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The 9/11 Commission Report
In all the debate over the proposed Islamic center in lower Manhattan, one voice has been noticeably silent: that of Feisal Abdul Rauf, the imam behind the mosque.
Right now, the imam is traveling, and in his absence, opponents are using past statements to criticize future plans.
Rauf already has a mosque in lower Manhattan. Masjid al-Farah is about 12 blocks from ground zero, and for 15 years the mosque has struggled to accommodate people in its small prayer space. In an interview about his plans for the new building earlier this year, Rauf said having a Muslim presence so close to the site lets him reach out to non-Muslims and counter the terrorists' ideology.
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