The public face behind the controversial Islamic cultural center near the World Trade Center, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, will be stepping down from his role. The non-profit organization Park51 announced Friday that Imam Abdallah Adhami will be replacing Rauf as senior advisor.

Both supporters and opponents of the proposed Islamic cultural center and mosque near Ground Zero plan to take to the streets this weekend as Saturday marks the ninth anniversary of the World Trade Center attacks.

The proposed development, known as Park51, has brought about significant controversy in New York City and across the country.

Donald Trump is stepping into the fray over the proposed Islamic cultural center and mosque near Ground Zero. The business magnate and television personality sent a letter to one of the financial backers of the project proposing to buy the building where Park51 would be located.

A Quinnipiac University poll finds that slightly over half, 54 percent, of New Yorkers surveyed think the Islamic cultural center organizers have the constitutional right to construct the center two blocks away from Ground Zero. Nearly the same number, 53 percent, say they should not be permitted to build at all.

These days, if you're down around the site of the planned Islamic cultural center and mosque two blocks from Ground Zero, you might find a few protesters. But mostly you'll find a New York neighborhood going about its usual business.

The controversy over a proposed Islamic cultural center is bringing dozens of tourists and locals to Lower Manhattan, to a dingy stretch of Park Place to see where it would be built. In some cases, seeing the former Burlington Coat Factory building up close is changing people's minds about the seriousness of the issue.

The controversy over the proposed development of the Park51 Islamic cultural center continues, with voices from around the country weighing in. But what about those who live within a few blocks of the proposed site? We take calls from lower Manhattan residents.

New York Gov. David Paterson says support is growing for his proposal of a land swap to move a proposed Islamic cultural center and mosque away from its site two blocks from the World Trade Center. Speaking this morning on WOR Radio, the governor encouraged developers to take up his idea.

New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan says his "major prayer" is that both sides in the debate over a proposed mosque and and community center blocks from the World Trade Center site can have a "respectful discussion" over plans.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino is airing an ad in which he claims that he would "use the power of eminent domain to stop the mosque." 

Opponents of Cordoba House – would you like the state to seize the private property to halt the Islamic Center?

Asked about the project by local reporters in California, Pelosi said the mosque is a local issue, and added that she thinks the funding of the mosque opposition needs to be investigated.

Jerrold Nadler, U.S. Representative (D-8th) who represents Lower Manhattan, comments on the plans to build an Islamic center near Ground Zero.

The president this weekend expanded on a statement he made Friday evening when he said that Muslims have the same right to freedom of religion as everyone else in America.

At a White House dinner Friday evening, the president said that Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as anyone else. He said that includes the right to build a place of worship on private property in lower Manhattan.

The month of Ramadan is underway, and a local Muslim leader says most New York Muslims likely won't celebrate the holiday that marks its end as robustly as they normally do. That's because Eid al-Fitr falls around 9/11 this year.

They thought about creating a Muslim Y. They ended up with a national controversy about September 11th and freedom of religion. That's more or less the story behind the project to build a Muslim cultural center and mosque close to Ground Zero. So what happened? Anne Barnard wrote about that in Wednesday's New York Times, and joined WNYC's Amy Eddings to talk about it.

Standing next to Gov. David Paterson, Mayor Michael Bloomberg on Wednesday dismissed the governor's proposal to resolve public outcry over a proposed mosque near Ground Zero by offering developers state land if they move the project.

The proposed Islamic cultural center at the WTC site isn't the only plan surrounded by controversy. Sumathi Reddy, reporter for the Wall Street Journal's Greater New York section, is keeping tabs on opposition to mosques in other NYC neighborhoods, including Sheepshead Bay and Midland Beach. 

Daisy Khan, executive director and co-founder of the American Society for Muslim Advancement (ASMA), talks about the controversy surrounding the proposed Muslim Community Center at the WTC site.

Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, founder of the Cordoba Initiative and the American Society for Muslim Advancement (ASMA), and Daisy Khan, executive director of the ASMA, discuss plans to have a mosque and Muslim community center near Ground Zero.