The Ground Zero Mosque is Symbolic of what makes the NYC Real Estate Market So Strong

Michael Bloomberg’s remarks on the Lower Manhattan Mosque reminds us of how our great city is made up of and built by people of all religions and origins. Whether it is Middle Eastern investors paying huge prices for our iconic buildings, or religious groups spending hundreds of millions of dollars to build religious and cultural centers, we all benefit; jobs are created and real estate values increase.

Here are some quotes from Bloomberg’s speech that eloquently sum up this historic day for our city:

“We honor America’s core principles and the heroes of 9/11 by defending freedom of religion”

“Our doors are open to everyone – everyone with a dream and a willingness to work hard and play by the rules. New York City was built by immigrants, and it is sustained by immigrants – by people from more than a hundred different countries speaking more than two hundred different languages and professing every faith. And whether your parents were born here, or you came yesterday, you are a New Yorker.”

“We have come here to Governors Island to stand where the earliest settlers first set foot in New Amsterdam, and where the seeds of religious tolerance were first planted. We’ve come here to see the inspiring symbol of liberty that, more than 250 years later, would greet millions of immigrants in the harbor, and we come here to state as strongly as ever – this is the freest City in the world. That’s what makes New York special and different and strong.”