tribeca area for 28 years. he s integrated himself into the community. according to his biography, he was born in kuwait in 1948 into an egyptian family steep into education. he founded the nonprofit for muslim advancement. the mission described on the website as strengthening an authentic expression of islam based on cultural harmony through interfaith collaboration, youth and women s empowerment. sever years later he founded the institute to improve relations between the muslim world and the west, writing how american muslims can help bridge the vide. the state department noted. he is often asked to speak at meetings like the world economic forum. he was criticized after 9/11 for
for your new islamic cultural center? why that particular spot? first, i must remind everybody i ve been imam of a mosque just ten blocks from that spot, 12 blocks from ground zero. i ve been serving that community and that neighborhood for the last quarter of a century. when 9/11 happened, we couldn t reach our mosque in the tribeca area. you know, and finally we came back. there was flowers, letters. we re part of this community. i ve served this community. and this is a community that i have worked for so long and is important for us as muslims, as muslims who are in lower manhattan, to want to give back to the city and the country that s given us so much. so why that particular spot? well, what happened was sharif al gamel, the owner of soho properties, a member of my congregation, has noticed how our the need for prayer space has expanded.
beginning. when did you settle upon this location, which is just about two blocks north of ground zero, for your new islamic cultural center, why that particular spot? first, i must remind everybody i ve been imam of a mosque just ten blocks from that spot, 12 blocks from ground zero. i ve been serving that community and that neighborhood for the last quarter of a century. when 9/11 happened, we couldn t reach our mosque in the tribeca area. you know, and finally we came back. there was flower, letters. we re part of this community. i ve served this community. and this is a community that i have worked for so long and is important for us as muslims, as muslims who are in lower manhattan, to want to give back to the city and the country that s given us so much. so why that particular spot? well, what happened was gamel, the owner of soho
when did you settle upon this location, which is just about two blocks north of ground zero, for your new islamic cultural center? why that particular spot? first, i must remind everybody i ve bn imam of a mosque just ten blocks from that spot, 12 blocks from ground zero. i ve been serving that cmunity and that neighborhood r the last quarter of a century. when 9/11 happened, we couldn t reach our mosque in the tribeca area. you know, and finally we came back. there was flowers, letters. we re part of isommunity. i ve served this community. and this is a community that i ha worked for long and is important for us as muslims, as muslims who are in lower manhattan, to want to give back to the city and the country that s given us so much. so why that particular spot?d well, what happened was sharif el gamel, the owner of soho properties, a member of my
and the big debate really is over how muslims have engaged with the american community. you re living that right now. so let s walk back to the very onginning. when did you sett tle upon this location, which is just about two bloc north of ground zero, for your new islamic cultural center? f emy that particulaspot? first, i must remind f everybody i ve been imam of a mosque just ten blocks from that spot, 12 blocks from ground zero. i ve been serving that community and that neighborhood for the last quarter of a century. when 9/11 happened, we couldn t reach our mosque in the tribeca area. you know, and finally we came back. there was flowers, letters. we re part of this community. i ve served this commu. and this is a community that i have worked for so long and is important for us as muslims, as muslims who are in lower manhattan, to want to give back to the city and the country that s given us so much. so why that particular spot? well, what happened was sharif el gamel, the