NYC imam blames politics for mosque uproar

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – The imam spearheading a proposed Islamic center near the site of the Sept. 11 attacks in New York believes the fierce opposition is closely linked to the U.S. elections in November, according to comments published today.

“There is no doubt that the election season has had a major impact upon the nature of the discourse,” Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf was quoted as saying by the Abu Dhabi-based newspaper the National in an interview as part of his State Department-funded trip in the Gulf.

Rauf did not cite any particular political race possibly tied to the protests, but many conservative candidates and political figures have aligned themselves with the opposition to the $100 million project that includes a mosque and Islamic cultural center.

Some Republicans running for midterm elections around the United States have used the project as a campaign issue. Kevin Calvey, a Republican running for Congress in Oklahoma, said the Muslim leaders associated with the mosque “are clearly terrorist sympathizers.”

Rauf compared the current struggles facing American Muslims to past religious-based prejudices and attacks against other groups, including Jews and Roman Catholic immigrants.

“And this is why it is important, the issue of radicalism is a threat to all of us,” he was quoted as saying.

He said extremists from all faiths “feed off each other and need each other to sustain themselves.”

“So we need right now to combat the radical voices. That’s the only way we can win this struggle, and establish a peaceful world order, which is what everybody wants and everybody needs,” he told the newspaper.

Rauf has made only selected public comments since beginning a three-nation tour earlier this month – concentrating on his views about moderate Islamic values and interfaith dialogue.