New Yorkers Say Islamic Center Should Move Elsewhere
By David Freedlander August 31, 2010 11:48 am
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A majority of New Yorkers say that the developers of the Park51 project have a right to build a mosque/cultural center near Ground Zero, but far more say that the project should move elsewhere due to the sensitivities surrounding the issue, according to a new poll by Quinnipiac.
Over 70 percent of those surveyed say that the project’s sponsors should volunteer to move the center elsewhere, even though 54 percent say that Muslims have a right to build a mosque on the site.
“The heated, sometimes angry, debate over the proposal to build a mosque two blocks from Ground Zero has New York State voters twisted in knots, with some of them taking contradictory positions depending on how the question is asked,” said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.
Also, a clear majority–71 percent–have echoed Rick Lazio’s line and say that Andrew Cuomo should investigate the financing of the mosque. Even 65 percent of Democrats agree.
The poll also contains some sobering news for Barack Obama, who gets a 51 percent approval rating from New Yorkers, his lowest mark yet.
