Religious leaders divided over Ground Zero mosque | Christian News on Christian Today

Religious leaders divided over Ground Zero mosque | Christian News on Christian TodayVisitors to the newly-opened World Center Hotel overlook the World Trade Center construction site, Wednesday, June 9, 2010, in New York. The rising tower of One World Trade Center is at center left.... (AP) A group of religious and interfaith leaders issued a statement Wednesday, denouncing the "xenophobia and religious bigotry" behind arguments against the proposed mosque near the 9/11 site.

More than 40 Catholic, Protestant, Jewish and Muslim leaders said they were deeply troubled by some of the opposition and how protesters have demonised all Muslims and exploited fear.

"We have witnessed this sinful corruption of religion across faith traditions throughout history and must condemn it without equivocation whenever or wherever it occurs," the religious leaders wrote in their statement.

"However, we fail to honour those murdered on that awful day – including Muslim Americans killed in the Twin Towers and Pentagon – by betraying our nation's historic commitment to religious liberty, fuelling ugly stereotypes about Islam and demeaning the vast majority of Muslims committed to peace."

The planned $100 million mosque and community centre will be located two blocks from the site where the World Trade Centre came down on September 11, 2001, when two airplanes hijacked by Al-Qaeda terrorists crashed into it. The religious leaders argued that the mosque would foster dialogue and break down barriers.

"We are deeply saddened by those who denigrate a religion which in so many ways is a religion of compassion and peace by associating all Muslims with violent extremism," said the Rev Peg Chemberlin, president of the National Council of Churches. "This centre will reflect not only the best of Islam, but the enduring hope that Christians, Jews and Muslims can together find common ground in addressing the most urgent challenges of our time."

Called the Park 51 project, the proposed 13-story community centre will include fitness facilities, education programmes, meditation rooms and a mosque. The Cordoba Initiative, a Muslim outreach group, is spearheading the project.

Though the group has promoted the centre as part of efforts to improve Muslim-West relations and to promote tolerance and pluralism, the project has drawn fierce opposition, with families of the nearly 3,000 victims of the 9/11 attacks accusing the Muslim group of insensitivity.

Michael Youssef, founder of Evangelical Anglican Church of the Apostles and Leading the Way ministry, contends that the mosque is part of Islam's overall goal to dominate the world.