NYC imam: I don't support Hamas
Cleric behind plan to build Islamic center near ground zero tells ABC controversy fueled by politicians ahead of midterm elections; says moving center would 'strengthen radicals in Muslim world'
WASHINGTON - The New York imam at the center of plans to build an Islamic center near ground zero said Sunday he does not support terror organizations, including Hamas.
In an interview with ABC's "This Week with Christiane Amanpour", Feisal Abdul Rauf said the controversy surrounding the plan to build an Islamic center near the site of the 9/11 terror attacks was politically motivated.
Responding to Amanpour's question about critics who have said he has refused to label Hamas a terror organization, the imam said, "I'm against terrorism…Whoever commits terrorist acts – I condemn. And Hamas has committed terrorist acts, including against its own people."
Rauf said the controversy over the Islamic center's site has increased concerns among Muslims of rising anti-Muslim sentiment, saying he felt there was "growing Islamophobia in this country."
"How else would you describe the fact that mosques around the country are now being attacked? We are Americans, too.
"We are Americans. We are doctors. We are investment bankers. We are taxi drivers. We are store keepers. We are lawyers. We are part of the fabric of America. And the way that America today treats its Muslims is being watched by over a billion Muslims worldwide," the imam told ABC.
Addressing the possibility that the planned Islamic center would be relocated to quell the controversy, Rauf said that his "major concern with moving it is that the headline in the Muslim world will be 'Islam is under attack in America.'"
"This will strengthen the radicals in the Muslim world, help their recruitment, this will put our people -- our soldiers, our troops, our embassies, our citizens -- under attack in the Muslim world and we (would) have expanded and fueled terrorism," he said.
Rauf linked the controversy to the congressional midterm elections in November, saying "this project (Islamic center) was front page news in 'The New York Times' last December. No one objected. What has happened is that since May -- five, six months later, for political reasons, certain politicians decided that this project would be very useful for their political ambitions."
Asked by Amanpour about the planned Koran burning, which was eventually cancelled by Florida pastor Terry Jones, Rauf said that such an event would have "created a disaster in the Muslim world. It would have strengthened the radicals."
"It would have enhanced the possibility of terrorist acts against America and American interests," the imam said.
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