Refusing to go along with the corporate media's and extreme right's narrative about the proposed Tribeca mosque which would be two blocks from Ground Zero, a 911 Families group has again expressed its support for building the mosque and cultural center in that location. From Peaceful Tomorrows 8/14/10:

9/11 Families Applaud President Obama's Support of Religious Freedom
August 14th, 2010

New York, NY, Aug. 14 -- September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows applauds President Barack Obama for his statement in support of the building of a mosque near Ground Zero. On that day, members of our organization paid the ultimate price. We lost loved ones in the tragic attacks, attacks perpetrated by criminals. Our losses will never be redeemed; our wounds will never fully heal. On 9/11/2001 while many of us buried our loved ones we also took heart in our nation's principles and our rule of law. Ours is a nation that fights for religious freedom. Many of us who call ourselves Americans do so because we came to escape religious persecution in other lands.

We applaud President Obama for his leadership on this issue. Simply put:
we lost our family members on 9/11/2001, but will not lose our nation, too. America, the concept and the people and the land thrive when we chose to trust in our principles rather than cave to our basest fears.

What better place for healing, reconciliation and understanding than Ground Zero? We honor our family members by practicing American principles and moving forward from Ground Zero to a future of peaceful coexist

I remember reading about the hearings for the proposed mosque in Manhattan. 911 families spoke out on both sides of the issue. Nearly everyone from the neighborhood spoke out in favor of the mosque, regardless of whether or not they were 911 families. The original opposition came from outsiders who know nothing about New York and who hate queers, Jews, and people of color just as much as they hate Muslims.

Corporate media thugs were quick to promote the hypocritical anti mosque campaign for reasons that aren't too difficult to figure out. The last thing their corporate masters want is for middle class and poor Americans to realize that our real enemies are not the people who want to build a mosque in Tribeca. The real enemies of the American people are the people who control the financial institutions a few blocks away on Wall St.

Photo: bluesmoon