In a weekend radio interview with KDKA's Rob Pratte, Congressman Jason Altmire weighed in on the controversial "Ground Zero Mosque", a proposed Islamic community center to be built blocks from where the twin towers fell..
The question was asked regarding President Obama's remarks during the White House's Ramadan dinner, when he said "But let me be clear: as a citizen, and as President, I believe that Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as anyone else in this country. That includes the right to build a place of worship and a community center on private property in lower Manhattan, in accordance with local laws and ordinances."
President Obama has since walked back those comments, stating that he was not commenting - and would not comment - on the "wisdom" of building the Islamic center.
Here's Altmire's statement to Pratte (in part):
"I am personally, like a lot of people, offended at the concept of having a mosque at that site, given what happened nine years ago, almost to the day -- well, a month from now. And I understand that constitutionally they are certainly free to do it. It's something that the city has ruled on from a zoning perspective. But from a freedom of religion and freedom of speech perspective, they have the ability to do it... But I'm offended, and I think that there should be some discussion about what is right as well as just what you're allowed to do.
“I think that the people who are supportive of putting the mosque there are missing the point of the impact and the devastation that had to us as a country but certainly to that part of the country that was directly impacted by that.
We need to have a discussion about what is the right thing to do and not just what are you allowed to do."
The center's developers turned down an offer from NY Gov David Paterson to provide state land to build the center, instead of so close to the site of the 2001 attack.
According to a poll conducted for CNN, 68% of Americans oppose building the Islamic center so close to Ground Zero.
(h/t to pa2010.com, who reported on Altmire's statements and provided a link to the KDKA interview.)
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