Mosque at Ground Zero: Why?

NYers wage jihad vs. WTC mosque

So some muslims want to build a mosque at Ground Zero in New York.  Why?  I don’t know.  I’m not sure anyone knows.  I’m not even sure the Imam himself knows.

Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, the head of the Cordoba Institute, which is in charge of the project, insisted that the site would help “bridge the great divide” between Muslims and the rest of America.

How exactly would building a mosque at Ground Zero help bridge that divide?  I can’t think of any rational person that would believe that.  Maybe the Imam’s wife can convince me:

Rauf’s wife, Daisy Khan, followed him to the microphone to pitched the planned community facility as “much needed party space and much needed venue space” for the area.

Party space?  Are you serious?  Is Ground Zero an appropriate location to throw parties…ever?  I feel like some large piece of necessary information is lacking.  Now, I’m not asserting that any of the muslims who would be attending the mosque were pleased with 9/11.  However, I am wondering why Imam Rauf would choose Ground Zero to build a mosque.  This is something a stupid teenager would think of in high school.  You know what I’m talking about.  Some kid thinks up the most offensive thing possible, and then does it just to create controversy.  Can’t they build the mosque somewhere else?

But then it gets weirder:

Catholic priest Kevin Madigan, of St. Peter’s Church, which is about a block away, agreed.

“I think they need to establish a place such as this for people of goodwill from mainline Christian, Jewish and Muslim faiths so we can come together to talk,” Madigan said.

Is this political correctness run amok?  How could anyone possibly think a mosque built on Ground Zero would foster goodwill?

Even more inexplicable than the foregoing is the Community Board voting 29-1 in favor of it. What the hell is a “Community Board” anyway, and who makes up the esteemed Board?

The board has no official say over whether the estimated $100 million mosque and community center gets built. But the panel’s support, or lack of it, is considered important in influencing public opinion.

Oh.  Is this just a New York thing?  Boards with no authority being created in order to vote on important issues that cause near riots?  It would seem that the smartest thing to do would be to simply say “no” to the mosque, and build a permanent memorial.  But what do I know?