Hard hats take the pledge to prevent building of the mosque at GroundZero

NEW
YORK - PRN - USN - GHN News Editor--"That building is being illegally
occupied" is the premise being used by hard hats to stop the building of
the mosque near Ground Zero.


Andy
Sullivan, Founder of the 9/11 Hard Hat Pledge, continues with this
observation, "You cannot issue any type of Certificate of Occupancy
either permanent or temporary without an inspection of the premises"in
his argument against the building of the mosque.

The
blue collar, hard hats are stepping to the plate on the matter of
building the mosque near Ground Zero.  Andy Sullivan, founder of the
9/11 Hard Hat Pledge was an eyewitness to the World Trade Center
attacks. After seeing the first plane hit he successfully evacuated all
of his construction crew.  His one regret from that day is "not knowing
that the first girl I ever loved was working at Cantor Fitzgerald. I
could have saved her."

Mr. Sullivan, a lifelong construction worker and a member of New York's
largest construction union has  been researching the building permits
for the proposed Ground Zero Mosque. According to Mr. Sullivan's
research, the 9/11 terrorist attacks the building was damaged when the
landing gear from one of planes landed on it causing damage.  So what is
his recommendation?

"Work has been done on that site since 9/11, yet there is no record of
inspection since this work was completed," says Sullivan. Without the
necessary permits and inspections Mr. Sullivan states that, "No one can
be sure that this building that is illegally being used to hold services
is safe. There are real concerns for the safety of those occupying this
building illegally."

Sullivan
discovered, "the last work permit filed for the location was filed in
2000. That permit was for installation of air conditioner units."
Department of Building records show that there have been no additional
permits issued since 2000. Sullivan asks, "What about all the damage
that occurred from the landing gear? Work to repair the damage done by
the landing gear has been done without permits."

According
to Sullivan, in order for this site to meet Department of Building
requirements, "all work done without permits has to be taken down and
removed. They need to start over from scratch under the strict
supervision of the DOB." Sullivan wonders why the DOB is ignoring the
lack of proper permits.

"This
site would be shut down if it was any other entity in the this city.
Tremendous fines would be levied against any other project. I believe
that Mayor Bloomberg is in cahoots with the DOB and figures no one with
construction expertise has scrutinized the work permits," states hard
hat Andy Sullivan.

Andy Sullivan,
a 9/11 survivor, is founder of the 9/11 Hard Hat Pledge. Over 28,000
people have signed his pledge to not work on the Mosque, if built near
Ground Zero. His blog can be found at www.bluecollarcorner.com.

Sullivan
has joined forces with people like Pamela Gellar, an outspoken critic
of the mosque near Ground Zero and someone who has taken out
high-profile attack ads against Muslims in California and other parts of
the country. 

Those
who are in support of the building of the mosque remind the public how
bars and betting places are within Ground Zero, and the mosque is going
to be built two blocks away from it.  They wonder how close is too close
for the building of a mosque since there have been random attacks
against Islamic places of worship not related to this building, as
people object to the presence of Muslims in their midst.

In
his press release, Sullivan does not examine any other buildings who
may have been damaged in other areas and what limitations might be
placed on the whole area. 

The
issue continues to be the first amendment rights of the Muslims in
relationship to building the mosque and those who believe it must be
adjusted to reflect the emotional nature of the building and the

concerns of the victims of 9/11. 

Americans condemn Muslim mosque Imam lack knowledge of facts

by Carol Forsloff - Given the potential for
misinformation on social media sites, and the arguments about the
orientation of the Muslims who want to build the mosque in New York,
it's important to have the facts.



Documentation has been done by
newspapers across the country as well as security officials with respect
to Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, revealing he is not only not a terrorist but
someone who is respected in the religious community as well as by those
who have interacted with him in government as a man of peace.



Sound bites from those who
undermine Constitutional freedoms by citing false information are one
thing, full articles of this man's pronouncements are available, as is
the background of his specific religious orientation, which is Sufi.



Given the fact that a reader of
this newspaper, who admitted not to knowing about Sufis, 15 minutes
later declared them to be a violent group, it's important to know the
history of that group, which cannot be learned in a 15 minute selective
search of the Internet.



Islam has its "denominations" just
as Christianity does.  Just as Christianity it has two main divisions,
the Sunni and Shi'a, whose beliefs about the prophet and the succession
are different as are some of the specific beliefs with respect to
government and the law.



Sufis are a division of the Shi'a,
considered to be the ascetics among the Muslims.  They are the
contemplatives, and although within their group they dance and sing and
overtly praise God, they are known for an orientation which is less
earthly and more in the poetic divine inclination.



One of the most famous Sufis is
Rumi, whose poetry of love and spiritual life is respected not just in
the Middle East but in the Western world as well.  Another well-known
writer is Omar Khayyam, whose Thousand and One Nights is a universal
classic.



During
my early college days, as a student at Portland State University I was
the first woman enrolled in the Middle Eastern Studies program  in
1960.   The program involved the study of
Arabic, the culture and customs of the Middle East, history, geography,
religion and economics.  This was combined with my program in
journalism, as it was my intention to be a correspondent in the Middle
East.  I have also traveled to the Middle East some years later .



My knowledge and background with
Islamic studies was something not learned in 15 minutes from a selected
Internet site that the reader, on the occasion of his pronouncements
against the building of the mosque near 9/11 did not name.



Suffice to say, these are  a few snippets
of information already assembled on the Imam Rauf available to counter
the right-wing diatribes that have been demonstrated to have increased
anti-Islamic rhetoric, and even violence against, the Muslims of the
United States.  These incidents have been documented in other stories in
Green Heritage News.

On terrorism:
Well, I'm not a politician. ... The issue of terrorism is a very
complex question. ... I am a bridge builder. My work is ... I do not
want to be placed nor will I accept a position where I am the target of
one side or another. My attempt is to see a peace in Israel. ...
Targeting of civilians is wrong. It's a sin in our religion, whoever
does it. ... I am a supporter of the State of Israel --New York Times quotes

On Judaism: (in his address at Daniel Pearl's memorial, a Jewish journalist where he was asked to speak)." The Atlantic's Jeffrey Goldberg noted on August 19 that Rauf spoke
at a memorial service for Daniel Pearl, a Jewish journalist who was
kidnapped and murdered by militants in Pakistan during which he
condemned violent attacks against Israel and referred to the Jews and
Arabs as brothers.

On suicide bombers:  In a Newsday,  June 8, 2004, Newsday
article (accessed via Nexis) reported: "Rauf has done little else since
the terrorist attacks that pulled him from his mahogany pulpit in the
shadow of Ground Zero. At the outset, he categorically condemned suicide
bombers and, in fact, any violence committed in the name of religion."
The article further reported: "He also said that American policies 'were
an accessory to the crime that happened' since they had armed a
generation of jihadists to fight the Soviets in Afghanistan," and quoted
him saying, "Explaining is not justifying. ... I want people to
understand the things that have fueled terrorism, because if we address
them, that's how we eliminate terror."

These have been collected references by Media Matters which promotes itself as examining statements and beliefs that undermine good journalism and evidence.

There are many other entries in
this same article about the background of Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf that
disputes the right-wing condemnation of this Muslim, who has been found,
in documented research of his opinions since 9/11, to be a moderate,
genteel man.  He has been designated by the administrations of both
George Bush and Barack Obama to interact with officials, both in the
United States and abroad, with regard to American - Islamic relations.



To condemn the free worship of such
a man and his followers where they please is something constitutional scholars rebuke as
an affront to the First Amendment of the Constitution.