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 ›

A State Supreme Court judge has tossed a lawsuit filed by a former NYC firefighter who was trying to stop a mosque and community center from being constructed a couple of blocks from the site of the World Trade Center attacks. You may recall this mosque from last summer, when conservatives were going batshit crazy over it, holding ugly, xenophobic demonstrations and ranting on blogs about "Islamic supremacists who seek to desecrate the sacred ground of Ground Zero with a 15-story mega-mosque in a building destroyed in the 911 attacks." Oh, actually, that quote is from today. more ›

The so-called "Ground Zero Mosque" might just say the hell with it and not be a mosque after all, one of the project's co-founders told reporters yesterday. Daisy Khan, the executive director of the American Society for Muslim Advancement, has, along with her husband Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, long been one of the public faces of the controversial project, which hasn't yet raised any money and is still basically just an inflammatory idea. Speaking at a luncheon yesterday, Khan revealed that she and her husband are contemplating, instead of a "mosque," an "interfaith cultural center," instead of the predominantly Islamic facility originally envisioned. more ›

The developer who wants to build a Muslim community center and mosque in Lower Manhattan is said to be a long way off from the $100 million or so he's estimated to need to complete the project. But that's nothing a few lawsuits can't fix. Sharif El-Gamal and others have filed a $4.1 million lawsuit against Burlington Coat Factory, the former tenant at the location. more ›

Weeks after taking over as Imam at the controversial Islamic community center and mosque in Lower Manhattan, Sheik Abdallah Adhami has thrown in the taqiyah. Adhami said in a statement today, "It is important for me now to devote my time to the completion of my book which assists English readers in understanding and facilitating the language of the Quran. I wish the project leaders well." It's probably also important for the project’s developer to devote time to picking a new Imam who hasn't talked about homosexuality as a dysfunction caused by child abuse. more ›

Today's the big City Council hearing on Walmart's all-but-confirmed NYC debut, at the Gateway II shopping plaza in East New York. And of course the "Ground Zero" mosque protesters will be on hand to add their voices to the pro-Walmart side of the debate... because not allowing Walmart to open in NYC would mean the terrorists have won and make a mockery of 9/11? The relationship between the two issues may seem opaque to the untrained eye, but anti-Islamic gadfly Pamela Geller sees it, and she's calling all Ground Zero patriots to ask the City Council, "Who are you working for? Christine Quinn shilling for the pro-sharia mega mosque is... sad. What happens to those who share Quinn's lifestyle in a Muslim country?" Do they save money and live better? more ›

Some New Yorkers are still working hard to halt a mosque and community center planned for lower Manhattan near the World Trade Center site. Obviously, this is a sensitive issue for 9/11 survivors and family members who lost loved ones that day, and perhaps no one has invested more money in fighting the mosque than one Robert Mercer, who spent $1 million on an ad campaign touting gubernatorial candidate Rick Lazio's anti-mosque cred. Having spent so lavishly to spotlight this issue, we can assume Mercer is personally tortured by the very thought of Muslims praying near the place where other men who also happened to be Muslim killed thousands of people (including Muslims). more ›

The story of the "Ground Zero mosque," also known as the planned Islamic community center and mosque that isn't actually at Ground Zero, got a new wrinkle today. Park51, the organization behind the center, released word that Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, who was the public face for the center during last fall's political firestorm, is stepping down from his role (though he'll be staying on the board). Pratt graduate Imam Abdallah Adhami will be replacing Rauf as senior advisor. more ›

A scheduling note: Today's joint pro-Walmart, anti-mosque demonstration has been called off, because the snowstorm preemptively nixed a City Council Walmart hearing scheduled for today. (That hearing has been postponed to February 3rd, and all protesters who share a love for Walmart and a hate of the proposed Islamic community center near Ground Zero are expected to rally then.) And in other mosque news, firefighter Timothy Brown, who filed an anti-mosque lawsuit against the city in August, has taken legal action to block developers from doing any construction at the site. more ›

Remember the "Ground Zero" mosque? Yeah, we still have to listen to people rant about that in 2011. But at least the anti-mosque masses are trying to keep it fresh—their upcoming protest against the proposed Islamic community center planned for Lower Manhattan is also a pro-Walmart demonstration. Why not? It may seem like a bit of a stretch, but not if you're Pamela Geller and you know how to connect the dots that the lamestream media is too biased to point out. more ›

Mayor Bloomberg has made no secret of his support for the would-be "Ground Zero Mosque," a proposed Islamic community center for lower Manhattan that isn't actually at Ground Zero. But the dallies seem mildly shocked by the "revelation" that his administration was actively trying to help Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf make the Park 51 project a reality. Among the emails released yesterday include a drafted letter written by Community Affairs Commissioner Nazli Parvizi for Rauf's wife, Daisy Khan, to send to Community Board 1, which was voting on the project at the time. more ›

So, remember that whole "Ground Zero Mosque" hullabaloo from last summer, which spurred a polarizing debate about a proposed Islamic community center for lower Manhattan that wasn't actually at Ground Zero? Newt Gingrich once said it was, "designed to undermine and destroy our civilization," while Mayor Bloomberg said, "I think it's fair to say that the mosque as an issue goes away on November 3 [the day after election day]." While it's pretty obvious Bloomberg was right, Gingrich and his fellow anti-mosque contingent may be happy to learn that the Saudi royal family is feeling out officials and community leaders about a plan to move the mosque to the West Village...to the shuttered St. Vincent's Medical Center. more ›

