Debate Rages Over Ground Zero Mosque

August 13: The site of a planned mosque is shown two blocks from the world Trade Center, on Friday, in New York. President Barack Obama on Friday will speak up for religious freedom at a dinner celebrating the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, emphasizing that point just as New York City is immersed in a deeply sensitive debate about whether a mosque should be built near ground zero. (AP)

August 13: President Barack Obama hosts an iftar dinner, the meal that breaks the dawn-to-dusk fast for Muslims during the holy month of Ramadan, in the State Dining Room at the White House in Washington, on Friday. For over a billion Muslims, Ramadan is a time of intense devotion and reflection. Obama emphasized the American tenet of religious freedom just as New York City is immersed in a deeply sensitive debate about whether a mosque should be built near the site of the World Trade Center that was destroyed during the September 11, 2001 terror attacks. (AP)

This July 14, 2010 file photo shows protester Greg Johnson, right, and counter protesters Ina Marshall and Tim Foster, left, arguing during a demonstration against a planned mosque and Islamic community center in front of the Rutherford County Courthouse in Murfreesboro, Tenn. Mosques around the country are facing resistance similar to the opposition against a proposed Islamic center near ground zero in New York, but the anger and fear is a little sharper. (AP)

August 13: Guests gather at their tables as President Barack Obama hosts an iftar dinner, the meal that breaks the dawn-to-dusk fast for Muslims during the holy month of Ramadan, in the State Dining Room at the White House in Washington, on Friday. For over a billion Muslims, Ramadan is a time of intense devotion and reflection. Obama emphasized the American tenet of religious freedom just as New York City is immersed in a deeply sensitive debate about whether a mosque should be built near the site of the World Trade Center that was destroyed during the September 11, 2001 terror attacks. (AP)

This file photo shows members of the Landmarks Preservation Commission meet to discuss the landmark status of 45-47 Park Place in New York, Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2010. (AP)

August 13: Guests listen as President Barack Obama speaks at an iftar dinner, the meal that breaks the dawn-to-dusk fast for Muslims during the holy month of Ramadan, in the State Dining Room at the White House in Washington, on Friday. For over a billion Muslims, Ramadan is a time of intense devotion and reflection. Obama emphasized the American tenet of religious freedom just as New York City is immersed in a deeply sensitive debate about whether a mosque should be built near the site of the World Trade Center that was destroyed during the September 11, 2001 terror attacks. (AP)

The owner of 45 Park Place, Sharif El-Gamal, left, hugs his lawyer Shelly Friedman, after the landmarks Preservation Commission decided not to landmark his building, the site of a proposed mosque, in New York, Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2010. (AP)

In this file photo, media surround one of the few people voicing their opinion during a meeting of the Landmarks Preservation Commission, while the panel were voting on the landmark status of a 152-year-old building on Park Place, in New York, Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2010. The commission voted unanimously not to landmark the building, making way for the construction of a mosque at the site. (AP)

In this file photo Daisy Khan, co-founder of the Cordoba Initiative, speaks at a rally in support of an Islamic center and mosque near the World Trade Center, Thursday, Aug. 5, 2010, in New York. (AP)

August 13: Construction workers take a lunch break from the World Trade Center site, on Friday in New York. President Barack Obama on Friday will speak up for religious freedom at a dinner celebrating the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, emphasizing that point just as New York City is immersed in a deeply sensitive debate about whether a mosque should be built near ground zero. (AP)