Ground Zero mosque melee; investors split over move and control, mainstream media plays ball

Stop the 9/11 Mosque ^ | September 29, 2010 | the Editors

[Sergeant Tim]

Hisham Elzanaty, the majority owner of the former Burlington Coat Factory, apparently is looking to use his controlling interest in the property to both force a sale of it and to move the planned mosque to an existing building further away from Ground Zero. Yet the story within the story is the stark evidence that mainstream media outlets are either blatantly in the tank for a mosque overlooking Ground Zero or ignorant of the facts with which to do credible reporting. Either way, the news divisions of the mainstream have not done their homework on Sharif El-Gamal, Imam Rauf, or the money behind the mosque.

Elzanaty obviously wants to move the mosque to a 6-story building near the Brooklyn Bridge. According to Fox 5 NY TV reporter Charles Leaf, Elzanaty says, "It was his idea to put a mosque in lower Manhattan ... not [Sharif] El-Gamal and not the imam, Rauf, and its his money (Elzanaty's) that purchased the building. He says his whole intent from the get-go was simply to provide a proper place to pray for Muslims in lower Manhattan." Sharif El-Gamal disputes Elzanaty's control and says there have been no discussions about moving the mosque.

To begin to understand this, first listen to this brief interview, conducted this afternoon by WOR talk radio host Steve Marlzberg, of retired FDNY and 9/11 survivor Tim Brown of theBravest.com: (audio and video reports follow)

[Sergeant Tim]

Ping!