Since the midterm elections passed, we haven't heard that much about the so-called Ground Zero mosque planned for the former Burlington Coat Factory store on Park Place. Until today: Apparently developers have filed for a federal grant asking for $5 million in funds meant to rebuild lower Manhattan after 9/11. According to the Daily Beast, "While news of the application has not previously been made public, developer Sharif El-Gamal outlined it in closed-door meetings, according to two individuals he spoke with directly." more ›

Prince Alwaleed bin Talal of Saudi Arabia, a major investor in News Corp and the guy often cited by Fox News as a funder of the "Ground Zero" mosque, has spoken out against the project. In a recent interview, Prince Alwaleed clarified that while he has contributed to Cordoba Initiative, the group run by New York's Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, he has not given any money for Park51, the Islamic community center and mosque proposed for lower Manhattan. He tells Arabian Business why he's against the project: more ›

If there is one thing Carl isn't confused about, it's the (semi-uncontrollable) power of a good controversy. The fact that Paladino is kicking up dust around this issue less than a week before the gubernatorial election, in which he trails Andrew Cuomo by something between 20 and 32 points, is probably not a coincidence. He told reporters, "I can assure that on January 1, 2011, I will put in motion whatever legal powers I have to stop this project." After his speech, he was asked which legal powers a governor would have to stop the project, but declined to get more specific. Asked about the issue earlier this week, gubernatorial candidate Warren Redlich said, "Not an issue for the governor. I respect NYC's right to decide local matters." But we already know Paladino doesn't have much respect for a bunch of catatonic zombies. more ›

We're starting to think that gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino may be a bit confused as to the differences between a primary and an actual election. Asked about his chances for victory in the election next week, despite being down by 20 points in the latest poll, he told CBS in a radio interview: "I think they’re very good. You don’t pay attention to the newspapers or the polls. They’re obviously skewed...Two days before the primary, they had me down one-point. Two days later, I won by 27 points. So, you tell me what value these polls are." We're starting to feel bad for the guy! But then he got back to doing what he and Andy Rooney do best: complaining about everything. more ›

Last week, the Department of Buildings went back on their approval on plans for an Islamic community center in Sheepshead bay, citing the need to determine whether a "place of assembly" permit is needed. However, property owner Allowey Ahmed believed the DOB caved to pressure from anti-Islamic protesters in the area. Yesterday, the DOB re-approved construction designs on the center. “They came in to address our questions and the hold has been lifted,” spokeswoman Carly Sullivan told the Brooklyn Paper. more ›

Last night we got this press release about a proposed alternative to the "Ground Zero" mosque. It seems an "international architectural firm is proposing a Terrorist Motel" to replace the controversial mosque, and the release goes on to say that the design team of "Mohammed Borges, Ali Lewis and Abdul Clark" (eh?) want to build "a labyrinth of man-made caves, a state-of-the-art training facility, a library of clandestine training manuals, designated storage areas for ammunition, and dirt cheap accommodations for international terrorists and drug smugglers." As far as modest proposals go, it's actually not very funny at all, and we can't tell if it's meant to be offensive or just an ironic parody of Islamophobia. But the rendering is pretty slick. more ›

While the known universe was focused on the all-important "Ground Zero Mosque" fracas, the Department of Buildings has quietly pulled their approval of an Islamic community center proposed for Sheepshead Bay, just two days after approving it. And despite reasoning that it could cause parking problems or noise issues, property owner Allowey Ahmed is convinced the DOB caved to pressure from anti-Islamic locals. “It’s only common sense to assume that,” he told the Brooklyn Paper. “We lowered our plan from four floors to three out of deference to our neighbors. And now everything is on hold again." more ›

The developer of the "Ground Zero" mosque has filed a countersuit against a former volunteer firefighter from Westchester named Vincent Forras. Last month Forras filed a $350 million lawsuit against Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf and Park51, claiming that he deserves to be compensated for the "psychological terrorism" and emotional pain he's endured since plans were announced to build an Islamic community center and mosque near the World Trade Center site. The Post reports that the lawsuit describes the project as a "monument to the jihadists' victory over American ideals of freedom and democracy, [and] a desecration of the terrible sacrifice made by those innocents attacked." (Plus, a swimming pool!) 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 ›

So this is what a Victory Terror Mosque looks like! It's almost as if the people behind the Islamic community center and mosque planned for Lower Manhattan called up a designer and said, "Give us something that bitterly mocks 9/11... With lots of light!" And isn't it interesting that Park51 only released two renderings of the interior? You can bet the rest of the 18-story building will be decked out like a 9/11 party palace. more ›

The Muslims living on a sheep farm in the bucolic upstate town of Sidney are used to people throwing rocks at them, blaring their horns when driving by, and calling the cops to report suspicious "people with turbans." But have the local hillbillies finally gone too far? Now they want the Sufi group to dig up the bodies buried on their property. Not because they're Muslim, mind you, but because of an obscure technicality in New York State law that must be enforced to avoid cemetery chaos! more ›

Last night 60 Minutes had its turn with the controversy over the Islamic community center and prayer room planned for Lower Manhattan. Much of the segment will be familiar to those who've been following along with this trainwreck, but there are a couple of new nuggets for the "Ground Zero" mosque completist. For starters, the center's imam, Feisal Abdul Rauf, announced that he's asking the US government to approve anyone who donates to the $100 million project. Also, as a sign of solidarity with real America, he's ready to die in the next terrorist attack. more ›

A solid majority of New York State residents believe that the developers of an Islamic community center and mosque near the World Trade Center site have every right to carry out the project. But that doesn't mean they should. According to the latest Quinnipiac University poll, 80% of New York's likely voters support the right to mosque, an increase from the last poll. But 57% also say building it at this location is "wrong," while only 32% say it is "appropriate." more ›