Obama ends silence, favours mosque near 9/11 site

For weeks the White House kept vacillating and refused to take a position over the controversy regarding the construction of a mosque near Ground Zero in New York, maintaining that it was a local New York city issue.

But on Friday night, President Barack Obama, while hosting an Iftar dinner at the White House, inserted himself squarely into the controversy by strongly supporting the construction of the mosque, declaring that 'as a citizen, and as President, I believe that Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as everyone else in the country.'

He set the stage for his unequivocal and unambiguous defence of the estimated $100 million mosque cum community centre to be known as Cordoba House -- by referring to the founding fathers of America who had made clear that one of the cardinal pillars of the country would be the freedom to practice one's religion.

He added that anything short of support of the construction of the mosque would be contrary to American values.

Welcoming the nearly 100 guests, who included a few US lawmakers, senior administration officials, Muslim community leaders, and the diplomatic corps comprising virtually all of the Arab and Muslim ambassadors, and also the Indian ambassador Meera Shankar and the Pakistani ambassador Husain Haqqani, Obama said: "To you, to Muslim Americans across our country, and to more than one billion Muslims around the world, I extend my best wishes on this holy month. Ramadan Kareem."

Obama then added: "Indeed, over the course of our history, religion has flourished within our borders precisely because Americans have had the right to worship as they choose -- including the right to believe in no religion at all. And it is a testament to the wisdom of our Founders that America remains deeply religious -- a nation where the ability of peoples of different faiths to coexist peacefully and with mutual respect for one another stands in stark contrast to the religious conflict that persists elsewhere around the globe."

"Recently, attention has been focused on the construction of mosques in certain communities -- particularly New York.  Now, we must all recognise and respect the sensitivities surrounding the development of Lower Manhattan. The 9/11 attacks were a deeply traumatic event for our country. And the pain and the experience of suffering by those who lost loved ones is just unimaginable. So I understand the emotions that this issue engenders. And Ground Zero is, indeed, hallowed ground."

But then he asserted to loud and sustained applause, "Let me be clear, as a citizen, and as President, I believe that Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as everyone else in this country. And that includes the right to build a place of worship and a community centre on private property in Lower Manhattan, in accordance with local laws and ordinances."

Obama reiterated, "This is America, and our commitment to religious freedom must be unshakeable. The principle that people of all faiths are welcome in this country and that they will not be treated differently by their government is essential to who we are."

He said, "We must never forget those who we lost so tragically on 9/11, and we must always honour those who led the response to that attack -- from the firefighters who charged up smoke-filled staircases, to our troops who are serving in Afghanistan today."

Taking some hefty swipes at Al Qaeda, Obama said: "Our enemies respect no religious freedom. Al Qaeda's cause is not Islam -- it is a gross distortion of Islam. These are not religious leaders -- they are terrorists who murder innocent men and women and children. In fact, Al Qaeda has killed more Muslims than people of any other religion -- and that list of victims includes innocent Muslims who were killed on 9/11."

Piling it on and making a strong case not only for the mosque near Ground Zero but for Muslim Americans who have in recent years felt besieged as right wing conservative and some Republican lawmakers have associated Islam with terrorism, Obama said, "These Muslim Americans died for the security that we depend on, and the freedoms that we cherish. They are part of an unbroken line of Americans that stretches back to our founding; Americans of all faiths who have served and sacrificed to extend the promise of America to new generations, and to ensure that what is exceptional about America is protected -- our commitment to stay true to our core values, and our ability slowly but surely to perfect our union."

Hardly had Obama finished his speech, when the wires were burning and the cable channels were filled with excerpts and analysis with both pros and cons over his support for the Ground Zero mosque.

In fact, the debate over Obama's defence of the mosque had begun even before he had delivered his remarks when the White House provided a copy of his prepared remarks two hours before he made them, where it was clear that after refusing to take a position on the issue, the President himself had jumped right into the fray by saying not to allow this mosque to be built would be contrary to everything America stood for.