'Islamophobia' Grips The Big Apple

Guy Benson | September 03, 2010 11:01 AM

The New York Times is surely dismayed to report that, according to its own poll, 67 percent of New York City residents oppose the location of the Ground Zero mosque.

The Times laments that even in uber-liberal Manhattan, which it describes as a "bastion of religious tolerance," a majority prefers relocation and a sizable minority opposes construction altogether.

President Obama has defended the right of Muslims to build a house of worship wherever they'd like, within the law. Few Americans dispute that point (as underscored in the poll). Yet Obama won't exert his presidential influence to even suggest relocating the Mosque, in accordance with the wishes of 2/3 of New Yorkers. New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg has openly supported the entire Mosque project, chiding his constituents for their intolerance on the matter, and suggesting it would be "a sad say for America" if construction is disrupted.

One wonders if polls like the Times survey--that clearly indicate overwhelming public reticence, if not outright hostility, towards the project in a very liberal city--ever give politicians like Bloomberg pause. Do they

The consensus: New Yorkers are against building the mosque at Ground zero (50 percent opposed), but believe organizers have the right to build the mosque at Ground Zero (62 percent). Above all else, fully two-thirds of New Yorkers believe the Mosque should be moved to a less controversial location.

The Times editorial board pronounces itself "disappointed" by the poll's results, and denounces New York politicians opposed to the plan as "appalling," and "playing to people's worst instincts."