As Raymond Ibrahim said in his article, Why the Ground Zero Mosque is Counterproductive to the Islamist Cause, the mosque proposal is the most costly mistake orthodox Muslims have made since they flew planes into the World Trade Center. Ibrahim wrote:
Before the Islamist strikes of 9/11, mainstream America was incognizant of the threat posed by radical Islam. Islamic apologetics and anti-U.S. polemics were unquestioned orthodoxy, not only in their natural habitat — academia — but more generally.
After 9/11, however, the veil was partially lifted: a flood of books dealing with Islam, political Islam, jihad, sharia, “dhimmitude,” and any number of related topics appeared; politically incorrect books on Islam became bestsellers.”
http://www.raymondibrahim.com/7792/why-the-ground-zero-mosque-is-counterproductive