase was led by real estate agent Sharif El-Gamal and his investment group.
- December 2009: The New York Times published an article, “Muslim Prayers and Renewal Near Ground Zero,” about the planned Islamic Center. This brought the case into the public eye.
- Later in the month, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf’s (the leader of the proposed mosque) wife, Daisy Khan, was interviewed on Fox News’ The O’Reilly Factor. In her interview Khan explained the purpose of Park 51 and how it would “ deliver a message of tolerance and love” (Seminary 2009).
- May 2010: The formal plans for Park 51 were proposed in a meeting with the Finance Committee of Local Manhattan Community Board No.1. It was approved with a 12-0 vote. The project was then officially titled the Cordoba House, after a region in Spain where people of different religions coexisted peacefully.
- Later in the month, Pamela Geller, the executive director of the organization Stop the Islamization of America, began posting about the Park 51 project online.
- June 2010: The first major protest over the Park 51 project occurred. The protest was organized by Geller and attracted over 1,000 protesters.
- September 2010: Protesters converged in Lower Manhattan over opposition to the “Ground Zero Mosque.” There were rival demonstrations which resulted in some heated confrontations.
*The description of key events regarding this project draws primarily from information available at History of WTC Muslim Center (2016).
National Controversy
Numerous American politicians weighed in on what had become a national controversy. Sarah Palin, the former governor of Alaska, addressed the controversy via twitter saying, "Peace-seeking Muslims, pls understand, Ground Zero mosque is UNNECESSARY provocation; it stabs hearts. Pls reject it in the interests of healing” (History of WTC Muslim Center, 2016). Newt Gingrich, the former speaker of the US House of Representatives, issued a newsletter opposing the proposed project. In addition, on August 11, 2010, CNN published a poll (CNN Opinion Research Poll, 2010), which showed that 68 percent of Americans opposed the plan to build the Islamic cultural center (Park 51) two blocks from the site of 9/11. Only 29 percent were in favor of the plan (History of WTC Muslim Center, 2016).
However not everyone opposed the project. President Obama said publicly in 2010, "As a citizen, and as President, I believe that Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as everyone else in this country. That includes the right to build a place of worship and a community center on private property in lower Manhattan… This is America, and our commitment to religious freedom must be unshakable” (History of WTC Muslim Center, 2016).
Some relatives of victims of the September 11th attack felt that the proposal was offensive because of its proximity to the site of the attacks. In addition, the terrorists who committed the attacks did so in the name of their Islamic beliefs.
A majority of the opposition to Park 51 came from online sources. Opposition came from Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer, cofounders of the group “Stop the Islamization of America.” They popularized the term the “victory mosque” to refer to Park 51, which later defined the controversy. Pamela Geller stated, “This is humiliating that you would build a shrine to the very ideology that inspired the attacks of 9/11” (“The Man Behind the Mosque,” 2011).
The American Center for Law and Justice, filed a lawsuit against the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission over the proposed Park 51 project. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of former firefighter and 9/11 responder, Timothy Brown. In the lawsuit they alleged that 43-51 Park Place was a historic landmark. If the property were declared a historic landmark, this would have made building the project at that site even more difficult. On July 13, 2011, New York Supreme Court Justice Paul Feinman dismissed the lawsuit (Kirpalani, 2011).
There were also several public protests in opposition of Project 51.
Outcome and Current Status
Sharif El-Gamal’s plan for an Islamic cultural center has been put to an end. Instead, it will be replaced with a 665-foot luxury condominium. By 2011, El-Gamal and his investment group gave into public pressure and decided to abandon the idea for an Islamic center. The site is due to open in 2019 and will include approximately 50 apartments and a small Islamic museum and public plaza. However, it will not include a mosque. The site is no longer referred to as “Park 51.” However, the new name of the project has not yet been announced (Kaysen 2017).