Manhattan:
After a protracted battle that set off a national debate over freedom of religion, a Muslim center and mosque to be built two blocks from ground zero surmounted a final hurdle on Tuesday.
The city's Landmarks Preservation Commission voted 9 to 0 against granting historic protection to the building at 45-47 Park Place in Lower Manhattan, where the $100 million center would be built.
That decision clears the way for the construction of Park51, a tower of as many as 15 stories that will house a mosque, a 500-seat auditorium, and a pool. Its leaders say it will be modeled on the Y.M.C.A. and Jewish Community Center in Manhattan.
The vote on Tuesday was free of much of the vitriol that had been part of previous hearings. One by one, members of the commission debated the aesthetic significance of the building, designed in the Italian Renaissance Palazzo style by an unknown architect.
Later in the day, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, who has forcefully defended the planned mosque, praised the landmarks commission's vote.
"To cave to popular sentiment would be to hand a victory to the terrorists," he said, standing with religious leaders in front of the Statue of Liberty.
Christopher Moore, a member of the commission, said the vote was not a matter of religion, though he argued that the building could not be divorced from the memory of the Sept. 11 attacks.
"It is not directly on ground zero, but it is a part of ground zero," Mr. Moore said.
After the commission voted, several members of the audience shouted "Shame on you!" and "Disgrace!" One woman carried a sign reading, "Don't Glorify Murders of 3,000; No 9/11 Victory Mosque."
The issue had divided family members of those killed on Sept. 11. Some argued it was insensitive to the memory of those who died in the attacks. Others saw it as a symbol of tolerance to counter the religious extremism that prevailed on that day.
The debate over the center has become a heated political issue, drawing opposition from former Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska and members of the Tea Party.
The Anti-Defamation League, an influential Jewish organization, unexpectedly entered the fray on Friday and said it opposed the project.
Asked about the decision by the ADL, Mayor Bloomberg called it "totally out of character with its stated mission."
On Tuesday, Rick A. Lazio, a Republican candidate for governor, appeared at the vote, in an auditorium at Pace University near City Hall, to oppose the project. Mr. Lazio called on his Democratic rival, Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo, to investigate the finances of the group spearheading the project, the Cordoba Initiative.
"Let's have transparency," Mr. Lazio said. "If they're foreign governments, we ought to know about it. If they're radical organizations, we ought to know about it."
He added, "This is not about religion. It's about this particular mosque."
Sharif El-Gamal, chief executive of SoHo Properties, the developer of the project, praised the commission's decision. He said the center represented "an American dream which so many others share."
"We are Americans -- Muslim Americans," he said. "We are businessmen, businesswomen, lawyers, doctors, restaurant workers, cabdrivers, and professionals of every walk of life, represented by the demographic and tapestry of Manhattan."
The city's Landmarks Preservation Commission voted 9 to 0 against granting historic protection to the building at 45-47 Park Place in Lower Manhattan, where the $100 million center would be built.
That decision clears the way for the construction of Park51, a tower of as many as 15 stories that will house a mosque, a 500-seat auditorium, and a pool. Its leaders say it will be modeled on the Y.M.C.A. and Jewish Community Center in Manhattan.
The vote on Tuesday was free of much of the vitriol that had been part of previous hearings. One by one, members of the commission debated the aesthetic significance of the building, designed in the Italian Renaissance Palazzo style by an unknown architect.
Later in the day, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, who has forcefully defended the planned mosque, praised the landmarks commission's vote.
"To cave to popular sentiment would be to hand a victory to the terrorists," he said, standing with religious leaders in front of the Statue of Liberty.
Christopher Moore, a member of the commission, said the vote was not a matter of religion, though he argued that the building could not be divorced from the memory of the Sept. 11 attacks.
"It is not directly on ground zero, but it is a part of ground zero," Mr. Moore said.
After the commission voted, several members of the audience shouted "Shame on you!" and "Disgrace!" One woman carried a sign reading, "Don't Glorify Murders of 3,000; No 9/11 Victory Mosque."
The issue had divided family members of those killed on Sept. 11. Some argued it was insensitive to the memory of those who died in the attacks. Others saw it as a symbol of tolerance to counter the religious extremism that prevailed on that day.
The debate over the center has become a heated political issue, drawing opposition from former Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska and members of the Tea Party.
The Anti-Defamation League, an influential Jewish organization, unexpectedly entered the fray on Friday and said it opposed the project.
Asked about the decision by the ADL, Mayor Bloomberg called it "totally out of character with its stated mission."
On Tuesday, Rick A. Lazio, a Republican candidate for governor, appeared at the vote, in an auditorium at Pace University near City Hall, to oppose the project. Mr. Lazio called on his Democratic rival, Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo, to investigate the finances of the group spearheading the project, the Cordoba Initiative.
"Let's have transparency," Mr. Lazio said. "If they're foreign governments, we ought to know about it. If they're radical organizations, we ought to know about it."
He added, "This is not about religion. It's about this particular mosque."
Sharif El-Gamal, chief executive of SoHo Properties, the developer of the project, praised the commission's decision. He said the center represented "an American dream which so many others share."
"We are Americans -- Muslim Americans," he said. "We are businessmen, businesswomen, lawyers, doctors, restaurant workers, cabdrivers, and professionals of every walk of life, represented by the demographic and tapestry of Manhattan."
Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world
