Outrage or Farce: NBC News Names Ground Zero Mosque Developer ‘Person of the Year’

Of all the people in all the world, NBC chooses to honor the provocateur behind one of the most controversial projects in America. On Thanksgiving.

November 24, 2010
by Bryan Preston

This morning I spent a few minutes on the Pat Campbell Show in Tulsa, discussing the outrageous decision by the Park51 group — the group that’s developing the Ground Zero Mosque — to apply for $5 million in taxpayer funds to continue development of that monument. That has certainly reignited the debate over the mosque project itself, which is a $100 million effort that so far has a whopping $20,000 banked.

Well, guess what? Park51 is about to get a nationally televised infomercial during the holiday. If you watch NBC’s Today Show on Thanksgiving morning, you’re likely to see host Matt Lauer interview Sharif El-Gamal. Gamal is Park51’s lead developer and front man.

He’s been named one of NBC’s “People of the Year.â€