Might as well start calling him Teflon Kelly—as far as public opinion polls go, scandals just don't seem to stick to our police commissioner. A new poll out of Quinnipiac University finds that 62 percent of New Yorkers approve of Kelly's job performance, down just four points since December despite the recent anti-Islam video brouhaha Kelly has been stuck in (to name just one of his headaches). In fact, when it comes to the treatment of muslims by the men in blue, New Yorkers don't seem too upset about how police handle the religion. more ›

Last January investigative journalist Tom Robbins broke the story of how the NYPD endorsed the scaremongering Islamophobic documentary The Third Jihad. The film was funded by the pro-Israel non-profit group The Clarion Fund, and it contends that few, if any, Muslims can be trusted. "Americans are being told that most of the mainstream Muslim groups are moderate," says the narrator, "when in fact if you look a little closer you'll see a very different reality. One of their primary tactics is deception." Newly released documents show the NYPD knows a thing or two about deception as well! more ›

Investigators are searching for a man seen in this surveillance video hurling a Molotov cocktail at a private home in Jamaica, Queens that doubles as a Hindu place of worship. The suspect, described as black, 5-feet-8, 200 pounds, and 25 to 30 years old, was caught on camera throwing a Starbucks Frappuccino bottle filled with flammable liquid at the residence, one of four places in Queens that were firebombed late Sunday night. A fifth home on Long Island was also hit Sunday night, and Nassau County police tell the Times that incident has "some characteristics" similar to the Queens attacks. more ›

A judge has blocked Con Ed from evicting the controversial Park 51 community center from its Lower Manhattan buildings, after the utility retroactively raised the monthly rent to $47,437 and demanded $1.7 million in back rent. According to the New York Law Journal, Justice Richard Braun noted in his opinion that Park 51 "speculates as to whether defendant may be bowing to unspecified political pressure," referring to the fact that lots of people are upset that a mosque could be built so close to a sacred strip club. more ›

At a hastily-assembled press conference Sunday night, Mayor Bloomberg and NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly stated that arresting 27-year-old terror suspect Jose Pimentel was an urgent priority "before he could detonate a fully-operated bomb." But the FBI's refusal to take the case based on "holes" and entrapment issues as well as the revelations that Pimentel, a frequent marijuana smoker, had attempted to circumcise himself pose the salient question: was Pimentel ever a serious threat to society? more ›

Police commissioner Ray Kelly is tasked with the important job of protecting us from Islam terrorism, and in order to do this effectively, he may have to spy on Muslims. To make a safety omelet, you have to crack a few Korans! Unfortunately, the city council didn't take too kindly to Kelly's counterterrorism tactics of trailing terror-denouncing imams or violating the rights of innocent people, and grilled him at a hearing on Thursday. Kelly can take care of himself, but the New York Post's editorial board is here to help: "Kelly refused to apologize for a decade of brilliant police work. Good for him." Damn straight. Love is never having to say "I'm sorry (I pulled you over because of the color of your skin)." more ›

Those protesting corporate greed on Wall Street today should be careful about what they say to their comrades: the NYPD placed at least one undercover officer in a demonstration supporting Park 51 held on September 11, 2010. The Daily News learned of "UC 242's" participation in the rally during a discussion that Manhattan prosecutors had in court about a conflict of interest posed in the "synagogue terrorists" trial. UC 242 received a summons for not showing NYPD his badge, which he did "to maintain his cover…to build solidarity with protestors," a lawyer for the defense team says. more ›

Pamela Geller's SHARIA Hotline is burning up right now: the organizers of Park 51 AKA "The Ground Zero Victory Mosque" are opening a photo exhibition by artist Danny Goldfield in the former Burlington Coat Factory on Wednesday. What kind of photos? Muslims celebrating 9/11? Puppies getting beaten with Korans? Bald eagles being tortured by crescent moons? From Park 51's Kickstarter: "Danny is photographing a child from every country on earth currently living in New York City." more ›

Sigh: The NYPD Hate Crimes Unit is investigating a "partially burnt Koran" that was sent to a Bronx mosque. This comes days after those opposed to building a new mosque and Islamic community center a few blocks from the World Trade Center convened for another protest. more ›

