Joan Brown Campbell has it completely wrong on the issue of the ground zero mosque, both when she calls the imam behind the project a “peacekeeper” and says that he has denounced terrorism.

For more than a month now, I have been calling for an investigation into the sources of funding for the proposed mosque near ground zero. The group behind its construction is a registered charity in New York State. As such, it is the responsibility of State Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo to ensure the mosque’s funding is coming from legitimate sources. To do otherwise would be negligent and utterly incompetent.

The imam behind the project has not ruled out taking money from terrorist hotbed Iran, called the United States an “accessory” to the crime of 9/11 and refused call the terrorist anti-Israel group Hamas a terrorist organization.

In June, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, the man behind the proposed ground zero mosque, was asked on live radio if he believed Hamas is a terrorist organization. This isn’t a difficult question: Hamas regularly employs suicide bombers and fires incendiary rockets at civilian targets within Israel. It calls for the destruction of the Jewish state followed by the establishment of a Tali-ban- style regime. Governments all over the world, including the United States and the European Union, rightfully consider Hamas to be a terrorist organization that willfully and indiscriminately targets innocent civilians.

Yet Rauf, after being asked this simple, straightforward question, refused to say whether he believed Hamas to be a terrorist organization.

This isn’t the first time Rauf has made troubling statements regarding terrorism. On “60 Minutes,” less than a month after the attacks, he stated that American policies were an “accessory” to the crime of 9/11. “In fact,” he continued, “in the most direct sense, Osama bin Laden is made in the USA.”

Rauf also is listed on the Web site of the Perdana Global Peace Organization, the biggest financial backer of the Gaza flotilla, as a “role player and contributor.” Now he wants to build and lead a $100 million, 13-story center constructed on a property currently occupied by a historic 150-year-old building that was seriously damaged by the landing gear of one of the hijacked jetliners that flew into the World Trade Center, and he wants to unveil this mega mosque on Sept. 11, 2011. Where the $100 million would come from is anybody’s guess; Rauf’s organization has reported less than $20,000 in assets.

Given the imam’s statements and his reported ties to radical organizations, it would seem like a fair question to ask, especially when a spokesman for the imam wouldn’t rule out taking money from Iran. Furthermore, it’s also fair to ask why, exactly, Rauf has demanded that the mosque be built so close to ground zero. This is, first and foremost, a security issue. New Yorkers deserve to be safe and to feel safe, and we have a right to know who’s footing the bill for Rauf’s mega mosque.

Rick Lazio is a candidate for governor.