Koch, on Park51

Ed Koch lands between Bloomberg and Paterson on the Park51 debate. In an email to supporters, the former mayor explained his position:

"[M]y position on the building of the mosque near Ground Zero is different than Mayor Bloomberg’s position. He apparently does not believe that an effort should be made by anyone to convince the supporters of the mosque to move the location for sensitivity reasons. My position is that the feelings of 70 percent of all Americans on the issue, and particularly the family members of those who died and the survivors of the catastrophe, should be considered by the Muslim supporters of the mosque. They oppose the mosque on that site, because the terrorists who killed nearly 3,000 people on 9/11 were Muslims. However, if the Muslim supporters conclude that they see no sensitivity issue and seek as they allege to build a mosque as a bridge on that site, their rights should be protected and enforced.

“Further, no one acting on behalf of government should seek to dissuade them."