Supporters and Opponents of a planned Islamic community center two blocks from Ground Zero in New York today confronted each other. The protesters shouted "Enough is enough" at supporters of the project. The project is called Park51 and it has divided America into two sides, one supporting the creation of the center, other opposing it.
The proposed center is referred to as the "Ground Zero Mosque," although the supporters claim that it would mainly be a community center and not only a mosque. The protesters were seen carrying signs saying, "You Can Build Your Mosque at Ground Zero When We Can Build Our Synagogue at Mecca," and "Building a Mosque at Ground Zero Is Like Building a Memorial to Hitler at Auschwitz."
"We don't care what bigots say, religious freedom's here to stay," the community center's supporters responded. "Defend Muslims, stop the hate," said a sign carried by one of the supporters.
Daisy Khan, whose husband, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf is the main person behind the project, is leading the project. Talking to ABC News' "This Week," Daisy said that the opposition against the community center is an indication that Americans' anger against Muslims is deepening. "We are deeply concerned because this is like a metastasized anti-Semitism. That's what we feel right now. It's not even Islamophobia, it's beyond Islamophobia. It's hate of Muslims," she said.
Rabbi Joy Levitt, executive director of the Jewish Community Center in Manhattan, expressed hope that the dispute can be settled. "What this whole controversy has unleashed is a tremendous amount of misinformation, a lack of knowledge about Islam that we need to address," she said.
