A woman posed for a souvenir photo at the site of the controversial planned Islamic cultural and community center on Park Place in Lower Manhattan. With the project having exploded into a highly charged international story, the site is a magnet for supporters and critics alike. Rallies pro and con are planned at the site on Saturday, the ninth anniversary of the 9/11 World Trade Center terrorist attack. Mayor Bloomberg, who has championed the Islamic center, also came out on Wednesday in support of a Florida pastor’s right to hold a Koran-burning protest this Saturday. The mayor said the book burning, though “distasteful,” is protected by the First Amendment; Angelina Jolie, on the other hand, has condemned it.
