And El-Gamal loses his cool, which seems to happen an awful lot, in a pattern going back many years.
Gamal was apparently caught off-guard here, and clearly acted as though he had something to hide. "Mosque Meeting in Disarray," by Sumathi Reddy for the Wall Street Journal, August 28 (thanks to all who sent this in):
The developer of the proposed mosque and cultural center near Ground Zero began fund raising for the controversial project Friday, collecting $10,000 in pledges following a well-attended prayer service at the downtown site.
"We've established a not-for-profit entity as of this week and as of now we are able to start fund raising and start collecting money on behalf of the project," said Sharif El-Gamal, head of SoHo Properties, following Friday's service.
The abrupt fund-raising effort followed religious services Friday and came at the end of a muddled event that drew a media mob, police officers and sign-wielding protesters and supporters to the site.
Mr. El-Gamal pleaded with the worshipers leaving the Park51 center for funds for the $100 million project. "Who's going to be the first person that's going to pledge 5,000 dollars? Don't be shy," he intoned. Invoking Muslims' holy fasting month of Ramadan, he added, "This is the month of giving."
As hands went up, he continued, sprinkling in Arabic phrases in his pleas. "We have real-estate taxes, we have electricity, we have inspections," he said. "We haven't even bought this building yet. We need everybody's help in what we're trying to do."
Mr. El-Gamal also urged members to volunteer their time if they couldn't offer money, saying different advisory committees would be announced on the website in coming days.
"I know nobody's going out to lunch after this so we can talk about it," he said. "Let's talk about it until we get 10,000 dollars." Within five minutes, he had raised $10,000 in promised funds. It was unclear if or when he was collecting the money. He advised everyone leaving the service to not talk to any media.
Oz Sultan, who handles media relations for Park51, said the center's fund-raising strategy would be developed within 45 to 60 days.
Imam Abdallah Adhami, a religious legal adviser and founder of the Sakeenah Foundation, was invited to preside over Friday's services at Park51. Representatives for Mr. Adhami had invited the press to attend the service. But Mr. El-Gamal and a representative for Mr. Adhami openly clashed as Mr. El-Gamal said he didn't want the media there.
There's a spectacular start to transparent fundraising.
"She does not work here," the developer told security officers at the mosque, referring to Mr. Adhami's representative.
"We feel betrayed about what's happened here," a news anchor said to Mr. El-Gamal.
"We feel very betrayed about what's happening in the press," he snapped back.
In a statement, Park51 apologized for the confusion at Friday's prayer service, saying the group normally allows visiting imams to invite one or two media members but that an outside consultant for Mr. Adhami had sent the invitation to a larger group.
Mr. Adhami said he consulted with Mr. El-Gamal last week and that this was his first visit to the mosque. "There's a serious disconnect among the various people involved," he said. "That's clear to anybody."
Mr. Adhami also indicated that fund raising after a religious service didn't appear appropriate to him. "It's not very dignified," he said.
Where Park51 will get the funds to construct a mosque and massive community center has become an issued raised by some elected officials.
Park51's partner, the Cordoba Initiative, has said that they haven't yet raised any money for the center but wouldn't rule out accepting foreign funds. The organizers have also insisted that they won't accept money from anyone with anti-American views or agendas and would be careful about which donations they can accept.
No worries: they say they'll be careful!
Did anyone see El Gamal's Taqiyya on US TV where he said something like "We won't accept donations from Iran,from Hamas or from any organisation that promotes extremism." The uninitiated in the ways of Taqiyya might read from that that he thinks Hamas and Iran promote extremism and that's why he won't accept donations from them. Of course another reading is "We won't take donations from Iran or Hamas because the heat is on us. We won't take any money from any extremist organisations...whoever they may be. We'll just take money from Wahaabi Sheikhs and the like."
Is El Gamal Egyptian in origin by the way?
And what is the Sakeenah Foundation? So many of these shadowy foundations! And let's not forget IRan has huge state funded "charities" operating around the world.
If only it were a confederacy of dunces. But it's not. It's a confederacy of enablers of evil (who arguably are also dunces). And with each passing week more and more Americans are catching on. Good.
Expose Mo's creed to sunshine and then clarity in assessing Islam by most non-Muslims will occur (those making up the Far Left, of course, are the most notable exception). Islam can only succeed by stealth. It dare not reveal to a free people what it holds to be true and what it intends.
They need to put quotes around the word prayer whenever it's used regarding one of the "world's great religions" because when Muslims pray it's no more heard nor holy than when a drunkard bows and begins "praying to the porcelain gods."
Prayer suggests a diety listening somewhere. There is no god in Islam. They may as well howl at the moon.
