The developers behind the proposed mosque and cultural center near Ground Zero are blasting a $350 million lawsuit filed by a 9/11 first responder as “blind bigotry.”
Vincent Forras, a former volunteer firefighter from Westchester, has suedImam Feisal Abdul RaufandPark51-- the complex that includes the mosque -- charging that they’re fronts for “interests tied to terrorism.”
Forras says he deserves to be compensated for the “psychological terrorism” and emotional distress he suffered when he learned of the mosque plans.
He calls the development a “monument to the jihadists’ victory over American ideals of freedom and democracy, [and] a desecration of the terrible sacrifice made by those innocents attacked.”
He also is seeking class-action status for the suit.
In a countersuit, Rauf and Park51 seek to dismiss the filing as a publicity stunt motivated by “blind bigotry.”
They are also seeking $50,000 in damages and lawyers’ fees.
The attorney representing the developers, Adam Leitman Bailey, is seeking to have Foras’ lawsuit dismissed based on the constitutional right to freedom of religion.