By Adam Nichols
DNAinfo News Editor
MANHATTAN — A summit of Islamic groups is being held Sunday to discuss anti-Muslim sentiment sparked by the Ground Zero mosque debate.
Groups from across the U.S. are meeting at a hotel near Kennedy Airport to discuss the Islamic center, and the recent surge in bigotry that surrounds it.
Organizers said the backlash against Muslims has actually bolstered support for the controversial development.
"Once it became a rallying cry for extremists, we had no choice but to stand with Feisal (Abdul) Rauf," Shaik Ubaid, the head of the Islamic Leadership Council of Metropolitan New York, told the Associated Press.
Rauf is the imam overseeing the development of the building on Park Place, two blocks from Ground Zero.
Shahed Amanullah, who edits several Muslim websites, said, "I think most Muslims outside New York City are more concerned about the backlash than the actual center, which most of them will never directly benefit from."
