New York: A Hamas leader said that Muslims "have to build" a mosque near ground zero.
Mahmoud Al Zahar said Muslims "have to build everywhere" so that followers can pray, just like Christians and Jews build their places of worship.
Al Zahar spoke on Sunday on Aaron Klein Investigative Radio on WABC-AM. He is a co-founder of Hamas and its chief on the Gaza Strip.
Senator Chuck Schumer said that Al Zahar's comments don't carry any weight because Hamas is a terrorist organization. Schumer hasn't taken a stand on the mosque.
Representative Peter King, who opposes the mosque, said he won't respond to Hamas.
The mosque is a project of the Cordoba Initiative, an advocacy group that promotes improved relations between Islam and the West. It didn't respond to Al Zahar's comments.
