Reply to thread

Message

<blockquote data-quote="Babagounj" data-source="post: 1065534" data-attributes="member: 12952">The Islamic cultural center near Ground Zero that opened with great&nbsp; fanfare a year ago is now an empty space with no community programs.&nbsp;And while the developers behind Park51 insisted for two years that&nbsp; the project was more than a mosque, it now appears to be just that.&nbsp; Dozens of worshipers gather at the site on Park Place Friday for prayer&nbsp; services — but that’s the only activity in the building.&nbsp;Gone are the Arabic classes, workshops in calligraphy, talks on the&nbsp; genealogy of Muslims in America, film screenings and art exhibits. The&nbsp; sole community event is a class in capoeira — an Afro-Brazilian martial&nbsp; art that combines dance and music. The teacher of the twice-weekly class&nbsp; said she has five students.&nbsp;“We are the only cultural program that is still there,” said Luz Emma Canas Jesus, of Capoeira Mucurumim.&nbsp;The Park51 Twitter feed was last updated in June, and its Web site&nbsp; lists no events. The Web site for the mosque, formally called Prayer&nbsp; Space, lists four services a day, and a handwritten note on the&nbsp; building’s window also advertises a 4 a.m. service.&nbsp;Park51 organizers repeatedly refused to answer questions about what&nbsp; happened to the programs offered last fall and spring. Sharif El-Gamal,&nbsp; the lead developer behind the project, ducked out the women’s entrance&nbsp; for the prayer space and would not speak to a reporter.&nbsp;Just two years ago, El-Gamal’s grand plans for the site — a $100&nbsp; million, 15-story community center and prayer space — generated&nbsp; worldwide controversy because of its proximity to the Ground Zero site.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Babagounj, post: 1065534, member: 12952"] The Islamic cultural center near Ground Zero that opened with great fanfare a year ago is now an empty space with no community programs. And while the developers behind Park51 insisted for two years that the project was more than a mosque, it now appears to be just that. Dozens of worshipers gather at the site on Park Place Friday for prayer services — but that’s the only activity in the building. Gone are the Arabic classes, workshops in calligraphy, talks on the genealogy of Muslims in America, film screenings and art exhibits. The sole community event is a class in capoeira — an Afro-Brazilian martial art that combines dance and music. The teacher of the twice-weekly class said she has five students. “We are the only cultural program that is still there,” said Luz Emma Canas Jesus, of Capoeira Mucurumim. The Park51 Twitter feed was last updated in June, and its Web site lists no events. The Web site for the mosque, formally called Prayer Space, lists four services a day, and a handwritten note on the building’s window also advertises a 4 a.m. service. Park51 organizers repeatedly refused to answer questions about what happened to the programs offered last fall and spring. Sharif El-Gamal, the lead developer behind the project, ducked out the women’s entrance for the prayer space and would not speak to a reporter. Just two years ago, El-Gamal’s grand plans for the site — a $100 million, 15-story community center and prayer space — generated worldwide controversy because of its proximity to the Ground Zero site. [/QUOTE]

Verification