Mosque near Ground Zero becoming political football

WASHINGTON (AFP) – Republicans pounced on US President Barack Obama's comments supporting the right to build a mosque near Ground Zero Sunday, painting him as out of touch less than three months before key mid-term elections.

Democrats and Republicans squared off on Sunday talk shows to hammer home their positions on the Islamic center which includes a mosque, and argue whether it was appropriate for Obama to wade into the fray.

"This is not about freedom of religion, because we all respect the right of anyone to worship according to the dictates of their conscience," US Senator John Cornyn, a Texas Republican, said on Fox News Sunday.

"But I do think it's unwise... to build a mosque at the site where 3,000 Americans lost their lives as a result of a terrorist attack. And I think to me it demonstrates that Washington, the White House, the administration, the president himself seems to be disconnected from the mainstream of America."

The hot-button issue has stirred raw emotions in the United States, which marks the ninth anniversary of the September 11 attacks next month, and Cornyn said he believes it might resonate with voters at the polls.

"I think this is sort of the dichotomy that people sense, that they're being lectured to, not listened to, and I think that's the reason why a lot of people are very upset with Washington," he said.

Polls show a majority of Americans oppose building the mosque near Ground Zero, but they also show that a majority support the right of Muslims to build it.

Senator Jack Reed, a Democrat, did not answer directly if he thought the mosque should be built, but said he supported its designed intention to provide interfaith communication and dialogue.

"But it can't be there, and I don't think it should be allowed to be there, if it's going to be some type of way to undercut the truth, the reality, of 9/11... which was an attack by fanatical Muslims against the United States," he told the program.

Republican Representative Peter King of New York acknowledged the right to build the mosque but challenged Islamic leaders to "listen to the deep wounds and anguish that this is causing to so many good people" and consider moving the center to a site further away.

"This is such a raw wound and they are just pouring salt into it," King told CNN's "State of the Union" program.

Democrat Jerrold Nadler, also a New York congressman, said it was not up to politicians to decide.

"As to whether the imam wants to have the mosque somewhere else, that's up to them, and government should not pressure them one way or the other."

Obama on Friday said Muslims "have the same right to practice their religion as anyone else in this country."

But the next day Obama clarified that he was not commenting "on the wisdom of making the decision to put a mosque there."

Several Republicans have seized on Obama's comments, including Sarah Palin, who appeared to mock him on her Twitter feed by saying that taking a stance on the mosque "is not above your pay grade."

Source : http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100815/pl_afp/uspoliticsreligionattacks_20100815184754/print