Judge nixes firefighter’s suit to block NYC mosque

Remember last summer's raging controversy over a proposed mosque in lower Manhattan?

Well, ex-firefighter Timothy Brown certainly does--he's been locked in a court battle to block the mosque's construction ever since. Brown argued that the 150-year-old building on Park Place that will be knocked down to make way for Park51 should have been declared a landmark, and preserved by the city.

Like many opponents of the mosque--which is part of a proposed Muslim cultural complex called Park51--Brown argued that it would be too close to the site of the Sept. 11 attacks. Park51's supporters said that they are promoting a mainstream brand of Islam that has nothing to do with the radical and violent views of the hijackers--and that the furor over the project represented a wider trend of anti-Muslim sentiment in the country.

For now, the controversial plan to build Park51 is back on track, at least so far as the courts are concerned. The New York Times reports that Justice Paul G. Feinman of Manhattan's State Supreme Court ruled Friday that Brown has no legal standing to make his claim, and tossed his suit.

The judge's decision means the Islamic Center faces no more legal challenges, but the paper points out that Park51's developer has conceded he hasn't raised much of the $100 million needed to finance the building.