Plans for the mosque near Ground Zero took a big step forward yesterday.

Mosque raises 10G toward $100M tab

By CARL CAMPANILE in NY and GEOFF EARLE in DC

With controversy over the project still raging, the developer kicked off fund-raising for the Islamic center and mosque two blocks from the World Trade Center by raising $10,000 from a congregation of Muslim worshippers.

Sharif El-Gamal announced the start of the fund-raising drive at yesterday's prayer sessions, which have been taking place since last year in the vacant Burlington Coat Factory that's to be torn down to make way for the new center.

Conceptual plans for the mosque and center were made public last year, but its backers have long acknowledged they hadn't begun raising the estimated $100 million needed for construction and the additional millions needed to fund operations.

COLLECTION PLATE: Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf is in Qatar yesterday on his US-sponsored trip while his Ground Zero mosque kicks off its $100 million fund-raising effort. The questions about financing fueled worries in some quarters that the backers might turn to foreign, anti-American sources for money.

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/manhattan/st_answer_to_friday_prayers_2J3ttoexUVWGQoYaJdCYNN#ixzz0xuFUqF8R

Pres Obama yesterday.

not a mosque not ground zero not an issue for anyone except the bigots and the rightwing noise machine.

I think we all know what to expect from the NY Post.

And make way for DU's wall-to-wall coverage of Beckapalooza.

Not sure how this is any different.

Every time these misstatements occur they simply worsen the situation.

One can use truth to intro the story. So why not do so?