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Live blog: Imam behind NYC Islamic center speaks
Editor's note: The imam who plans to build an Islamic center and mosque a few blocks from New York's ground zero spoke to CNN's Soledad O'Brien on "Larry King Live" Wednesday night. The following is a running log of what Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf discussed.
[Updated, 10:04 p.m.] O'Brien's last question was whether Rauf could unequivocally say that the center would be built at the currently planned location, a few blocks from ground zero.
"We certainly hope to build a Cordoba House vision of a multifaith center that will build relationships between Muslims and non-Muslims," he said.
[Updated, 9:59 p.m.] Rauf was asked about the pastor in Florida who plans to burn Qurans this weekend, on the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.
"I would plead with him to seriously consider what he is doing. It is going to feed into the radicals in the Muslim world," Rauf said.
He noted that U.S. Army Gen. David Petraeus has warned that the burning would endanger U.S. troops overseas.
"It's something which is not right to do on [those] grounds," Rauf said.
"We have freedom of speech, but with freedom comes responsibility. ... This is dangerous for our national security, but also it is the un-Christian thing to do," he added.
[Updated, 9:48 p.m.] When asked if the State Department was correct in saying Hamas is a terrorist organization, Rauf said: "I condemn everyone and anyone who commits acts of terrorism, and Hamas has committed acts of terrorism."
When asked what he thought about the 9/11 hijackers claiming they were doing what they did in the name of Islam, he said:
"That is a travesty. Just as the inquisitors in Spain were committing a travesty [against] the teachings of Jesus Christ. We do have people in our communities who [commit travesties] against Islam."
[Updated, 9:40 p.m.] O'Brien asked about his interview with CBS's "60 Minutes," shortly after the 9/11 attacks, in which he said the United States' policies "were an accessory to the crime."
O'Brien asked twice, but Rauf deflected the question.
"The work we have to do now is not about pointing fingers," he said, as part of his response.
[Updated, 9:32 p.m.] Rauf, the imam at the center of the controversial proposed Islamic community center and mosque in New York, said that "nothing is off the table" when asked whether he would consider moving the site.
"We are consulting ... various people about how to do this so that we negotiate the best and safest option."
[Updated, 9:28 p.m.] Rauf reiterated that the issue about what to do with the center going forward is important for national security.
"If we don't do this right, anger will explode in the Muslim world," Rauf said. "... If we don't handle this crisis correctly, it could become something very dangerous indeed."
He said moving the project to another location would strengthen Islamist radicals' ability to recruit followers and will increase violence against Americans.
He said again that if he knew ahead of time the controversy this would create, he wouldn't have made the plans to build the center at the currently planned site.
[Updated, 9:21 p.m.] Rauf said that if he knew how controversial the project would be, he "never would have done this - not have done something that would create more divisiveness."
However, he said he is convinced he shouldn't move the center now because "our national security now hinges on how we negotiate this, how we speak about it and what we do."
By that, he said, he means that if the controversy forces a move, "it means the radicals … will shape the discourse on both sides."
[Updated, 9:15 p.m.] Asked whether he was surprised by the controversy, Rauf said he was.
He pointed out that news of the plans to build the Islamic center and mosque was published in The New York Times in December, and "no one objected" at the time. He said the issue was politicized later.
[Updated, 9:13 p.m.] Asked why he wanted to build the center on the planned spot, Rauf noted he's already run a mosque about 10 blocks from ground zero for many years.
When asked about the feelings of families of 9/11 victims - such as those who might claim that their relative's remains have yet to be found at the site, Rauf said: "This is not that spot. This is not ground zero proper. No one's body is in that location."
"I'm very sensitive to those feelings," he said. "As an imam - as any religious person does - we have to minister to the pain and hurt ... in our communities. This is part of our intention."
He said he intends to put a 9/11 memorial in the center.
[Updated, 9:07 p.m.] O'Brien asked why Rauf was quiet during the recent uproar while he was overseas. He said wanted to wait until he got back to his home country, America.
"I didn’t think is was appropriate for me to speak about this while I was overseas," he said.
He said people in the Middle East "have been very concerned about this" issue.
"The concerns of people there are about both what this means in the United States, but what this means also for them, because the United States is the only global superpower today, and what happens here has an enormous impact over the rest of the world," he said.
[Original post, 8:54 p.m.] The imam who plans to build a community center and mosque within blocks of New York's ground zero will be interviewed live at 9 p.m. ET on CNN's "Larry King Live."
Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf will talk with CNN's Soledad O'Brien about his decision to move ahead with the plan. As the interview happens, this blog post will be updated with portions of what Rauf says.
Opponents of the plan say the center would be too close to the site of the 2001 terror attacks and is an affront to the memory of those who died in the al Qaeda strike. Backers cite, among other things, First Amendment rights and the need to express religious tolerance.
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Soladad clearly HAD HER PERSONAL AGENDA. HER EMOTIONS WERE ALL OVER THE PLACE AND WAS LOOKING FOR REASON TO PICK A FIGHT. SHE LOOKS THAT SHE IS AFRICAN AMERICAN, IF SHE DOESN'T LIKE TO BE TREATED LIKE A 2ND CLASS CITIZEN THAN WHY SHE IS SINGLING OUT ONE CLASS AND TRYING TO SAY SHE (WHO MIGHT BE A CHRISTIAN) CAN HAVE EQUAL RIGHTS BUT A PERSON WITH MUSLIM FAITH SHOULD BE TREATED AS A 2ND CLASS CITIZEN . DOESN'T SHE UNDERSTAND HOW HURTFUL IT IS WHEN A BLACK PERSON DO SOMETHING WRONG AND EVERY PERSON FROM AFRICAN AMERICAN DESEND ARE MISTREATED AND HAVE TO PAY THE PRICE FOR IT.
