by Barry Rubin
I’ve pointed out months ago my view of the “Ground Zero” mosque
controversy that I thought it was more of a con job than an Islamist
offensive. The developer and the imam seemed to be shady people who were
trying to promote their careers and seemed to believe they were going
to collect a lot of Saudi money.
photo by david shankbone
I also predicted that the mosque/community center tower would never be built. Now, one of the project’s backers has launched a law suit full
of detailed allegations, including a claim that the imam spent $3
million of the money raised on a good time for himself. I don’t know if
these claims are true but presumably a lot more will come out in the law
suit about the story behind this controversial project.
Ironically, the mosque/community center project generated too much
publicity, after being rushed through a city council willing to do
anything to prove it wasn’t Islamophobic, including observe the city’s
own regulations and procedures. This brought criticism and public
attention.In other words, this wasn’t really an issue of religious
freedom versus bigotry or a choice between “Islamophobia” and jihad but a
cautionary lesson about how the fear of seeming to be a “racist” or
“Islamophobe” can be manipulated to fool people into forgetting law and
logic.
If the whole issue would have been kept quiet, the likely outcome
wouldn’t have been jihad next to the World Trade Center ruins but the
enrichment of those involved. At any rate, let’s see what evidence is
provided in the court case.
Barry Rubin
Source: http://www.gloria-center.org/2013/02/ground-zero-mosque/
Copyright - Original materials copyright (c) by the authors.
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