Ground Zero Mosque Opens Peacefully; 'This Is For Everyone,' Says Founder
What became known as the "Ground Zero Mosque" and sparked outrage over what some viewed as an affront to the nearly 3,000 lives lost on 9/11, opened yesterday for its first public event with no protests or conflict, indicating that outrage toward the Park51 Community Center has subsided.
"We have an incredible PR group that has reclaimed our image," Sharif-El-Gamal, the real estate developer behind Park51, told reporters Wednesday during a public event at the community center, located just a few blocks from the site of the World Trade Center attacks.
Indeed, that new image was in full effect during the ceremony, which attracted mostly members of the media. With all the art, music, and hors d'oeuvres, one would have never guessed that Park51 was a mosque at all.
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There was a prayer room with one or two people praying from time to time, but it was tucked away in the back, away from reporters and visitors, and never mentioned during the press conference.
"We want this to be a community center – a place to serve people and a place to build bridges," El-Gamal told The Christian Post (CP). "And we want all types of people to come. This is for everyone."
Indeed, all types of people were there Wednesday – of various races and various religions.
The only indications that there might have been anything more than meets the eye to the public event were the camera-toting reporters clamoring for interviews with El-Gamal and the police officers stationed outside the Park Place building, in case anything similar to the explosive protests that occurred last year were to happen.
The main purpose of the opening was to showcase a photography exhibition called "NYChildren," which is an attempt to photograph one child from every country in the world living in New York City.
Danny Goldfield, who is Jewish, said the project is to demonstrate the unity and diversity of the city.
At the time of the exhibition, there were only a few countries left to fulfill in the photo project. However, 171 countries were represented and none of them looked like they were out of place in New York City, which seemed to drive home the artist's point.
Regarding the mosque controversy, Dr. Muhammad Hatim, a Muslim drug and alcohol counselor from Brooklyn who has been coming to the Park51 prayer room for several months, told CP, "It was all much ado about nothing."
Dr. Hatim said the controversy was simply media hype generated to scare voters during the midterm elections in 2010.
"They were uninformed," Dr. Hatim said. "Look around. I see art and music. What's the problem? This is cultural refinement and it’s helping the community."
Although Dr. Hatim was not happy with the way the community center was depicted in the media and perceived by the general public, he said he knew it would just be a matter of time before people would understand.
"Being a man of faith," Dr. Hatim said, "I knew goodwill would eventually come when people of goodwill come together."
Masud Tariq-Towe, a Muslim from Harlem who has also been coming to the prayer room for several months, did not appreciate the way the community center was depicted. "I was offended," he told CP. "But I knew the people would learn. Although sometimes truth is a process."
Tariq-Towe stressed the fact that Park51 is not just a mosque for Muslims but a community center for everyone. "It says 'community,'" he said. "And the community is a family."
Nodding at the walls covered with pictures of children, he added, "It's really about the children."
"We were framed in a certain way," El-Gamal said told reporters. "But we just want to serve New York. We want to serve every single child in New York."
