Should President Obama Have Commented on the Ground Zero Mosque Plan?
"World News" wants to know what you think. Share your comments below.
Aug. 16, 2010— -- President Obama entered the controversy over the Ground Zero mosque this weekend, first seeming to endorse the project before later backtracking.
During a White House dinner Friday night marking the start of the Muslim holiday of Ramadan, President Obama said "Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as anyone else in this country. That includes the right to build a place of worship and a community center on private property in Lower Manhattan, in accordance with local laws and ordinances."
The next day, though, Obama appeared to backtrack on his comments.
"I was not commenting and I will not comment on the wisdom of making the decision to put a mosque there," the president said Saturday.
Polling shows that while more than 60 percent of Americans think the plan to build a mosque near Ground Zero is wrong, more than 60 percent of Americans also think the Muslim group has the right to build the mosque if it chooses, according to a poll from Fox News-Opinion Dynamics.
The president's comments reignited the firestorm surrounding the mosque plan, drawing mixed opinions from politicians and from 9/11 family members.
Our question to you today: Should the president have commented on the Ground Zero mosque plans?