Speaking on July 12, 2005 at the Bob Hawke Prime Ministerial Centre in Australia, Rauf delivered a few choice soundbites that belie his moderate image and raise questions about what the mega-mosque will really be standing for once it is up and running in Lower Manhattan.
Here’s Rauf saying the U.S. is worse than al Qaeda:
'We tend to forget, in the West, that the United States has more Muslim blood on its hands than al Qaeda has on its hands of innocent non-Muslims. You may remember that the U.S.-led sanctions against Iraq led to the death of over half a million Iraqi children. This has been documented by the United Nations. And when Madeleine Albright, who has become a friend of mine over the last couple of years, when she was secretary of State and was asked whether this was worth it, said it was worth it.'
