PARK 51 Group Exploits 911 Victim Grief

the 911 families who spoke out: Members of "9/11 Parents and Families of Firefighters and WTC Victims" and " Advocates for a 9/11 Fallen Heroes Memorial" are shocked and appalled that a play, Performing Tribute which is closely identified and aligned with the "September 11th Families' Association Tribute WTC Visitor Center" is now being promoted and presented by Daisy Kahn. The play will be performed at an Interfaith Center located at the address of the Cordoba Initiative & ASMA offices, 475 Riverside Drive, NYC, on Wednesday, March 2nd, at 6:30PM.

Ms. Kahn and The Cordoba Initiative are the driving force behind the renamed "Park 51" cultural center and mosque project which has been the focus of great consternation and grief for many 9/11 family members. Uniformed and civilian family members have asked Cordoba for tolerance, understanding and sensitivity to the feelings of the majority of families who are deeply offended by the thought of a mosque and cultural center at this site. FDNY, NYPD and civilian family members have joined thousands of others to demonstrate against building this structure so close to the sacred ground of the WTC site.

Our family members will not allow the memory of the lives and deaths of their loved ones to be used as a tool for the Cordoba Initiative. To use this play to imply a "dialogue with 9/11 families" as a basis for obtaining funding from the LMDC and other sources across the country for an Islamic center at GZ, is a disingenuous travesty.

The vast majority of 9/11 family members oppose this building. We will continue to speak out to oppose the co opting of the narrative of 9/11 by self serving individuals and groups. We will not allow the story of 9/11 and the lives and deaths of our loved ones to be hijacked for the shameless self promotion of those individuals and groups whose goal is to build an Islamic center and mosque near the sacred ground.

The memory of our loved ones, who lived and died for this country on 9/11, deserves nothing less.

*Family members will attend this play and will be available to discuss their viewpoints before and after the performance .

www.performingtribute.com