Overwhelming majority oppose mosque near Ground Zero
(CNN) - A proposed mosque to be built two blocks from the World Trade Center has little support nationwide, a new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation Poll suggests.
According to the new survey out Wednesday, nearly 70 percent of all Americans oppose the controversial plan to build the mosque just blocks away from the solemn site in lower Manhattan while just 29 percent favor the construction.
Broken down by party affiliation, 54 percent of Democrats oppose the plans while 82 percent of Republicans disapprove. Meanwhile, 70 percent of independents said they are against the proposal.
The poll also showed opposition did not vary widely by age.
"Support for the controversial project is slightly higher among younger Americans than older Americans, but even among those under the age of 50, six in ten oppose the plan," said CNN Polling Director Keating Holland.
Plans to build the $100 million, 13-story 'Cordoba House' three blocks from the site of the attacks on September 11, 2001 have sparked an emotional debate throughout the city. The developer, Sharif El-Gamal, describes the project as an "Islamic community center" that will include a 500-seat performing arts center, a lecture hall, an exhibition space, a swimming pool, a gym, a culinary school, a restaurant and a prayer space for Muslims.
USA = freedom of religion and separation between Church and State. So much for the Constitution. It's not like building a Church in Mecca. NYC is the most diverse city in the world. Get over it fear-mongers.
What the libs don't want you to know is that there are already over 100 Mosques in NYC alone.
I doubt that at any Mosque you would hear as much hate as you would on a typical Sunday at Trinity.
I think that if Muslims were serious about being part of the solution, part of the community, be American, they would back down from building this mosque near Ground Zero since it feels like a slap in the face. Their actions demonstrate that Muslims are only concerned with Muslims, not sure they even see themselves as Americans even if born in the U.S. and as part of their community.
Hope it does not get built. if it does, i will enjoy going in and flaunting my homosexuality in that den of tolerance.
On the other hand, if you want to make sure there's never another attack on the World Trade Center, put the mosque AT Ground Zero.
Problem solved.
Anybody care to join my protest against a Christian church being built near the Oklahoma City building that Christian Timothy McVeigh bombed?
No?
Hypocrites.
My god, another stupid, insipid CNN poll. When will you people ever learn. Quit trying to make news and just report it. Your sample is too small to make statements of authority. Get rid of your loser pollsters, whoa learned their craft in 3rd grade, and hire some credible reporters.
NO NO Ben. I can remember all the rest of the presidents and the vice presidents, which includes your dad. If you would tell the truth President Obama is Not the first to be the best but he is better than you. because he don't bash people he just tell the truth.
Not only that Ben you are a WHITE PERSON and President Obama is A BLACK President. Don't hide behind your racist act.
YOUR Daddy DAN was one of the worst Vice President and Nixon is one of the worst President who was impeached.
So much for religious tolerance...
How sad...
Overwhelming the people reject the idea so that means the dems and Obama administration will support it.
It's obvious that it doesn't matter what the people want...
Again Here We Have HypocriCNN! Trying To Make Something That's A State Of New York And New York City Issue Into Something That's Not Its Business! Nor Any Pollsters! Nor Any Poll Participants (Unless Their From New York City And State)!
How about this, let them build it, force them to use Union Contractors, New York City building inspectors and hire all illegal labor. It is a sure fire way to get even with them, the cost will triple, the bureaucracy will cripple the time line and then we can fine the crap out of them for using illegal labor. This is a win for America, in the end it will be built to substandard conditions where upon final inspection it can be determined unsafe and then torn down...Allah be praised.
it would be a fair estimate then that 70% of Americans have some degree of racial bias. Bravo to those that are standing up to a common and obviously popular hatred in the US.
This is an issue for New Yorkers, not the rest of the country. What ever happened to letting local decisions be made by the locals? It seems to me that the people who took the brunt of the 9/11 terrorism are the only ones who should decide what is done in their city.
How about NO religious buildings anywhere near it? Not Muslim, Baptist, Catholic, Atheist, anything...yes, we are based on freedom of religion, but just coming out and saying "No religious structure of any kind will be built in or around Ground Zero" would probably go over a lot better then being selective.
How about we just stop bulding churches and build hospitals, schools, libraries, research facilities...etc instead? When will we as a nation grow up and realize you cannot be an adult if you insist on having imaginary friends?
Ben don't you have some kids to rent for your next add?
I see he's just as smart as his father, they both forget major things.
No mosque then no churches within the same radius.
Finally something we can all agree on. Muslims are the new gays.
just shows the phase of hate, intolerance, racism that this nation is passing thru, thanks largely to the far right religious zealots, wing nuts, neo cons, the likes of Tea Partiers & their backers in the main stream politics.
They are not aware that by opposing this project or maligning Islam the religion of almost 1.5 billion people on this planet, they are playing right into the hands of those handful of terrorists that we are fighting in Afghanistan & Iraq. That in this manner they are in fact strengthening the hands of those terrorists against our forces.
This is exactly what the terrorists want us to do so that they can portray a battle between religions & recruit more people to their cause in the name of religion.
Hope we wake up to this reality.
We do not need another mosque for the Muslims to use as a gathering place to build a voluntary army to combat the USA. To build this would be a complete disgrace to the peope who have losttheir lives in 9/11. We must be loco to even contemplate this.....
It's private property. The landmark status move is fine but the ruling better be consistent with previous landmark status decisions. People's opinions are fine, but the simple fact is, they have a right to build what they want (zoning laws permitting) on their own property. Sore feelings are not a valid reason to tell someone that they can't build something.
They're idiots. And not New Yorkers obviously. It is not "sacred ground", this community center is 2 blocks away, and to deny it based on 9/11 is an egregious nullification of the First Amendment (Freedom of Religion - remember that?)
What the heck is the matter with Americans? Is more than half of this country insane or stupid or both? Really, I don't know this nation anymore. It used to be a good place. Now it's filled with self-absorbed morons apparently.
Thanks for the PDF document which shows how the questions was phrased. Now can these participants be asked if they actually know anything about the project? The poll doesn't break down how many people understand what is actually being built, how or why. Because of this vagueness there's no way to gauge if people are saying this under mistaken beliefs of what the project is about or if they do know the facts and still hate the idea. I would believe that once people understand the situation (as many New Yorkers do that have already come out in favor of the project), they will wonder why we want to limit religious freedom in our country by opposing this.