Meet the New Boss, same as the Old Boss...

Imam Rauf, of the Ground Zero mosque fame has had the prayer rug pulled out from under his sandaled feet.  No longer will we hear his soothing words of tolerance, interfaith dialogue and bridge-building as he has been replaced.  Instead, we will hear words of tolerance, interfaith dialogue and bridge-building from Imam Abdallah Adhami.

Imam Adhami will continue the tradition of taqiyya and kitman by giving the Friday sermons at 51 Park St, the location where the GZ mosque is supposed to be built.  It is important to understand who this new voice is, and to get the full story on his jihadist connections see Pamela Gellers piece here.

Also see Robert Spencers post at Jihad Watch here for more context.


From The New York Times Jan 14 by Paul Vitello

Amid Rift, Imam’s Role in Islam Center Is Sharply Cut

Long-simmering tensions between co-founders of the proposed Islamic center and mosque near ground zero led to a parting of the ways on Friday that sharply reduced the role of one: the imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, long the project’s public face.

The break-up sent ripples of uncertainty through a community of religious and political leaders in New York who rallied last summer to the side of Mr. Abdul Rauf and his wife, Daisy Khan, when opponents assailed the plan to build near the site of the 9/11 attacks. Some worried aloud that the curtailed involvement of the couple could cost the project support. Others said the plan would continue to be endorsed by people committed to interfaith dialogue and freedom of religious expression.

The split was announced unilaterally by Mr. Abdul Rauf’s partner in the project, Sharif el-Gamal, the real estate investor who owns the former coat store at 51 Park Place where the 13-story center is planned.

Read it all