text: Rudy: Mosque is a 'desecration,' 'decent Muslims' won't be offended
  Politico ^ | 8-2-10 | Maggie Haberman
  Posted on 08/02/2010 9:56:04 AM PDT by afraidfortherepublic
  This went way under the radar three weeks ago, but Rudy Giuliani made what, as best as I can tell, were his first public comments about the planned mosque near Ground Zero on the Jeff Katz show on radio (someone will I'm sure correct me if I'm wrong).
  He takes a very hard line, including saying that "decent Muslims" will not be offended by the opposition because they want peace as much as others do.
  I had been struck by how non-visible Giuliani, who is generally known as the face of Ground Zero, had been on this issue.
  Here are as much of the quotes as I was able to cull from the temperamental audio:
  "It sends a particularly bad message, particularly (because) of the background of the Imam who is supporting this. This is an Imam who has supported radical causes, who has not been forthright in condemning Islamic (terrorism) and the worst instincts that that brings about.
  "So it not only is exactly the wrong place, right at Ground Zero, but it's a mosque supported by an Imam who has a record of support for causes that were sympathetic with terrorism. Come on! We're gonna allow that at Ground Zero?
  "This is a desecration," he added. "Nobody would allow something like that at Pearl Harbor. Let's have some respect for who died there and why they died there. Let's not put this off on some kind of politically correct theory.
  "I mean, they died there because of Islamic extremist terrorism. They are our enemy, we can say that, the world will not end when we say that. And the reality is it will not and should not insult any decent Muslim because decent Muslims should be as opposed to Islamic extremism as you and I are."
  TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; US: New York
  KEYWORDS: bain; bainmosque; cordoba; giuliani; groundzero; groundzeromosque; islam; mosque; muslims; nyc; nymosquee; obama; romney; romneymosque
  1 posted on 08/02/2010 9:56:08 AM PDT by afraidfortherepublic
  Sure, Rudy...sure.
  2 posted on 08/02/2010 9:58:32 AM PDT by WKUHilltopper (Fix bayonets!)
  Saw a story on F&F this AM, that the NY powers rfuses to allow a Greek Ortho church to rebuild.
  Do we see a patern is this madness?
  3 posted on 08/02/2010 9:59:37 AM PDT by Marty62 (marty60)
  The man can articulate a position as well as anybody.
  4 posted on 08/02/2010 10:00:08 AM PDT by Artemis Webb (DeMint 2012)
  Well said, Rudy...magritte
  5 posted on 08/02/2010 10:00:43 AM PDT by magritte ("There are moments, Jeeves, when one asks oneself "Do trousers matter?")
  I'd sure feel a heckuva lot better today with Rudy in the White House.
  6 posted on 08/02/2010 10:01:54 AM PDT by dfwgator
  "..."decent Muslims" will not be offended ..."
  Giuliani still doesn't get it — "decent Muslims", whatever that means, should be up in arms with those who object to the building of a mosque near Ground Zero.
  7 posted on 08/02/2010 10:02:25 AM PDT by 353FMG (ISLAM - America's inevitable road to destruction.)
  Well that would offend the muslims by having a church near a mosque so that can't happen. Duhhh!!!!
  8 posted on 08/02/2010 10:06:24 AM PDT by Proud_USA_Republican ("The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money.")
  He is "damning them with faint praise", knowing full well that if there are any Muslim voices speaking out, they are *not* condemning "Muslim extremism", but meechingly, "terrorism in general", as if Christians, Hindus or Buddhists are also doing things like this.
  However, it is also a rhetorical set-up, because if "decent Muslims" would theoretically be opposed to this, by definition, those in favor of the mosque are *not* "decent Muslims".
  9 posted on 08/02/2010 10:08:22 AM PDT by yefragetuwrabrumuy
  You're the one who "doesn't get it". Giuliani is trying to make reasonable people understand what the problem is and that it's not "racism" or "hate" to oppose the mosque.
  He isn't going to convince wafflers (wafflers vote) by saying, "There are no decent Muslims". As soon people who might otherwise listen to Rudy on issues like this hear a statement like that they'll go into shutdown mode. We are not trying to convince the political right of the logic of this. We're trying to convince your average nimrod New Yorker.
  10 posted on 08/02/2010 10:09:10 AM PDT by Artemis Webb (DeMint 2012)
  Same place they were on 9-11...
