Voting Station

Feisal Abdul Rauf

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Religious Figure

The Resume

    (1948- )
    Born in Kuwait
    Iman of Masjid al-Farah, a mosque in New York City
    Wrote 'Quran for Children' (1985) and 'What's Right with Islam Is What's Right with America' (2005)
    Founded the American Society for Muslim Advancement (1997) and the Cordoba Initiative (2003)
    Sponsor of Park51 aka Cordoba House aka 'the Ground Zero mosque'

Why he might be annoying:

    He owns apartment buildings in New Jersey that have been repeatedly cited for health violations, including rat and bedbug infestations.
    In a post-9/11 interview with 60 Minutes, he said, 'I wouldn't say that the United States deserved what happened. But the United States' policies were an accessory to the crime that happened.'
    In an interview with WABC radio, he refused to say if he agreed with the State Department's designation of Hamas as a terrorist group.
    He said Western-Islamic relations will never improve until the American President apologizes to the Muslim world for backing Middle Eastern dictators.
    Critics feel that opening a mosque two blocks from Ground Zero is insensitive to the families of 9/11 victims.

Why he might not be annoying:

    He later said the 'accessory to the crime' comment was a reference to CIA funding during the Cold War of Mujahedeen groups that evolved into the Taliban.
    In a CNN interview he said, 'I condemn everyone and anyone who commits acts of terrorism, and Hamas has committed acts of terrorism.'
    He has won awards from the Alliance for International Conflict Prevention and Resolution and the Interfaith Center of New York for promoting Muslim-Christian dialogue.
    Asked about the Cordoba House controversy, he said, 'If I knew this would happen, this would cause this kind of pain, I wouldn't have done it. My life has been devoted to peacemaking.'

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 210 Votes: 65.24% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 87 Votes: 42.53% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 13 Votes: 84.62% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 179 Votes: 50.84% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 460 Votes: 64.13% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 355 Votes: 61.69% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 182 Votes: 81.87% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 237 Votes: 58.65% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 166 Votes: 68.67% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 443 Votes: 59.59% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 438 Votes: 65.98% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 673 Votes: 80.98% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 716 Votes: 84.50% Annoying
    In 2010, Out of 450 Votes: 70.44% Annoying