Gingrich Comes Out Against Mosque Near Ground Zero
Tuesday, Aug 17, 2010 | Updated 4:05 PM EDT
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Newt Gingrich
Newt Gingrich says he's opposed to a planned mosque near ground zero in New York City.
The former House speaker and possible 2012 Republican presidential candidate posted a statement on his website Wednesday, saying there should be no Muslim house of worship at the site of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.
Three thousand people died that day at the hands of what Gingrich called "jihadists."
Gingrich is just the latest national Republican leader to speak out against the mosque. Former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin announced her opposition last Sunday, calling the project an unnecessary provocation.
The mosque is a project of the nonprofit Cordoba Initiative, which claims to promote understanding between Islam and the west.
A community board overwhelmingly voted to back the project last spring.
