Supporters and opponents of a proposed Muslim cultural centre and mosque near the World Trade Centre site rallied in downtown Manhattan on Sunday, kept blocks apart by a heavy police presence.
The emotionally charged dispute has taken on national political significance, with Republicans using the issue to attack President Barack Obama ahead of midterm elections where his Democrats are fighting to retain control of Congress. The rallies were held near the location of the proposed Muslim centre, just two blocks from the site of the September 11, 2001 attacks by al Qaeda, which destroyed the World Trade Centre towers and killed close to 3,000 people.
The centre, which would include a prayer room, has ignited fierce debate between those who say its proposed location is insensitive and fear it will harbour religious extremism and those who back it based on the principle of religious tolerance and understanding. Hundreds of opponents chanted "No Mosque," sang patriotic songs and waved photographs of violent attacks by Islamic extremists. One sign read: "Not all Muslims are terrorists, but all the terrorists were Muslim." Around the corner, supporters of the centre chanted: "We don't care what bigots say, religious freedom is here to stay." Among them was Ali Akram, a New York doctor, who said: "The people who say the mosque is too close to Ground Zero, those are the same people that protest mosques in Brooklyn and Staten Island and Tennessee and Wisconsin and California. What radius will they go for? There's no end to it." While tempers were heated, there were no signs of violence between the two sides, which were kept several blocks apart by police.
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