New York mosque near Sept 11 site wins approval

A New York city agency denied 'landmark' status for an old building near the site of the Sept. 11 attacks, clearing the way for the building to be torn down to make room for a Muslim cultural center which has spurred heated debate.                                           

The decision by the City Landmarks Commission on Tuesdayallows for the demolition of a building near where the World Trade Center's Twin Towers stood and paves the way for construction of the Cordoba House, which will include a prayer room and a 500-seat auditorium as part of a 13-story cultural complex.                                           

The project, which includes a mosque, drew emotional opposition from protestors who called the location inappropriate and insensitive in a city still grappling with how to commemorate the attacks carried out by Islamic militants.