Donald Trump Offers to Buy NYC Mosque Site

Trump spoke with CNN’s Anderson Cooper yesterday about the progress at the former World Trade Center site and his recent proposal to buy the space where the Park51 Islamic community center is in development at a higher price, in order to end what he called a “highly divisive situation.” Despite sharp words from the group developing the project that Trump was out for publicity, he says the offer still stands and that he would gladly lose some income to help alleviate the problem.

Trump is very suspicious of why his offer isn’t being accepted, however. Noting that, in talking to the powers-that-be at the center, they told him that “the people [they] bought it from were stupid” and that they got a fair price and were getting higher offers than Trump’s, he suspected that the group was “holding out” for more money. “I believe that he is using this building as a way to sell it for a lot of money, and he is using religion as a way to get a better price and I don’t like it,” he told Cooper.

He also expressed his frustration with the Ground Zero project– both the choice of architecture meant to be placed there and how slowly development is moving. There’s a lot of incompetence involved,” he stressed, “a lot of incompetence, gross incompetence.”

According to the video, the Iman paid 4.8 Million dollars for the property, and told Trump he would sell it for 20 Million. Trump offered him 25% above his purchase price, but he refused this offer.

This is the link to the article and Anderson Cooper's interview with Donald Trump.
I'm not interested in hosting a hate thread, but I thought this was an interesting little tidbit, with perhaps a debatable perspective.
Link to vid: www.mediaite.com...

If they sell it, it should be interesting. First, so how much is their land worth....i.e., how hard can I screw someone to not build a mosque here, you know, kind of like kidnapping. Secondly, if he sold it for $100,000,000, it would only be because racist islamophobes made him, that way he's still a victim. Thirdly, since he said that stopping it or moving it would result in people coming here and bombing us, what happens to that extortionist threat at that point? He's no better than the preacher everyone is so upset with.......in fact he's worse, the preacher didn't threaten violence. Oh well, I'm sure Obama can help him set a price, he's good at real estate deals as I recall.

Imam is an IDIOT! He should have sold it and made an extra million for himself, although the site is sacred because part of plane 2 hit that location, its like a treasure for the islamic community to own their very own part of 9/11. this is just gross!

Another perspective:

The developer, Hisham Elzanaty, rejected Trump’s purchase offer, made “as a resident of New York and a citizen of the United States,” with his attorney saying, the offer is “just a cheap attempt to get publicity and get in the limelight.”

With Trump, you never know what his true intentions are, although this is a little off the beaten path for him. It's really not prime Manhattan real estate.

He is quite the ham, and could conceivably be doing this to get in the limelight. He seems to enjoy it, and certainly has never tried to conceal the fact that's he's all about the money.

Here is an interesting interview Trump did with MSNBC's Morning Joe panel. These people are clueless.

Trump to MSNBC’s Mika: ‘You're going to have riots in the streets’ Video

reply to post by ljtg123


Thanks for the link, 87 viewers! lol.

But what do you guys think? Is the Iman looking to turn a profit, or is Trump lying?

I think this is interesting, and I am rather taken aback that Elzanaty has stated he is interested in making a profit on this property. So, maybe the primary goal, was, after all, money?

It's unclear how much control Elzanaty has over the property, which is owned by an eight-member investment group led by Soho Properties.

A spokesman for Soho Properties general manager Sharif El-Gamal and his nonprofit group, Park51, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday. Earlier in the day, the organization sent a statement to The Associated Press affirming that Soho Properties controlled the real estate and that Elzanaty was one of several investors.

El-Gamal and other people associated with the Islamic center have refused to detail the ownership structure of the real estate partnership that holds the site.

Elzanaty's lawyer did not immediately return a phone message Thursday. But in a pair of interviews with the AP this week, Elzanaty said he had invested in the site with an intention of making a profit and was willing to sell some of it for private development. He also said he supported building a mosque on at least part of the property.

Source:www.npr.org...

Any thoughts about this, anyone?

reply to post by ladyinwaiting

I am guessing it didn't start out that way, by over pricing the property I think they are making it unsalable. If someone feels strongly enough they will pay a ridiculous price, Trump offered a fair price and it was countered with a what, 16 million dollar raise or something like that? I am guessing it will get built, there will be some protests, then the media will forget it and so will we.

