When it comes to the modern relationship that Islam shares with both Christianity and Judaism, it is not difficult to recognize mutual hostility. Islamic extremism has gradually dominated Western perceptions of Muslims; in this context, the attacks on the World Trade Center only exacerbated the situation. For this reason, it was no surprise when these hostile attitudes were unequivocally revealed during the “Casa Cordoba” mosque controversy, at which point in 2010, it was proposed to build a mosque called Casa Cordoba near ground zero. As expected, the proposal met with overwhelming opposition and rebuke (Barbaro). Most of the country opposed the mosque, while many who had more personal experiences with 9/11 felt deeply offended and upset. Furthermore, the event garnered pickets, protests, and contempt from local civilians (Goodstein). Among the mosque's prominent opponents was former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. Speaking out against the proposal, he argues that the push for the Casa mosque in Cordoba “is evidence of the timidity, passivity and historical ignorance of American elites” (Gingrich). Gingrich goes on to say that calling the mosque “House of Cordoba” is a deliberate insult as it “refers to Cordoba, Spain – the capital of the Muslim conquerors who symbolized their victory over the Christian Spaniards by turning a church there into the third largest church in the world. -the largest mosque complex” and “every Islamist in the world recognizes Cordoba as a symbol of Islamic conquest. It's a sign of their contempt for Americans." However, an investigation into the situation in Cordoba during Muslim rule might lead one to believe that the hostility existing between these cultures has not disappeared... middle of paper...... 21 July 2010. Web. 12 April 2014. .Goodstein, Laurie. “Across the nation, mosque projects face opposition.” The New York Times August 7, 2010: 1. Web. November 17, 2013. .Kishlansky, Mark, Patrick Geary, and Patricia O'Brien. Civilizations in the West, Volume Combind, seventh edition. New York: Longman, 2008.Lewis, Bernard. The Jews of Islam. Chichester: Princeton University Press, 1984. Book.Menocal, Maria Rosa. Ornament of the world. New York: Back Bay Books / Little, Brown and Company, 2002. Book."Covenant of Umar". Manual of Jewish history on the Internet from 800 BC Ed. Paolo Halsall. October 14th 2013. .