New York City voters, by an almost 2- to-1 ratio, oppose a plan by a Muslim group to build a mosque and cultural center two blocks from the site of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, according to a Quinnipiac University poll. New Yorkers, by 52 percent to 31 percent, don’t want the Cordoba Initiative, a group that seeks to improve Muslim relations with Western societies, to build a community center near Ground Zero in Manhattan, the survey said. Opposition was strongest on Staten Island, where respondents were against the plan by 73 percent to 14 percent in favor. In Manhattan, support for the project led, with 46 percent to 36 percent opposed.
“Is it because we’re still nursing the wounds from the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center or is it more like bigotry?” said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute in Hamden, Connecticut, in a statement about the results. The poll was released today.
“Opponents suggest that the mosque would dishonor the memory of the attack’s victims,” Carroll said. The cultural center plans include a 500-seat auditorium, swimming pool, restaurants, bookstores and space for art exhibitions, according to the organization’s website.
While a majority opposed the center, 55 percent of those questioned said “mainstream Islam” is a “peaceful religion.” To 22 percent of respondents, the religion “encourages violence against non-Muslims.” Another 23 percent were undecided.
The survey of 1,183 registered voters in New York, conducted from June 21 to June 28, has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.9 percentage points.
