LA MOSQUEE DE "GROUND ZERO" (SUITE)

Prayer time at the Ground Zero mosque (pictorial)

Posted on August 3, 2010
by creepingsharia

Atlas linked to this post a while back. For those who only read about goings on in NYC and the proposed mosque at Ground Zero (yes, two blocks away is at Ground Zero – if you were two blocks away when the Towers crumbled you wouldn’t even begin to argue even for selfish semantic purposes), the pictures and commentary from ‘el Marco’ help crystallize things. Phenomenal perspective big media will never provide. All images and descriptions via Looking at the Left, who has much more:

Prayer Time at the Ground Zero Mosque Just Another Monument to the Triumph of Islam

New York City

, Saturday, June 5,

– by El Marco

I arrived early at the Islamic Center of New York. I came to the city to photograph the rally of Stop Islamization of America (SOIA) on Sunday, June 6th, which is dedicated to stopping the construction of a mega-mosque 600 feet from the gaping hole which was the World Trade Center. First, I visited the Islamic Center Mosque on 96th Street and 3rd Avenue in Manhattan’s Upper East Side, miles from ground zero. What is significant about this 1980s mosque is that it was created by the father of the man who is spearheading the Ground Zero mosque project.

Doctor Mohammed Abdul Rauf (1917-2004) was a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, which was formed in Egypt in 1928 and has over 70 branches including Al-Qaeda, Hamas, and Hezbollah. The Muslim Brotherhood is classified as a terrorist organization and banned in Egypt as well as the United States.

All is quiet at this site with the main Friday prayers not set to begin until 1:00pm. So, I headed down to Ground Zero. I have not been there since September 11th, 2006.

What I found was heartening. After years of squabbling and delays, construction is finally underway on the vast One World Trade Center Plaza and tower. Looking from the West side of ground zero, I focused on St. Paul’s church, which can be seen nestled amongst the trees of the ancient graveyard. It is the oldest continuously occupied building in New York City and it remained undamaged as the Twin Towers collapsed just feet from the graveyard’s wrought iron gate. General George Washington attended this church during the Revolutionary War, and later, when he was sworn in as President, New York being America’s capital at the time.

The base of the new One World Trade Center tower can be seen here on the left. It is also known as the Freedom Tower. St. Paul’s can be seen in the background.

Next I went looking for 45 Park Place, the address of the proposed 13 story mosque and Islamic center.

Amazingly, it’s right beside a long established saloon the Dakota Roadhouse. This was an odd place to choose for a mosque. The only criterion I could see for this choice of location was proximity to Ground Zero. With the recession, there is plenty of cut-rate real estate in the city, but none so close to Ground Zero. The lady tending bar in The Dakota said she knew little about the activities behind the Greco-Roman columns, but she did say that 9/11 victims’ family members come in often, asking the same questions as I. The three balloons tied to the rail were printed with the words, “Stand with Israel.”

…

Worshippers were arriving for Friday prayer.

Street vendors from many countries parked their inventory.

I noticed men performing ablutions by the curb.

From gallon jugs they washed their feet, faces, and nostrils, as is commanded by Sharia law. Over the next half hour, hundreds of men entered the mosque, where there is ongoing construction inside.

I only saw five women enter, and they were required to use a side entrance.

After a few latecomers scurried into the building, I knew Friday prayers had begun.

The Cordoba Initiative plans to spend 100,000,000 dollars to finish the mega-mosque, which they will dedicate on September 11, 2011, the tenth anniversary of the terrorist attack.

After prayers ended, hundreds of men from all over the moslem world left to resume their daily activities.

I headed east towards Saint Pauls Church thinking about how the Mega-mosque will be built to 12 stories and will dwarf the old church.

(Read it all at link above)

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