Remember the "Ground Zero" mosque—the controversial community and prayer center that will probably never have enough money to be built a couple of blocks from the World Trade Center site? Don't think just because the project is financially stalled that it ain't gonna happen—the Christian Action Network is making sure Americans know that this is still a threat. The group, which states its mission as "protecting America's religious and moral heritage," is releasing a documentary called Sacrificed Survivors: The Untold Story of the Ground Zero Mega-Mosque. And they've rallied the relatives of 9/11 victims to the cause. more ›

Fifteen people were arrested at Rye Playland amusement park in Westchester County yesterday afternoon, and two charged with felony assault after a melee broke out when a park employee asked a Muslim woman to remove her headscarf before boarding a ride. The woman who attempted to ride the Dragon Rollercoaster, Haifa Ali, tells Patch that after she was told she couldn't ride unless she removed her hijab, she and a group of other Muslim women went to ask for a refund. Then "someone grabbed her hijab…a park ranger wrestled another one of the women to the ground," when "law enforcement began to converge on the group, hitting them with batons." Another eyewitness not with the group says she heard one female police officer yell, "I don't give a f*ck about your culture." more ›

Imam Charles Aziz Bilal has been arrested in a South Jamaica, Queens prostitution sting. According to authorities, late Tuesday night Bilal offered $25 to an undercover agent in exchange for sex at a Howard Johnson, which was just 10 blocks from the mosque that he runs. At least it wasn't at a Dunkin' Donuts. more ›

Whole Foods is in full-on damage control mode after an embarrassing internal email fell into the hands of a reporter for the Houston Press. It all started innocently enough, when the popular supermarket chain sent out an email to its regional managers reminding them about the annual tradition of "carrying and promoting halal products for those that are celebrating Ramadan this month." Unfortunately for Whole Foods, one region—quick, guess which one!—was scared off by one Islamaphobic blogger's reaction to the scary Muslim Caliphate promotion. more ›

Rep. Peter King wants to protect tipsters who report suspicious activity from lawsuits against those who feel they were wrongly ratted out. The Republican congressman and chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee believes that the liability protection for citizens who come to the authorities with information should be expanded beyond "passenger transportation." The men who reported the Times Square bombing plot were vendors on the street, and wouldn't be protected under the current law. King is pushing for the protection in light of a lawsuit brought by six Muslim imams against their accusers and the airline, who were wrongfully ejected off of a flight. They later dropped their suit against the passenger who reported them and settled out of court. more ›

Feisal Abdul Rauf, the imam at the Park 51 community center, the so-called "Ground Zero Mosque," says that all of his efforts to get the center built might have ended up getting in the way of his ultimate mission: Closing the gap of understanding between the West and Islam. more ›

Despite needing $100 million to complete the project, organizers of the Ground Zero Mosque say they're only projected to raise $7.5 million in 2011. The Post reports that while Park51, which is still waiting for their tax-exempt status from the IRS, plans to raise $15 million in 2012, at this rate it will take a good decade before anyone can picket the actual site of the mosque (presumably after they support the local strip club). Guess that Burlington Coat Factory cash never came through. more ›

Osama bin Laden's death may have been only the third time the New York Times actually stopped their presses, but maybe they should go for four, because Glenn Beck and many Muslims both agree that the terrorist shouldn't have been given a burial at sea. Perhaps a good bronzing would have been more appropriate? more ›

Not surprisingly, there seems to be conflicting opinions regarding Osama Bin Laden's burial at sea, and whether or not it violated the central tenets of Islam. Reuters quotes the leader of Egypt's prestigious learning center, al-Azhar, as saying that the sea burial "contradicts all the religious values and human norms." Meanwhile, Khalid Latif, NYU's Islamic Center director said that Islamic law is "flexible" in this instance, and that "letting bin Laden's body 'wash back and forth in the sea'" was preferable to a land burial that would "create an opportunity for many individuals to unleash and lash out their rage against him. He made lives terrible for so many of us." more ›