  11 posted on 08/02/2010 10:09:47 AM PDT by Sacajaweau (What)
  He's the only candidate from 2008 I'd like to see run in 2012.
  12 posted on 08/02/2010 10:13:08 AM PDT by GOPsterinMA (Vote Jill Stein for governor.)
  this thing is much more than a mere mosque. it is 15 stories and is a 'cultural center'. there is no need for that near ground zero.
  they can pray anywhere and few woould mind. why have a flop-house training center in lower manhattan?
  13 posted on 08/02/2010 10:23:59 AM PDT by John Galt's cousin (Principled Conservatism in 2010 and 2012 * * * * * * * * * * Repeal the 17th Amendment!)
  14 posted on 08/02/2010 10:23:59 AM PDT by John Galt's cousin (Principled Conservatism in 2010 and 2012 * * * * * * * * * * Repeal the 17th Amendment!)
  why have a flop-house training center in lower manhattan?
  Where NO one actually lives!
  15 posted on 08/02/2010 10:29:03 AM PDT by Red_Devil 232 (VietVet - USMC All Ready On The Right? All Ready On The Left? All Ready On The Firing Line!)
  Am I reading correctly? You are in favor of a mosque being built 2 blocks from Ground Zero? Do you know what they plan to call such a mosque? Try the Cordoba Center. If that name is not familiar to you, it should be before you express any support to the new mosque. You see that was the name of a mosque built by the Moors in Spain after they conquered Spain. And if you think that it is a coincidence that they have chosen to use that name again, you're hopelessly ignorant.
  16 posted on 08/02/2010 10:33:31 AM PDT by ritpg
  I got it, alright.
  How many "decent, moderate Muslims" have we seen since 9/11/2001 publicly condemning JUST ONE of the many murders, bombings and other acts of violence perpetrated by other Muslims worlwide? I repeat, JUST ONE.
  Their silence should have convinced "your average Nimrod New Yorker" (your words) that the "moderate" Muslims that live next door are supportive of the Islamic mayhem that daily takes place in the world. If they don't understand it now, they never will.
  17 posted on 08/02/2010 10:36:55 AM PDT by 353FMG (ISLAM - America's inevitable road to destruction.)
  To: ritpg
  18 posted on 08/02/2010 10:40:29 AM PDT by 353FMG (ISLAM - America's inevitable road to destruction.)
  Just a note - non-Muslims are not allowed in the "sacred" cities of Mecca and Medinah:
  "Restricting access to Mecca and Madinah is intended to provide a place of peace and refuge for Muslim believers and preserve the sanctity of the holy cities. At this time, millions of Muslims visit the cities each year, and additional tourist traffic would simply add to the congestion and detract from the spirituality of the pilgrimage visit.
  Source: http://islam.about.com/od/hajj/f/mecca.htm
  I think New York should be declared a "sacred city":
  Restricting access to Ground Zero site to non-Muslims is intended to provide a place of peace and refuge for victims of Muslim violence and their loved ones and preserve the sanctity of a site bathed by the blood of 3000 innocent souls. At this time, millions of non-Muslims visit New York each year, and additional tourist traffic would simply add to the congestion and detract from the spirituality of any visit.
  19 posted on 08/02/2010 10:45:11 AM PDT by In Maryland ("Impromptu Obamanomics is getting scarier by the day ..." - Caroline Baum)
  Rudy showed he had "cojones" ( to quote Sarah Palin ) when he turned down a $10 Million donation from Saudi Prince Al-Walid Bin Talal after 9/11, when the Prince said that the USA has to examine its policies in the Middle East, which caused September 11th to happen.
  He in effect told the Prince to take his money and shove it down his (you know what).
  Later, Democratic Congresswoman, Cynthia Mckinney shows us how much spine she has when she published an open letter to the Saudi Prince, in which she wrote of her disappointment at Giuliani's action and stated,
  "Let me say that there are a growing number of people in the United States who recognize, like you, that U.S. policy in the Middle East needs serious examination...Your Royal Highness, many of us here in the United States have long been concerned about reports by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch that reveal a pattern of excessive, and often indiscriminate, use of lethal force by Israeli security forces in situations where Palestinian demonstrators were unarmed and posed no threat of death or serious injury to the security forces or to others"