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. 

Backlash against Muslims grows in response to NY protest

Carol Forsloff - A Christian religion news source documents the growing hate towards Muslims as increasing in response to the opposition against the building of the mosque in New York City.  A woman named Pamela Geller is at the heart of the opposition movement.



In other words, what they say in their press release is these demonstrations are leading to more and more attacks against Islamic groups.


Natchitoches, Louisiana has a small Muslim group that meets in a mosque near Northwestern University campus.  Like a group in Tennessee has been described, theirs has been a quiet, low-key group, with Muslim folk going on about the business of the day without much rancor or difficulty. But the protest against the mosque in New York by Natchitoches people is now on Facebook, small but growing.  Some ministers and citizens of Natchitoches worry as protest spreads it may engulf towns like Natchitoches with the same consequences as in other areas, as negative protest becomes more and more socially acceptable..


The police and other organizations have been reporting a spike in verbal attacks and desecration of Muslim buildings and othe property that was already going on but spiked in response to the protest against the mosque scheduled to be built near Ground Zero in New York. In Murfreesboro, Tennessee a small group of Muslims have been worshiping peacefully in a predominantly fundamental Christian community. But the Religion Blog observes that when the Muslim community leaders proposed a 52,900 square-foot Islamc center with a school and swimming pool this year, there was a tremendous backlash against it.

The Tennessee protest grew even as the protest grows in New York.  In Tennessee rallies have been held with people holding signs that say such things as "Keep Tennessee Terror Free."In Texas a number of mosques have been vandalized in recent months, but the problems extend around the country.  Questions are raised about whether public attitudes towards Muslims have shifted, even as the war in Iraq is coming to a close and the distance in span of time increases from the 9/11 attacks.

Political candidates are using the Muslim mosque, especially on the Republican side, as a controversy worthy of their focus, but usually on the negative. Republican gubernatorial candidate Ron Ramsey asks whether Islam is a “cult.” Television evangelist Pat Robertson weighed in asking the question of his viewers whether or not Islam was targeting a takeover of this country. This happens even as a growing number of Americans believe President Barack Obama is Muslim and as Franklin Graham, son of Billy Graham, the prominent Baptist religious leader, hedges on the matter of Obama's religion, stating his father was Muslim so Obama is by birth. 

A Time magazine poll is quoted by Religious blog as finding 43 percent of Americans hold unfavorable views of Muslims. The change in tone has been striking, religious scholars and other experts say. The reasons are myriad, scholars tell us, in response to homegrown terrorism after the Fort Hood shootings and the attempted Times Square bombing.  There is also the angry rhetoric displayed on television and the expression of dissatisfaction against the President's policies. “It shouldn’t be surprising that there’s a negative reaction to this mosque,” said Richard Lloyd, a sociology professor at Vanderbilt University. “Because you can connect it to this global media event in New York, it just reinforces this siege mentality local residents have.” Akbar Ahmed, chairman of Islamic studies at American University, is quoted by Religion Blog as saying a Florida church’s plan to burn copies of the Koran on the anniversary of Sept. 11 is emblematic of the country’s new mood. “Something more is happening,” Ahmed said. “We are becoming aware that the gap between Muslims and non-Muslims is wider than it was after 9/11, and that’s a frightening prospect.”