The father of the 11-year-old boy who was marched out of school in handcuffs (and ankle chains!) yesterday on felony hate crime charges is defending his son in the media. The sixth grader, Osman Daramy, had allegedly shoved a female classmate to the ground yesterday, punched her, kicked her, and tried to pull off her hijab while asking, "Are you a Muslim?" The assault, which left the unidentified girl with bruises and a cut lip, was allegedly the culmination of months of abuse perpetrated by Daramy, who, sources say, also cut a classmate's hair during a scissor "rampage" Monday. But his father, Frank Davis, insists the school and the cops are out to get his son. more ›

If there is a silver lining to Rep. Peter King's hearing on "Muslim radicalization" last Thursday, it's the support shown for the Muslim American community through the testimonies of folks like Rep. Keith Ellison and the head of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, who unequivocally stated that "it is counterproductive to building trust when individuals or groups claim that Islam supports terrorism." Yet it seems King himself continues to resist any opposing viewpoints, as the Daily News reports on his refusal to attend the US premiere of a movie on Muslim radicalization at the United Nations. more ›

Joseph McCarthy's Rep. Peter King's hearing on "Muslim radicalization" began with the moving testimony of Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minnesota), one of two Muslims in Congress. Ellison broke down during his moving testimony in which he described the sacrifice of Mohammed Salman Hamdani, a Muslim and first-responder who perished on September 11, 2001 and was later the subject of unfounded rumors that he conspired with the hijackers. more ›

Recently, Long Island Rep. Peter King accused the Muslim community of being uncooperative with police and the FBI, and has planned Congressional hearings on the radicalization of Muslims in America. It turns out the FBI agrees that many Muslims are unhelpful, but says Muslims aren't the only ones who don't give them tips; the Mafia and MS-13 keep their lips sealed, too. One FBI source told the Daily News, "Criminals are criminals. It gets dicier because Muslim extremists wrap their work in religion, but the smokescreens, the silence and intimidation are similar." But some patriots say the FBI is just spreading a message of complacency, because "Muslim extremists" have already taken over the FBI! more ›

The controversial Florida mustache-enthusiast who threatened to burn a bunch of Korans on Sept. 11, didn't, and then got a free car out of the deal, returned to Ground Zero yesterday a humbled man. Pastor Terry Jones was in Manhattan to announce his latest project, an organization called Stand Up America, whose aim is to foster communication and understanding for Americans about Islam in an attempt to atone for his incendiary antics last September. Or...not: the initiative actually aims to "teach about the dangers of radical Islam." more ›

At Brooklyn Technical High School, students who identify with either religion have the option to join the Muslim Student Association and the Jewish Club, where they can discuss issues they face without judgment from other groups. The downside is they most likely spend those group meetings preaching to the choir, which is why the school has organized a joint meeting for all of the student-run religious clubs. Jewish Club president Jeremy Landau told the Daily News, "Jews and Muslims have more in common than people think." Like how they both don't dig on swine? more ›

Yesterday ABC's "This Week" broadcast a Town Hall-style debate titled "Should Americans Fear Islam?" Rev. Franklin Graham was there, as were a couple of parents of 9/11 victims, plus Robert Spencer from Jihad Watch, and Daisy Khan, the wife of the imam who plans an Islamic community center and mosque in Lower Manhattan. Upstaging them all via satellite from London: Anjem Choudary, who represents the Islamic group Islam4UK. He predicts there will soon be an Islamic flag flying over the White House. (Why can't our ineffectual Muslim president get this done?!) And referring to Daisy Khan, Choudary said, "This lady in your studio, she should be covering with the hijab." Here are some more highlights: more ›

Standing just before a former Burlington Coat Factory store on Park Place—the controversial location of a proposed community center and mosque— a group of Islamic leaders called for an end to anti-Islamic bigotry and announcing a national "Week of Dialogue." The speakers, who also had a banner acknowledging them as "National Islamic Leaders," alluded to Rosa Parks and the civil rights movement as they explained their concerns as "religious leaders in a time of religious intolerance" as well as being increasingly distressed by a wave of "anti-Islamic" sentiment since the announcement of the Park51 project. more ›