New York:
One of the developers of the proposed mosque near Ground Zero, that has evoked extreme reactions from New Yorkers, has said that her life and that of the project's spearhead Imam Rauf is under threat.
"For the record, my life is under threat," said Daisy Khan, the co-developer and wife of Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, who is spearheading the controversial project.
"My husband's life is under threat," Khan said on ABC's 'This Week'. However, she did not indicate the source of the threat.
The plan to build an Islamic Centre and mosque near the site of the fallen twin towers has been the cause of heated debate for several months.
Till now, polls have indicated that a majority of New Yorkers are against constructing the community centre on that spot.
The project has also provoked extreme reactions from certain groups like Pastor Terry Jones of Florida, who planned to burn the Holy Quran at his church in Florida on 9/11 but then eventually did not go through with it.
At one point, the mosque developers even indicated that they might consider changing the location if the tensions worsened.
Some new images of the proposed Islamic Centre made public by the developers show a giant, futuristic building, the NY Daily News said.
"I don't think that once this thing gets built, anyone will be picketing," said Sharif El-Gamal, another developer. "We want to have a marriage between Islamic architecture and New York City. We want to do something that is green and cool".
While the praying space will be on two levels in the basement, the building would also house a fitness centre, a swimming pool, a child care centre, a culinary school, and an auditorium.