Oh Allah, may our donations be fruitful. May we build our glorious monument to honor the "Magnificent 19" who attained martyrdom here. May we clean our shoes of the dust of kaffir who still burn in hellfire may they know Islam prevails. Thank-you for creating this land, America, where we can use their freedoms to impose our Sharia, and be oblivious to the irony.
"Mr. Adhami also indicated that fund raising after a religious service didn't appear appropriate to him. 'It's not very dignified,' he said."
El Kabong is such a creep he even pisses-off his fellow muslims--imams, no less!
I love it when muslims fight...
even to the un initiated, casual news reader, this mosque is now front line.
again even to the un initiated, discrepances/black holes about, its funding to the most mundane stink like last months fish leftovers.
i tend to concur, that this will have repercussions, in the public psyche, long after this, sad debacle is,(hopefully)put to bed.
robert/pamela have, and will continue to do stirling work, on it, i feel it is now that is a pivotal point, to kick the
mc/pc manipulators into touch, and face the facts.
For the deceivers/shills at CAIR, at Council for muslim advancement/M.public affairs cmtee/ in the UK. M.C.B, all chest inflating nonsense names, that are there to create division. To drive a wedge, to differentiate, to create a protected class, (for what the vast majority find abhorrent, and retrograde cultural/religious practices).
there is NO need for advance dialogue??....for discussion??....for er! critical discourse,(sorry i always laugh at that one)
when the plain fact is, all muslims,(not some).
ADAPT to the BRITISH WAY of life, or THE U.S., or any other EUROPEAN/ASIAN country....thats it, or simply don t come.
yes that unthinkable premise, stay away, in their , morally bereft,intellectually backward, little places, thats it.
Yes that it, adapt, because people are waking up, things can change quickly with todays media.
people don t need much to kick back against intolerance, you know the GENUINE sort like.
Intolerance of apostates,
their intolerance of freedom of expression,
and freedom of speech,
their intolerance of minorities,
other religious minorities,
sexual minorities,
their intolerance of gays,
their dislike and distrust of half of the population; women. And many, many other things.
And the call, what’s more, for a parallel legal system within US, Brtain and European societies. This is monstrous, no other group behaves like this, asks for parallel laws.
What other organisation, what other religion tries to blackmail the US, British state like this?
Does any other minority in Europe behave like this? No, none.
And the call, what’s more, for a parallel legal system within US, Britain and European societies.
This is unacceptable and monstrous, no other group behaves like this, asks for parallel laws.
they must, have to adapt, or face the fact that intolerance
can be a bitter bitter pill.
He probably didn't want the reporter there because she was female, not because she was the press.
I think of a pastor, gently reminding his flock of the mortgage for the property under their feet, and to give generously. That is the height of the requests for building support you might hear on any given Sunday.
But a real estate developer? Prostitute frequenter? Near-felon? Asking money of parishioners? I could have sworn Daisy Khan was saying how so many of the masjid attendees are street cart vendors.
If they wanted to support a masjid, what about Masjid Manhattan, that somehow (can we look into that please) "lost its lease when the building got sold" and whose members are gathering in a glorified alley with a roof. From some of the pictures it might be worth a call to the fire marshal five times a day.
OT, I am thankful that IE and Firefox both consider "masjid" to be an unknown word, worthy of underlining in "huh?" red.
@Xero G
your prayer shall not be heard;it is offered to something which does not exist
strange, it is, that you do not ask [it] for help...it's all up to you
you seem to know about hell. best check the bottoms of your sandals, cause what you've been walking in isn't dust
@Xero G [try2]
your prayer shall not be heard;what you pray to does not exist
strange, it is, that you don't petition [it] to assist. you'll need it
best check your own sandals. what you've been walking in isn't dust, but it is deep
Boakai Ngombu wrote, responding to Xero G:
your prayer shall not be heard;it is offered to something which does not exist
...................
Boakai, Xero G used to post here quite regularly a few years ago—he is one one of the good guys. I believe his post above was written with tongue firmly in cheek.
I believe you are correct in that assumption, "undaunted".
There is no god called Allah.
It is nothing more than SIN, the moon god that rules the night.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-GOt3df8-8
BTW. SIN was a perfect name for it.
Xero G.
Pray to your black rock.
Go and kiss it. Kiss the black vagina of the Kaaba.
Perhaps your prayers will be answered. LMAO
Maybe even a jinn will answer your prayers.
You people are so naive. It's beyond ludicrous.
thanks for the caution, gravenimage
@ gravenimage, & boakai
Hey, I guess if I need to explain it, it wasn't a good satire. Yes tongue firmly in cheek, and thanks gravenimage for remembering some of my posts a few years back. I'm dusting off my typing fingers again.