N.J. Republican joins opposition to mosque near Ground Zero

A Republican who is an outspoken proponent of religious freedom said the controversial Islamic center in New York City should be built “an appropriate distance away” from Ground Zero.

Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J) told the Hill Wednesday it would be “wise, prudent and deeply religious” of the center to reconsider its plans. He said the Sept. 11 hijackers “perverted Islam” by claiming to carry out the attacks in the name of Allah, but said the feelings of victims’ families cannot be ignored.

“It’s a juxtaposition that reignites and reopens wounds for the survivors of those who died,” Smith said.

“While [the Islamic center developers] can do it — it’s legal — they shouldn’t do it,” he added.

Smith cited his interactions with victims’ families to explain his opposition to the Islamic center’s location. One of his staffers lost her husband in the Sept. 11 attacks, and he developed close relationships with several widows who camped out in his office several years ago to lobby for the 9/11 Commission. 

The proposed construction of the Islamic center became a hot-button issue this week after President Obama weighed in on the debate during a speech on Friday night. The president said that religious freedom “includes the right to build a place of worship and a community center on private property in lower Manhattan.”

Obama later clarified his remarks and said he wasn’t commenting on the “wisdom” of building the center in the proposed location.

Earlier Wednesday, Rep. Dan Lungren (R-Calif.) issued a scathing statement denouncing Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) call for “looking into” how the opposition to the Islamic center is being funded.

“When the Speaker of the House — the person presently third in line to take the helm at the nation — had the temerity to call for an INVESTIGATION of those who think building a mosque in the shadow of the site of our greatest national tragedy is an inappropriate idea, I now think her feelings about dissenting Americans are no slips of the tongue,” Lungren said in a written statement.

“No, they are a pattern of disregard for freedom-loving Americans everywhere. They are the words of someone who has lost touch with the idea that American freedom of expression is sacred — even when it runs counter to the beliefs of our liberal elites,” the statement said.

An aide to Pelosi told The Hill that the Speaker is not calling for an investigation into those opposed to the site of the mosque and said her words were misconstrued.

“I support the statement made by the Interfaith Alliance that ‘We agree with the ADL [Anti-Defamation League] that there is a need for transparency about who is funding the effort to build this Islamic center,’ ” Pelosi said in a statement. “At the same time, we should also ask who is funding the attacks against the construction of the center.” 

Pelosi’s aide also noted that Lungren was factually incorrect to state that the Speaker is third in the line of succession, as she is actually second behind the vice president.