Muslim Leaders Unite Behind Center

Muslim Leaders Unite Behind Center
By ANNE BARNARD
Copyright by The New York Times
Published: September 20, 2010
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/21/nyregion/21mosque.html?th&emc=th



The proposed Islamic community center and mosque in Lower Manhattan got its strongest vote of confidence yet from major Muslim leaders on Monday, after months of behind-the-scenes grumbling that they were not properly consulted on the project, and a day’s worth of intense and painful conversations at a hotel near Kennedy International Airport.

Leaders of local and national groups gathered at the site of the planned center, two blocks from ground zero, and declared not only that the planners had a constitutional right to build it, but also that they would help the project move forward in the face of heated opposition. They insisted that, as a matter of principle, the center should not budge from its planned site.

But the unity news conference followed a two-hour meeting on Sunday in which the leaders asked tough questions of Sharif el-Gamal, 37, the real estate developer spearheading the project. Mr. Gamal fully embraced Islam only as an adult and was meeting many of the nation’s Muslim communal leaders for the first time.

In interviews on Monday afternoon, many of the participants said that Mr. Gamal had satisfied most of the concerns that American Muslims had about the project: that it was elitist and had not been sensitively planned or promoted.

According to people at the meeting and other members of their organizations, the developer apologized for not consulting more with leaders ahead of time and said that he had not realized how strong the opposition would be. He also addressed concerns that the center would be only for “Manhattan elites” who have embraced interfaith dialogues led by the imam involved in the project, Feisal Abdul Rauf, or can afford its potentially expensive amenities like swimming pools and gym memberships.

Aisha al-Adawiya, who founded Women in Islam, based in Harlem, said participants stressed that the center should be accessible to poorer Muslims and offer programming that addressed their interests and needs. Mr. Gamal, who lives on the Upper West Side, promised that it would be “open and inviting” to all Muslims, she said.

Mr. Gamal also promised that Islamic groups in the New York area, including those representing African-Americans, would be included on an advisory committee he was forming and on the center’s board of trustees.

He fielded skeptical questions about how the center would raise money in a tough economic climate. He declared that he was “the decision maker” and that Mr. Rauf, who did not attend the meeting on Sunday, was heading only the center’s religious and interfaith programs; participants had wondered who was in charge. And Mr. Gamal shared his personal journey in Islam, saying the religion helped him get his life together after several brushes with the law.

But if Mr. Gamal encountered problems in pushing his project forward as a relative unknown, he will now have to deal with baggage his new Muslim supporters carry. Just as he and Mr. Rauf have seen their lives and views dissected and combed for hints of anti-American or radical sentiment, many Islamic organizations since 9/11 have been dealing with heightened scrutiny of their donors and members. Those supporting Mr. Gamal on Monday were immediately pilloried on the Internet by some opponents of the project.

The meeting was organized by the Majlis Ash-Shura of New York, also known as the Islamic Leadership Council of Metropolitan New York, which represents 55 mosques and Muslim groups. But it also included leaders of large national Muslim groups, including the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the Islamic Circle of North America and the Muslim American Society, all of which have been under a microscope.

The council was listed as an unindicted co-conspirator in a federal case against the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development, a charity based in Texas whose leaders were convicted in 2008 of funneling money to Hamas. The council has said it has no link to terrorism.

One of the most emotive new supporters was Mahdi Bray of the Muslim American Society, who said that like Rosa Parks, the center’s planners were being told: “We want you to move. You offend us being where you are. This is not the right place for you to be.”

Mr. Bray was asked about a video from 2000 in which he appeared to cheer and pump his fist when asked if anyone in the crowd supported Hamas and Hezbollah, listed as terrorist groups by the United States government; he said the scene was taken out of context.

Asked Monday by an audience member whether they would condemn Hamas, those at the news conference declined to answer, saying they wanted to focus on the planned center.

At the same time, they said their main concern was not the center itself but what they saw as a wave of anti-Muslim sentiment that had led people to oppose mosques in neighborhoods from Staten Island to California.

“Ground zero does not belong to a specific group of people or religion,” said Nihad Awad, the executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. “Ground zero belongs to all Americans.”