US President Barack Obama on Friday backed construction of a proposed mosque and Muslim cultural centre near the site of the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York — a project opposed by US conservatives and many New Yorkers.
“As a citizen, and as President, I believe that Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as anyone else in this country,” Mr Obama said to applause at an event attended by diplomats from Islamic countries and members of the US Muslim community.
“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,” he said, weighing in for the first time in a national debate that has grown increasingly heated in recent weeks.
Earlier in August, a New York city agency cleared the way for construction of the community centre, which will include a prayer room, two blocks from the site of the September 11 attacks, popularly known as “Ground Zero.” “This is America and our commitment to religious freedom must be unshakeable,” said Mr Obama, who has made improving ties between the US and the Muslim world a cornerstone of his foreign policy. Mr Obama was speaking during an iftar dinner he hosted at the White House.
About 2,750 people were killed in the September 11 attacks, when Al Qaeda hijackers crashed two passenger planes into the twin towers of the World Trade Centre. —Reuters