9/11, Ground Zero Mosque | featured news

A majority of New Yorkers say a Muslim group has a right to build an Islamic center and mosque near the site of the September 11 attacks in Manhattan but think it should be built elsewhere, according to a poll released on Friday.

New York Gov. David Paterson expects to meet soon with developers of a proposed Islamic cultural center and mosque near ground zero.

After skirting the controversy for weeks, President Barack Obama is weighing in forcefully on the mosque near ground zero, saying a nation built on religious freedom must allow it.

President Obama threw his support behind a controversial proposal to build an Islamic center and mosque near New York's ground zero, saying Friday that "Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as anyone else in this country," according to remarks distributed by the White House.