Sharif El-Gamal, the developer whose proposal in 2011 to build Park51, a $100 million Islamic mosque and community center near the World Trade Center, ignited a national controversy, now plans to build a mixed-use tower in Midtown Manhattan to house a retail center and hoteland the Garment Center Congregation synagogue. Although the New York Times called the project mainly a real estate deal, despite the religious trappings, the project is stirring some debate.
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