'Ground Zero Mosque' Imam Plans U.S. Tour

Will this still stir controversy without an election going on? Feisal Abdul Rauf, the imam whose plans to build an Islamic center and a mosque two blocks from ground zero stirred controversy across the U.S. in the months before the 2010 midterm elections, has announced a speaking tour of American cities in order to promote the Park51 project, which came under intense scrutiny, led by conservative bloggers. The tour will begin in Detroit, the city with the largest Muslim population in the U.S., and include Chicago, Washington D.C., and San Antonio, as well as several college campuses. Some opposed to Park51 say they welcome the tour, which they believe will help revive outrage at the planned project. Rauf’s national speaking tour will begin next month.