Metro

Developers of Ground Zero mosque won’t rule out money from Saudi Arabia, Iran

The developers of the controversial Ground Zero mosque are on a mission to drum up the $100 million for their project — and they won’t rule out taking money from Mideast countries like Saudi Arabia and Iran.

Oz Sultan, spokesman for the center now called Park51, refused to comment on whether or not the religious organization would accept money from foreign donors like Iran, leaving the door open for speculation.

“We have just started the process of fundraising planning,” he said, before going on to explain that they planned to begin efforts within the United States first.

But when asked about the possibility of getting cash from sponsors like Iran or Saudi Arabia, Sultan said, “I can’t comment on that.”

The possibility of tapping the radical rogue Islamic state for funds comes as the US just last month stepped up sanctions on Iran in retaliation for its support of terrorism and what is feared to be an illegal nuclear weapons development program by Tehran.

And, adding insult to injury, fifteen of the nineteen September 11th hijackers were from Saudi Arabia.

Earlier today, President Obama said he had “no regrets” about stepping into the controversy surrounding plans to build an Islamic cultural center and mosque two blocks away from Ground Zero, while House Speaker Nancy Pelosi backed away from her earlier call for an investigation into who was funding its opponents.

“The answer is, no regrets,” Obama said in response to a question from an ABC reporter following an economic event at a private residence in Columbus, Ohio.

Critics blasted Obama after he suggested Friday that he supported the plan to build the mosque and Islamic community center. Obama made the comments at a Ramadan dinner at the White House.

POLL SHOWS MOSQUE OPPOSITION INCREASES

Democrats and many on the left then criticized the president Saturday, when he appeared to temper his support by saying that he was not speaking about the wisdom or sensitivity of the plans to build the mosque, but was “commenting very specifically on the right people have that dates back to our founding.”

Meanwhile, the House Speaker backtracked from earlier comments in which she called for an investigation into the funding behind opponents of the mosque.

“I think everybody respects the right of people in our country to express their religious beliefs on their property,” Pelosi told reporters in San Francisco, Calif. Tuesday. “There is no question that there is a concerted effort to make this a political issue by some and I join those who have called for looking into how is this opposition to the mosque being funded, how is this being ginned up.”

When it became clear that her call for a probe into opponents’ funding was attracting attention, her office issued a clarification Wednesday in which she attempted to downplay her original comments.

“I support the statement made by the Interfaith Alliance that ‘We agree with the ADL [Anti-Defamation League] that there is a need for transparency about who is funding the effort to build this Islamic center,” Pelosi (D-Calif.) said. “At the same time, we should also ask who is funding the attacks against the construction of the center.”

Regarding, the future of the planned mosque, Gov. Paterson issued a statement Wednesday saying that he expected to meet with the mosque’s imam and developer “in the near future.”

Despite having no objection to the building of the mosque two blocks from the site of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, the governor has offered the developers public land in another location due to the outpouring of opposition across the state and nation. The developers have made it clear that they have no intention of moving the cultural center to a different site.

Paterson’s overtures represent the best chance opponents have to stop the plan that won overwhelming support by the local community board and cleared a city commission that could have altered the construction but not the existence of the center. Experts say a legal challenge is highly likely to fail.

Mayor Bloomberg and Obama have come out in support of developers’ rights to build the mosque and cultural center, while most high-profile Republicans, including former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani have come out against it. The Senate’s top Democrat, Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has also come out against it.

Republican leadership in the House of Representative is united in its opposition to the project. House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) has called Obama’s position “deeply troubling” while House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) has called plans to build the mosque at Ground Zero “the height of insensitivity.”

The No. 3 House Republican, Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.), said “it is not appropriate to construct a mosque celebrating Islamic culture in the shadow of the Twin Towers.”

With NewsCore