Some 9/11 families protest as mosque planned near ground zero wins key endorsement

Mosque going up in NYC building damaged on 9/11

NEW YORK — A mosque and cultural center is planned near the World Trade Center site in a building damaged by airplane debris on Sept. 11.

A lower Manhattan community board committee said Wednesday that it supported the $100 million project. It is aimed at creating a space for the neighborhood’s growing Muslim population.

Supporters say the history associated with the damaged former department store was one reason to pick it. But some 9/11 victims’ families say the idea offends them.

Massapequa (mass-uh-PEE’-kwuh) resident Rosemary Cain lost a son on 9/11 and calls the plan “despicable.”

Two advocacy groups say the project would help improve relations between Muslims and the West.