The Preacher, the Imam and Donald Trump
Terry Jones, the Christian fundamentalist preacher who wanted to commemorate the tragedy of the collapse of the Twin Towers by burning hundreds of copies of the Quran on Sept. 11, now says he is rethinking the idea. He says he received a sign from God in the form of a promise from Feizal Abdul Rauf, the imam leading the contested project of Cordoba House, the Islamic cultural center near ground zero.
According to Jones, the imam promised that he would build Cordoba House elsewhere, but Feizal Abdul Rauf has made it known that there is no such agreement. In fact, the imam claims to have learned of the alleged agreement while in the middle of an interview with Christiane Amanpour of ABC. Only minutes later, Jones replied that he felt as if he were being toyed with, thanks to a certain someone who lied about his decision to build the mosque in another location.
The preacher — having had his appetite whet by worldwide news coverage — says that he will be in New York on Sept. 11 to commemorate the event at ground zero. Will he and the imam meet in person in the shadow of what was once the World Trade Center?
It is too early to say what is really behind Jones’ first statement. In the meantime, a surprising twist has occurred: Billionaire real estate mogul Donald Trump has offered to buy the parcel where the Islamic cultural center would be built for 25 percent more than its commercial value. It is as though he is saying, “Dear Imam, here’s an offer you can’t refuse.”
We will have to wait and see how this story unfolds. If recent events are any indication, it can only get more and more fascinating. …
According to Jones, the imam promised that he would build Cordoba House elsewhere, but Feizal Abdul Rauf has made it known that there is no such agreement. In fact, the imam claims to have learned of the alleged agreement while in the middle of an interview with Christiane Amanpour of ABC. Only minutes later, Jones replied that he felt as if he were being toyed with, thanks to a certain someone who lied about his decision to build the mosque in another location.
The preacher — having had his appetite whet by worldwide news coverage — says that he will be in New York on Sept. 11 to commemorate the event at ground zero. Will he and the imam meet in person in the shadow of what was once the World Trade Center?
It is too early to say what is really behind Jones’ first statement. In the meantime, a surprising twist has occurred: Billionaire real estate mogul Donald Trump has offered to buy the parcel where the Islamic cultural center would be built for 25 percent more than its commercial value. It is as though he is saying, “Dear Imam, here’s an offer you can’t refuse.”
We will have to wait and see how this story unfolds. If recent events are any indication, it can only get more and more fascinating. …