IN SHORT SOLADAD COMPLETELY FAILED AS A JOURNALIST IN FRONT OF ME. AND SHE SEEMS TO BE HAVA A RACISIT MOTIVATION.
So if someone burns a copy of Quran, then it endangers the life of Americans, and if the mosque is not allowed at WTC site, then it "would strengthen Islamist radicals' ability to recruit followers and will increase violence against Americans". Why are we infidels even dealing with these crazy people – there is no moderate or radical muslims. They are all muslims and cannot live peacefully along with non-believers. Dangerous times ahead if this situation is not taken care off now.
I agree!!! I dont agree with burning the koran it is disrespectful, however, coming from peoples that burn the flag, teach there children "death to america"
burn dummies of the president and im sure there has been a bible in there somewhere!
I'm guessing teh saudi government wouldn't be too keen about building a catholic church in mecca...I don't know why our president can't grow a backbone...
Would there be a ban on walking my pet pig in front of the proposed Islamic center????
I was disappointed with the Imam's answer to 'why build there'? I'm a Muslim and the first thing that comes to mind when asked that question is why link the deranged so-called Muslims who committed these terrorist attacks to the American Muslims?! The Americans who oppose the building of this community center do so on the basis that we were attacked on 9/11 by people who did so in the name of Islam. Do we not have enough reason to understand that those people do not represent ANY Muslims?!?! (except for themselves). I thought the Imam would come out and be clear that why not build there, if we were going to build a church was there going to be that much noise? No, and why? Because Christians had nothing to do with 9/11, well, I have news for you, Muslims had nothing to do with 9/11 either. Please educate yourselves before labeling everyone around you and vilifying a whole people because of the horrific action of a criminal few.
Soledad spent the entire interview trying not to offend Islam, Yet in most Islamic countries she would not be allowed to be doing this interview. It seems this Imam learned the lesson Usama printed in the training manuals found at Tora Bora use the American system against them. Are Christians building churches in Islamic countries.........truly embarrasing interview for CNN
Tom sounds like the first reasonable person on the show today.
john satum you are blind and foolish. You would not be allowed to have a bible in saudi arabia. Wake the heck up! don't believe me? do some research on your own!!!
You must not be a christian to say such a thing. Christ would not be happy with you.
You do realize Islam Christianity and Judaism all believe in the same core values and all have origins in the old testament right?
Excellent point, Scott - anyone who goes by "islam sucks" is just ignorant.
Sadly, the world abounds in ignorance. Even more sadly, I imagine the hateful comments "in Jesus' name" would not be acceptable to Jesus - if you believe in Jesus.
Soledad showed more respect to the Atlanta Child Murderer than to the Imam. You lost a lot of my respect tonight Soledad. You shouldn't have agreed to do the interview if you couldn't have been unbiased. You Martin Bashired him.
Okay, beyond all of the conspiracy theory type stuff (as valid as a lot of it may be)...
Why, WHY, would they ever consider opening this thing on the 10th anniversary of 9/11? Did they really think that would be taken well?
Wake up America . . . . . there is NOTHING GOOD FOR AMERICA AND IT'S CITIZENS IF THIS IMAM IS ALLOWED TO MOVE FORWARD ON THIS BLDG . . . . 'CAUSE IT REALLY IS NOT ABOUT A BUILDING . . . . IT'S A IN YOUR FACE WE DESTROYED AND KILLED 3,500 AMERICANS ON THEIR OWN SOIL AND NOW WE ARE TAKING IT FOR OURSELVES.!
OMG – PLEASE PLEASE educate yourself and question the propaganda you're receiving rather and blinding believing. Radical fundamentalist terrorists caused the hurt and devastation of 9/11, NOT MUSLIM PEOPLE!
What is with us? Hear the Imam, where is he threatening.. My God.. People.. Understand.. We did great things for this universe as well as some horrible things that are incomparable in the history of the human being. who gave us the right to create Israel? How about I go to a a neighbor of Arizona and say hey, this is a native American land and get the hell out.. This should be a country like Vatican where all religion people (Christian, Jew and Muslim) should be able to go without any bar. American People are always great, but Govt. did not always live up to the expectation of our founding fathers. I am a Muslim and ask you to please point out where in Quran you see that spread hate. I like to see it here or anywhere.. For the sake of truth, don't gave the fundamentalist more arms to recruit..If 71% are not in favor of this center, that says to a Muslim that their religion is unwelcomed here. How some fundamentalist twist the lesson of God to spread terrorism is there business, but it's our duty specially as Muslim, to show the actual Islam has nothing to do with it.. so, please understand the religion by reading it's book, find out the verify the misleading information.. And you will find this is the religion of peace. I so hope people would read the book before judging the book..
Is there gonna be a problem getting New York union laborers to build this thing? How does the union deal with this?
Oh dear, where did CNN find these people who aren't informed interviewees on such a sensitive and complex subject? With all the respect in the world for those who lost love ones, the debate requires a minimum level of education... A balanced, educated discussion from all sides of the fence could help educate other Americans. I worry that the builder Andy Sullivan, with the crusade ('movement' as he calls it) against Muslims is just fueling more uninformed propaganda. Angry, racist voices are dangerous. Where is the Muslim representation on this panel discussion?
let's see if Soledad can save herself here?
– Cordoba
– Opening date of 9/11/11 (How this one alone doesn't raise every red flag in America is beyond me)
– Shady developer
– Really shady funding sources that no one wants investigated
– Refusing to reconsider location in the face of overwhelming dissent
How are so many Americans still drinking the Kool Aid?