New imam named for Ground Zero mosque

NyPost ^ | January 14, 2011 | Associated Press

[sinanju]

The organization planning to build an Islamic community center near the World Trade Center said the imam who has been the public face of the project, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, will be playing a reduced role in the facility.

The nonprofit group Park51 announced Friday that it had named a new imam to help lead religious programing so that Rauf could focus on other initiatives.

Rauf announced late this fall that he would be starting a global movement that would fight extremism and promote better relations between people of different faiths and cultures. He is set to start a national speaking tour Saturday in Detroit.

Rauf will remain on the Islamic center's board, Park51 said in a statement, but the group needed someone who could be more focused on the day-to-day business of building a local congregation.

"Due to the fact that Imam Feisal is focusing most of his energies and passion on launching this new and separate initiative, it is important that the needs of Park51, the Islamic community center in lower Manhattan, take precedence," the group said.

The group said that while his vision is "truly exceptional, our community in lower Manhattan is local. Our focus is and must remain the residents of lower Manhattan and the Muslim American community in the greater New York area."

The backers of the community center and mosque are planning on replacing a defunct clothing store two blocks from ground zero with a 13- to 16-story building that would hold athletic facilities, a day care center, art galleries, an auditorium for cultural events, a 9/11 memorial and a prayer space with room for a congregation of about 1,000...

[sinanju]

Whatever actually went on behind the scenes can only be guessed at. Either way the gang decided on a new mouthpiece. These "developers" are about one step removed from outright racketeers anyway. They want to make a buttload of money and the self-styled (but uncredentialed) "imam" was interested purely in self-promotion.

[Hunton Peck]

For some reason, the phrase “lipstick on a pig” leaps to mind.

[Lazlo in PA]

This thing is so radioactive that they could name Billy Mays in his prime as the Imam and nobody would buy. This is going to be the long drawn out, face saving process of bailing on the whole idea in a couple years.

[sheik yerbouty]

Abdul bin Hidingsalaami..

[frithguild]

hold athletic facilities, a day care center, art galleries, an auditorium for cultural events, a 9/11 memorial and a prayer space with room for a congregation of about 1,000

It is not a mosque. It is a Ribat - a place for warriors in a foreign land to respite among the faithful.