Mosque backers considering new plan

NEW YORK, March 30 (UPI) -- Backers of New York's Ground Zero mosque said they are considering a larger project that might be located at the current site or elsewhere in the neighborhood.

Executive Director Daisy Khan of the American Society for Muslim Advancement told The New York Times she and her husband are exploring establishment of an interfaith cultural center that is larger in concept than what was originally proposed.

Khan and her husband, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, curtailed their original plans for 51 Park Place after a falling out with their real estate partner, Sharif el-Gamal.

Khan said the new project would be interfaith in character rather than predominantly Islamic and would include a center for inter-religious conflict resolution.

"Once we are ready to announce our new vision, we will talk to the property owner and see if it is the right location for us," she said.

A spokesman for Gamal said he had no comment, the Times reported Wednesday.