By Yepoka Yeebo
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN — The imam behind the plans to build a mosque near Ground Zero is set to go on a State Department-funded tour of the Middle East.
Feisal Abdul Rauf is going on the tour, which includes stops in Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Dubai, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, to foster "greater understanding" about Islam and Muslim communities in the U.S., the State Department told the New York Post.
"He is a distinguished Muslim cleric," State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley told the Post.
"I think we are in the process of arranging for him to travel as part of this program, and it is to foster a greater understanding about the region around the world among Muslim-majority communities."
Crowley stressed that there would be no fundraising for the proposed mosque and cultural center during the trip. Funds for the mosque will come from muslims and the congregation, Abdul Rauf said.
