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August 5, 2010

Right-Wing Group Sues to Block Ground Zero Mosque; White House Refuses to Take Stance
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A right-wing group founded by the evangelist Pat Robertson has filed
suit to block construction of a mosque and Islamic community center near
Ground Zero in New York. The suit from the American Center for Law and
Justice comes one day after a New York City panel cleared the way for
the mosque’s construction. The proposed site has come under heavy
opposition from right-wing groups. The Obama administration, meanwhile,
is refusing to weigh in on the controversy. Asked for the White House
stance, Press Secretary Robert Gibbs declined to offer an opinion,
calling it a "local issue."

Robert Gibbs: "I think we have—I think you’ve heard this
administration and the last administration talk about the fact that we
are not at war with a religion, but with an idea that has corrupted a
religion. But that having been said, I’m not, from here, going to get
involved in local decision making like that."



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