Mark Hay has an illuminating interview on Capital New York this morning with former Pakistani ambassador to the U.K. Akbar Ahmed.
The main thrust: The often ugly controversy surrounding the plans by Imam Faisal Abdul Rauf and developer Sharif El-Gamal (whom I profiled in this week’s Observer) to build an Islamic community center two blocks from Ground Read More
Nothing tests a president like standing up against a wave of fear and prejudice, even at potentially great cost to his own party and prospects. That is what Lyndon Baines Johnson did when he signed the civil rights acts he knew would forfeit the South to the Republicans for a generation or more.
And Read More
Mayor Michael Bloomberg gave a brief history lesson on religious freedom at a Governor’s Island press conference Tuesday afternoon.
Bloomberg was responding to the Landmarks Preservation Commission’s vote to take 45-47 Park Place off its calendar, essentially giving the green light for the controversial mosque and community center near Ground Zero. Read More
The city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission has made a quick turnaround on the controversial site for a potential ground zero mosque, and will hold a vote on it this coming Tuesday, Aug. 3—during what will likely be a very calm public meeting.
The Commission held a hearing two weeks ago to discuss the potential landmark Read More
There was a lot of screaming.
It was difficult for many speakers to stay on topic at a Landmarks Preservation Commission’s public hearing at Hunter College Tuesday afternoon.
The commission held a three-hour session on 45-47 Park Place, the site of a potential mosque and Muslim community center, which has stirred Read More
Let the shit-show begin. The city has scheduled hearings for a controversial proposed mosque near ground zero at Hunter College on July 13. The Landmarks Preservation Commission—which must approve the demolition of an existing building at 45 Park Place to make way for the 13-story Cordoba House, a mosque and Muslim community center that’s intended Read More
