The "Ground Zero" Mosque Will Never be Built--For Totally Non-Political Reasons

By Barry Rubin
Readers of my column know that I have written repeatedly that the "Ground Zero" mosque would never be built for reasons having nothing to do with politics. The main financiers and the imam have gotten into one legal problem after another and Allstate Insurance Company is now launching a major lawsuit </a>for fraud against one of them.

From the start, it seemed to me that the whole project was designed as something of a scam by shady characters to get lots of money from the contributions of the Saudis and others. In other words, the controversial and triumphalist aspects of the mosque were a public relations' scheme designed to win millions of dollars from the Muslim-majority world's millionaires. When the money didn't materialize--the controversy didn't help matters--the whole thing fell apart.

And now a word from our sponsor: The "Ground Zero" mosque hoped for millions of dollars in Saudi and other oil money. We don't have the Saudis or George Soros, but the GLORIA Center is going to give you more accurate news and analysis on the Middle East than anything funded by them. So please give a donation, no matter how small, and it's tax-deductible in the US! Tax-deductible donation by PayPal or credit card: click Donate button: http://www.rubinreports.blogspot.com. Checks: "American Friends of IDC.” “For GLORIA Center” on memo line. Mail: American Friends of IDC, 116 East 16th St., 11th Fl., NY, NY 10003.

Read the whole article:
http://pajamasmedia.com/barryrubin/2011/08/28/the-ground-zero-mosque-will-never-be-built-for-totally-non-political-reasons/