WASHINGTON, Sept 11 � US President Barack Obama has backed controversial plans to build a mosque near Ground Zero, the site of 9/11 terror attacks in New York, arguing that if one can build a Hindu temple, why not a mosque.
�With respect to the mosque in New York, I�ve been pretty clear on my position here,� Obama told a news conference in White House last evening, when asked about the controversy surrounding the construction of a mosque near the Ground Zero in the New York city.
He said the US believes in the inalienable right to allow its citizens to practice their religion freely.
�This country stands for the proposition that all men and women are created equal, that they have certain inalienable rights; one of those inalienable rights is to practice their religion freely,� he argued on the eve of the ninth anniversary of the September 11 terror attacks that killed nearly 3000 people.
�And what that means is that if you could build a church on a site, you could build a synagogue on a site, if you could build a Hindu temple on a site, then you should be able to build a mosque on the site,� Obama said on the eve of the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.
He remembered the victims of the September 11 attacks and their families who continue to live with a sense of loss. �I recognise the extraordinary sensitivities around 9/11. I�ve met with families of 9/11 victims in the past. I can only imagine the continuing pain and anguish and sense of loss that they may go through,� he said
�And tomorrow, we as Americans are going to be joining them in prayer and remembrance,� Obama said.
Most Americans have opposed construction of the planned mosque near Ground Zero, according to the Washington Post-ABC News poll.
