President Obama yesterday weighs in on the controversial plan by Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf to build an Islamic center at a site near Ground Zero, saying he favors it in the name of religious freedom. (Getty Images)
(Getty Images)
President Obama last night strongly backed the Ground Zero mosque while celebrating Ramadan with Muslim Americans at the White House — saying it shows that the nation’s commitment to religious tolerance is “unshakeable.”
“Let me be clear. As a citizen, and as president, I believe that Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as everyone else in this country,” Obama said to applause in his first comments on the controversy.
READ THE FULL TEXT OF OBAMA’S MOSQUE REMARKS
“That includes the right to build a place of worship and a community center on private property in lower Manhattan, in accordance with local laws and ordinances.
“This is America and our commitment to religious freedom must be unshakeable. The principle that people of all faiths are welcome in this country and that they will not be treated differently by their government is essential to who we are,” Obama said.
Obama spoke at a White House dinner for Iftar, a celebration to begin the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. The guest list included diplomats from more than a dozen Muslim nations, including Libya and Saudi Arabia.
Obama acknowledged the controversy that has been raging since plans for the lower Manhattan mosque and community center were announced.
“The 9/11 attacks were a deeply traumatic event for our country,” the president said. “And the pain and suffering experienced by those who lost loved ones is unimaginable. So I understand the emotions this issue engenders.”
Calling Ground Zero “hallowed ground,” Obama said: “We must never forget those whom we lost so tragically on 9/11 and we must always honor those who led the response to that attack — from the firefighters who charged up smoke-filled staircases to our troops who are serving in Afghanistan today.”
Before last night, White House officials had deflected questions on whether a mosque should be located a few blocks from the World Trade Center site, calling the matter solely a local one..
“I applaud President Obama’s clarion defense of the freedom of religion,” said Mayor Bloomberg, who has emerged as the mosque’s biggest defender against a firestorm of criticism.
Rep. Peter King (R-LI), a leading mosque opponent, accused Obama of caving in to “political correctness.”
And Sally Regenhard, who lost her firefighter son at the World Trade Center, said the president showed a “gross lack of sensitivity to the 9/11 families.”
Also yesterday, Gov. Paterson’s proposal to help find a new site for the Islamic center drew interest from some activists. Lawyers for retired firefighter Tim Brown — who has sued the city to halt the project — asked to meet the governor and the mosque’s imam, Feisal Abdul Rauf.
Obama said Americans must separate Islamic terrorists from the overwhelming majority of peace-loving Muslims.
“Our enemies respect no freedom of religion. Al Qaeda’s cause is not Islam — it is a gross distortion of Islam,” he said.
“These are not religious leaders — these are terrorists who murder innocent men, women and children. In fact, al Qaeda has killed more Muslims than people of any other religion.”