He called opposition to the center — which prompted one of the most virulent national discussions about Islam and freedom of speech and religion since Sept. Last year, street clashes in view of the trade center site pitted supporters against opponents of the center. When the center was first envisioned several years ago, activist Daisy Khan and her husband, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf , played a major, vocal role.
But they soon left the project because of differences with the developer. El-Gamal confirmed Wednesday that they parted ways because "we had a different vision. But El-Gamal wishes victims' families had been involved earlier — before the center became a point of contention. At first, "we didn't understand that we had a responsibility to discuss our private project with family members that lost loved ones," he said, and they did not "really connect" with community leaders and activists.
But today, "we're very committed to having them involved in our project. We're really listening," he said. Pointing to the inclusivity of a center that critics feared would be polarizing, El-Gamal noted that the featured photographer in the "NYChildren" exhibit is Danny Goldfield , who is Jewish. The Brooklyn photographer was inspired to create the exhibit by the story of Rana Sodhi , a Sikh who emigrated from India and settled in Arizona.
His brother Balbir was killed in a retaliatory hate crime four days after Sept. Sodhi made the trip to New York for the opening and wore a tie decorated with heart-shaped American flags. He still runs the gas station where his brother was killed. Goldfield said he has photographed children with roots in countries since He hopes to find subjects representing 24 other countries to complete the project.
Some of the photographs had been exhibited elsewhere, but the opening marked the first time all were shown together. He said there was a synergy between the themes and spirit of his project and those of the center, particularly with regard to community participation and openness. Recalling the controversy over the center, he said he didn't want to pass judgment on its opponents. But he said he'd like them to see the show "more than anyone.
Former Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin wrote that "to build a mosque at Ground Zero is a stab in the heart of the families of the innocent victims of those horrific attacks". She called it a "an intolerable mistake on hallowed ground".
Senior Republican Newt Gingrich called it an "act of triumphalism". Its opponents hope to derail the mosque plan by getting the New York Landmarks Preservation Commission to declare the site a landmark and thus prevent the redevelopment. But it has long been expected that the commissioners would reject the idea that the building needed to be preserved. The Anti-Defamation League, a group that tries to stop anti-Semitic attacks, condemned those who had displayed bigotry in their opposition to the mosque.
But it went on to state: "The controversy which has emerged regarding the building of an Islamic Center at this location is counterproductive to the healing process. Therefore, under these unique circumstances, we believe the City of New York would be better served if an alternative location could be found. Mike Burke - whose firefighter brother was killed when the towers collapsed - recently told the BBC: "I think the first concern for the families is that the religious beliefs of the terrorists who struck is going to have such a prominent place right around the corner from Ground Zero.
In any event, Abdul Rauf and El-Gamal did not back down. Our initiative is intended to cultivate understanding among all religions and cultures. An interview with El-Gamal on beliefnet. Late that summer, though, it had came to light that Soho Properties did not actually own the entire property on which El-Gamal and Abdul Rauf had proposed to renovate and build the community center, which was to stretch from 45 to 51 Park Place.
Hence the name. While Soho Properties controlled the entire site, technically what it had purchased from the Pomerantz family in was only 45—47 Park Place; 49—51 Park Place, which at one point had been used as a Consolidated Edison substation, was still owned by the energy company. When Soho Properties bought 45—47 Park Place from the Pomerantz family in , it also paid seven hundred thousand dollars to take over the ninety-nine year, thirty-three-thousand-dollar-per-year lease at the adjacent building.
Common walls between the two buildings had been demolished years before, rendering them, functionally, one big building. Until Soho Properties owned the full lot outright, it could not move to raze the old buildings and construct the envisioned fifteen-story Park However, the Con Ed sale did not go through until August , when Soho Properties purchased 49—51 Park Place for just over ten million dollars.
Meanwhile, Con Ed was threatening to evict Soho Properties , claiming that the developer owed nearly two million dollars in back rent, all of which was settled with the sale of the building. That April, The Real Deal reported that El-Gamal was talking to brokers about how best to build and market condos in the neighborhood.
In May , after announcing earlier that they would not be building a fifteen-story cultural center, but rather a three-story museum including a sanctuary for prayer services Soho Properties filed permits to build condos.
0コメント