(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Many adults in the United States seem opposed to building a mosque and a 13-story community center in lower Manhattan, a few blocks from Ground Zero, according to a poll by Angus Reid Public Opinion. 42 per cent of respondents think having a mosque close to one of the sites of the 9/11 attacks is a provocation.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Many adults in the United States seem opposed to building a mosque and a 13-story community center in lower Manhattan, a few blocks from Ground Zero, according to a poll by Angus Reid Public Opinion. 42 per cent of respondents think having a mosque close to one of the sites of the 9/11 attacks is a provocation.
Conversely, 28 per cent of respondents see no problem with the mosque, and regard it as a sign of New York’s tolerance and openness.
Al-Qaeda operatives hijacked and crashed four airplanes in the U.S. on Sept. 11, 2001, killing nearly 3,000 people. During the attacks, the two World Trade Center towers—located in New York City—were destroyed.
The American Society for Muslim Advancement (ASMA) and the Cordoba Initiative proposed building the mosque and community centre. The project was approved by the Manhattan Community Board No. 1 in a 29-1 vote.
In May, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg defended the project, saying, "I think it’s fair to say if somebody was going to try, on that piece of property, to build a church or a synagogue, nobody would be yelling and screaming. And the fact of the matter is that Muslims have a right to do it, too. (…) What is great about America and particularly New York is we welcome everybody, and if we are so afraid of something like this, what does that say about us?"
Earlier this month, former House of Representatives speaker Newt Gingrich discussed his views on the issue, saying, "The idea of a 13-story building set up by a group many of whom, frankly, are very hostile to our civilization—and I’m talking now about the people who organized this, many of whom are apologists for sharia, which is a form of law that I think we cannot allow in this country, period."
Polling Data
As you may know, there are plans to build a mosque and a 13-story community center in lower Manhattan, a few blocks from Ground Zero. Some people believe that having a mosque close to one of the sites of the 9/11 attacks is a provocation. Other people see no problem with the mosque, and regard it as a sign of New York’s tolerance and openness. All things considered, which of these statements comes closest to your own point of view?
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The planned mosque is a provocation
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42%
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There is nothing wrong with the planned mosque
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28%
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Not sure
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30%
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Source: Angus Reid Public Opinion
Methodology: Online interviews with 1,013 American adults, conducted on Jul. 22 and Jul. 23, 2010. Margin of error is 3.1 per cent.
