Umm… let’s be fair to Koch, shall we?

In a phone interview this afternoon, Koch said: “From the very inception of this controversy, I have said that every religious institution is to be treated equally. And if a church or a synagogue could be situated on that plot of land, then a mosque can as well. I understand the anger of the survivors and the relatives of those who died, but there is a United States Constitution, which guarantees equality for all religions.” Koch cited the historical intolerance against Catholics and Jews in the United States.

“There is no room for discussion” on the legal question, Koch told me. “It’s insensitive for those who have suffered loss and object, but the people who want to build the mosque have that right and nobody should stand in the way legally—stand in the way seeking to stop them legally.”