(ChattahBox US News)—The “Donald” gave a telephone interview on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, to talk about his rejected offer to purchase the so-called “Ground Zero Mosque” property in Lower Manhattan. According to Donald Trump, the developer holding the major interest in the Park51 property is just out to make money, by benefiting from the anti-Islam fervor that has surrounded the proposed building of the Islamic community center. .........
Trump also said that the condition attached to his purchase offer, that the Mosque be moved “at least five blocks further from the World Trade Center site,” was a brilliant “psychological” move. Building the Islamic community center five blocks away instead of two and a half blocks, would eliminate the divisive Islamophobia that has taken hold of our country reasoned Trump.

Hm. Donnie has all our best interests at heart.

Source: chattahbox.com...

Originally posted by ladyinwaiting
reply to post by ljtg123

 

Thanks for the link, 87 viewers! lol.

But what do you guys think? Is the Iman looking to turn a profit, or is Trump lying?

Both are looking to turn a profit, it seems to be a popular spot and publicity helps to raise the price, but yes its a profit thing, that's why there there and on the news....taking advantage of a trend. If there lucky it will become a landmark sort of thing, then it will sell for a lot more. The question is who owned that perticular spot before all this happened?...Or a even better question, does anybody really care or is it all hyped ?

reply to post by galadofwarthethird

publicity helps to raise the price, but yes its a profit thing, that's why there there and on the news....taking advantage of a trend. If there lucky it will become a landmark sort of thing, then it will sell for a lot more

I didn't think about this. I suppose all the notoriety will bump the value of this real estate. It might be why Trump wants it.........to improve it, and resale it for yet another profit. It does appear, however, that this deal will not happen.

I found this from one of the above links, about the current ownership of the property:

It's unclear how much control Elzanaty has over the property, which is owned by an eight-member investment group led by Soho Properties.

A spokesman for Soho Properties general manager Sharif El-Gamal and his nonprofit group, Park51, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday. Earlier in the day, the organization sent a statement to The Associated Press affirming that Soho Properties controlled the real estate and that Elzanaty was one of several investors.

El-Gamal and other people associated with the Islamic center have refused to detail the ownership structure of the real estate partnership that holds the site.

reply to post by ladyinwaiting


When anyone refuses to say who ownes that plot of land, its just silly, my quess, the same people who had a stake in the area becoming more popular....And I would also guess this trump knows them and is part of the deal. I think they are trying to bring up the price around that whole area before selling it, then when the peoples remember there is nothing special about living there, they will buy it back and with the extra they made to build some more of those tall and not very safe when the earthquakes hit, and funny looking buildings, there by bringing it's price up again. Probably the saudi's since there spokesman is named Sharif El-Gamal. Even the tv stations that cry against muslims building there are mostly owned by rich soudies a shiek or two. It seems all propaganda to me, there is nothing special about that perticular area, just using the machine to hype it up. I think this strategy, it failed in dubai, with those expensive buildings they build, which no one other then some rich dudes want to go to... and in the end they need to go to were the most commerce happens the nexus were all meet rich and poor ie the states . The dessert rats are leaving the desert....because in the end the sand will win. And offcourse the desert god and the followers will still reside there... the extremists will win there, because in extreme conditions only the extreme can survive.... And the too rich are lukewarm and dont like extreme conditions.

Originally posted by galadofwarthethird
Probably the saudi's since there spokesman is named Sharif El-Gamal.

I just want to point out that El-Gamal is the Brooklyn-born son of an Egyptian father and a Polish Catholic mother.

Personally, I think the Trump offer is just hot air. He loves him some publicity, and can't seem to keep his hands out of a NYC development controversy.

Originally posted by americandingbat

Originally posted by galadofwarthethird
Probably the saudi's since there spokesman is named Sharif El-Gamal.

I just want to point out that El-Gamal is the Brooklyn-born son of an Egyptian father and a Polish Catholic mother.

Personally, I think the Trump offer is just hot air. He loves him some publicity, and can't seem to keep his hands out of a NYC development controversy.

Either way sounds like the land around there is owned ultimately by the soudies, since they can afford it. And ya it makes sense to hire a local to represent them....I still think it's all hype...selling property is like selling a big money boxing fight, there is always a reason why you should buy, its the moment of a lifetime and all that....this trump sounds like he works for them, or at least is trying to get in on whatever deals they make.