On the eve of the ninth anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks, President Barack Obama on Friday strongly defended the building of a mosque near Ground Zero, saying that if one can build a Hindu temple then why not a mosque.

"With respect to the mosque in New York, I've been pretty clear on my position here," Obama said when asked about the controversy surrounding the construction of a mosque near the Ground Zero in the New York city. He said the US believes in the inalienable right to allow its citizens to practice their religion freely.