Photo Gallery Praying to Allah at Ground Zero
This building near Ground Zero in New York used to house the Burlington Coat Factory. Now, Muslims gather there for prayer. The site may soon become an Islamic cultural center.
Just a few steps away, the World Trade Center once stood. On Sept. 11, 2001, the landing gear of one of the planes which flew into the WTC landed on the building which now houses the mosque. The attack killed 2,751 people.
The shop was not yet open when the first plane slammed into the World Trade Center. Nobody was hurt inside. But the Burlington Coat Factory moved out soon afterwards and it has been empty ever since.
The building is still in disastrous shape. Leftovers from when it was a retail space can be seen everywhere. But now, the shoes of the faithful are neatly stowed in shelves outside the prayer room.
The prayer room belongs to a mosque in nearby Tribeca. Because the mosque is full to overflowing on most Fridays, they began looking for a second space -- and found it near Ground Zero.
New York has one of the most diverse populations of Muslims in the world, second only to Mecca. Dozens show up on Fridays, some wearing nice suits, others blue jeans.
The prayer room is flanked by an Irish pub and an Amish supermarket. Just down the street is the Museum of Jewish Heritage and around the corner stands St. Peter's Church, the oldest Catholic house of worship in the city.
"This place has such wonderful potential," says Imam Faiz Khan, a physician from Long Island. "New York can be a place of healing."
In his sermon Khan talks about forgiveness and redemption and the dangers of religious fanatism. He warns of the "contamination" brought on by "sabotage, pride, vanity, egotism" and other character shortcomings. "There is no such thing as fighting over religion," he says. "We have respect for all creation," including "Jews, Christians and Muslims."
"Only in New York City is this possible," Daisy Khan, executive director of the American Society for Muslim Advancement (ASMA), told SPIEGEL ONLINE.
