One thing though- opening the place on Sept 11th would be a dumb idea.
The problem is, I've yet to find a credible source that says it plans to- it's being repeated a zillion times in the rabid blogosphere. So I'll wait and see whether it is true or not.

Anyway, this 'Mosque' that is being rabidly parroted in the Bloglight Zone is in fact a prayer room within a Community centre, no different to what airports have. Big deal- and that is not a Mosque, at all.


“There’s a huge Muslim community down there, it might be the largest in the city,” El-Gamal said, explaining the need for such a project in Lower Manhattan. He added that there is nothing like it anywhere else in the city, a much-needed 92nd Street Y of sorts for both the downtown and Islamic communities.

The 120,000-square-foot project, which is expected to cost $100 million, will include a 500-seat amphitheater, a Middle Eastern-themed food court and restaurants, athletic and recreational facilities, a daycare, and other amenities, as well as a prayer space, which has caused much of the furor over what has been dubbed the “Ground Zero Mosque.”

Imam Faisal said he believed the location will only strengthen the purpose of a center meant to be an extension of the Cordoba Initiative, a group he leads with the mission of improving Islamic-Western relations. “It’s become increasingly attractive because it gives us the opportunity to amplify the voices of the moderate Muslims who are the majority,” he said.
The Architect's Newspaper

M'mmm. Looks like you will be able to get a decent kebab there.


Incidentally, the founders and backers of this Islamic project is the Cordoba Initiative- it is Malaysian.
Not exactly frontline in the "WoT[?]".
Website- Home Page | Cordoba