Islamic Group: Bush Should Weigh In on Ground Zero Mosque

A leading Islamic group called upon Former President George W. Bush Wednesday to lend his authority to finding a solution on the ground zero mosque issue. "I think it would be good if he stepped into the fray," Ibrahim Hooper, the national spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) told Fox News, "and told other Republicans to cool it."

Bush is still respected by many Islamic leaders for his efforts to protect and include them in the national debate following the 9/11 attacks. He was the first president ever to utter the word “mosque” in a State of the Union speech, and he pressed Republican in outreach efforts to Muslim groups.

CAIR, meanwhile, is still considered controversial among many conservatives despite being the most recognized Muslim group in the nation. It has been a primary leader in supporting the planned development of Cordoba House, an Islamic community center near ground zero that would include a mosque, according to Fox.