[BwayDems] A Letter from Sharif El-Gamal & Park51 - Thank You for Your Support

[Paula Diamond Roman]

As we begin the New Year and in dedication to Martin Luther King day, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to all of you for supporting Park51, the proposed Community Center in lower Manhattan.  We are deeply humbled by the efforts of everyone who donated their time and expertise to our project during the past few months.

 No one could deny that 2010 was a challenging year for Park51, with the  political firestorm that emerged after our effort to reach out to the Community Board last May. However, thanks to all of your invaluable  support, we emerge from this crisis not only stronger, but wiser; and with the resolve to make our dream a reality.

A  thousand and one thanks to the many thoughtful columnists, anchormen and  women; to New York City Council members, Community Board and Landmarks  Commission members; to New York State senators, Mayor Bloomberg, then-Attorney General (now Governor) Andrew Cuomo and, last but not least, President Barack Obama. We are also profoundly grateful to the major  Muslim-American leaders as well as the interfaith and cultural organizations that give us their unconditional support, not to mention the countless ways in which regular citizens lent their mind and voices to support what they know is right. Many of these groups and  individuals are listed on our website.  

Even with these powerful milestones behind us, we still have much work to do. Today, we launch our new website, with the latest information on our organization. Also, we are honored to announce a new senior adviser to the project, Sheikh Abdullah Adhami.  Imam Adhami will join Imam Feisal and other New York Imams soon to be appointed, who will help Park51 create a robust and dynamic religious and interfaith component.  For more information, please see this press release.

In the upcoming weeks, we will announce new members of the Board and launch our formal fundraising campaign. Raising the necessary funds may take two or three years but, in the interim, we will provide a range  of family-oriented services and programs at our current site. I  encourage you to stay involved with these efforts and make full use of  them.  I also encourage you to visit us online to engage with us and  continue the conversation.







This community center belongs to America, it belongs to New York, and it belongs to you.


Sincerely,

Sharif El-Gamal

Park51













 





 





 





 








Links

Park51 Blog
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