New Yorkers Want Islamic Center Moved, Poll Finds [View All]

Source: NY Times

Two-thirds of New York City residents want a planned Muslim community center and mosque to be relocated to a less controversial site farther away from ground zero in Lower Manhattan, including many who say they favor the project, according to a New York Times poll.

The poll indicates that support for the 13-story complex, which organizers said would promote moderate Islam and interfaith dialogue, is tepid in its home town, confined mainly to Manhattan and those who identify as liberal.

Nearly a decade after the Sept. 11 attacks ignited a wave of anxiety about Muslims, many in the country’s biggest and arguably the most cosmopolitan city still have an uneasy relationship with Islam. One fifth of New Yorkers acknowledged animosity toward Muslims. Thirty-three percent said that, compared with other American citizens, Muslims were more sympathetic to terrorists. And nearly 60 percent said that their friends had negative feelings toward Muslims because of 9/11.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/03/nyregion/03poll.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&src=ig