Ground Zero Mosque Backfires

Obama mosque stand draws praise and fire

Defense of Muslims' right could put Dems on spot before elections

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August 15, 2010

BY JULIE PACE

PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. -- Weighing his words carefully on a fiery political issue, President Obama said Saturday that Muslims have the right to build a mosque near New York's Ground Zero, but he did not say whether he thinks it's a good idea.
Obama commented during a trip to Florida, expanding on a Friday night White House speech in which he said Muslims have the same right to freedom of religion as everyone else in America.
His statements thrust him squarely into a debate he had skirted for weeks and could put Democrats on the spot three months before midterm elections. Until Friday, the White House had said it did not want to get involved in local decision-making.
Following up on Obama's comments Saturday, White House spokesman Bill Burton said the president wasn't backing off in any way from the remarks he made Friday.
"What he said last night, and reaffirmed today, is that if a church, a synagogue or a Hindu temple can be built on a site, you simply cannot deny that right to those who want to build a mosque," Burton said.
Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, who was among those who met with Obama on Saturday, lauded his position. Crist is running for the U.S. Senate as an independent. "I think he's right -- I mean, you know we're a country that in my view stands for freedom of religion and respect for others," Crist said. "I know there are sensitivities, and I understand them. This is a place where you're supposed to be able to practice your religion without the government telling you you can't."
Others pounced on Obama's statements.
House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) said Saturday the decision to build the mosque wasn't an issue of religious freedom, but a matter of respect. "The fact that someone has the right to do something doesn't necessarily make it the right thing to do," he said. "That is the essence of tolerance, peace and understanding."
Added Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.): "President Obama is wrong. It is insensitive and uncaring for the Muslim community to build a mosque in the shadow of Ground Zero."
The mosque would be part of a $100 million Islamic community center two blocks from where nearly 3,000 people perished when hijacked jetliners slammed into the World Trade Center towers on Sept. 11, 2001.
The proposed construction has sparked debate around the country that has included opposition from top Republicans including Sarah Palin and Newt Gingrich as well as the Anti-Defamation League.
Obama's Friday comment was taken by some to mean that he strongly supports the building of an Islamic center near the site of the Sept. 11 attack, which he never said.
Speaking to a gathering at the White House on Friday evening to observe the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, Obama said that he believes "Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as everyone else in this country."
"That includes the right to build a place of worship and a community center on private property in lower Manhattan, in accordance with local laws and ordinances," he said. "This is America, and our commitment to religious freedom must be unshakable."
Asked Saturday about the issue, he said: "I was not commenting and I will not comment on the wisdom of making a decision to put a mosque there. I was commenting very specifically on the right that people have that dates back to our founding."
Obama said that "my intention was simply to let people know what I thought. Which was that in this country we treat everybody equally and in accordance with the law, regardless of race, regardless of religion." AP