If Radical Muslims Aren’t Found at Kosher Delis, Then Why Did NYPD Look for Them at Kosher Butchers?

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Congressman Peter King applauds that the NYPD is spying on–among others–some of his own Long Island constituents, including 28 businesses in Oyster Bay. He rather snidely quips that you wouldn’t look for radical Muslims at a kosher deli.

Ray Kelly and the NYPD should get a medal for what they are doing. They are–This is good police work. If you are going after radical Muslims you don’t go to Ben’s Kosher Deli.

There’s just one problem with that–a big one.

Among the businesses the NYPD profiled are at least five kosher butchers, delis, or restaurants not far from King’s home in Long Island (as well as several other stores, including food stores, run by Great Neck, NY’s Iranian Jewish population).

  • Emouna Glatt Kosher Meat
  • Shish Kabob Palace, which uses Glatt Kosher meats
  • Kandi King Gourmet store
  • Great Neck Glatt
  • Eilat Prime Meats

So Peter King suggests it would be stupid for the NYPD to look for radical Muslims at kosher delis. But he’s still celebrating the NYPD for having done just that.

(h/t George Zornick)

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23 replies
  1. earlofhuntingdon says:

    Does that mean that radical, violence prone, extremist pro-Israeli factions cannot be found at kosher delis or kosher butchers?

    My point is not the MSM one of false equivalency. It is that racial and religious stereotyping of any group are likely to “populate the database” – a goal deeply desired by surveillance state advocates whose software models require as large a data set as possible in order to develop their “predictive” models (MIT is doing a lot of work on this). It is achieved, however, at enormous economic cost, and violates the privacy of millions without demonstrably making us safer. Indeed, we are not allowed to know what actions are taken, at what cost (though these can be estimated), or with what effectiveness.

    Profiling of this kind, along with capturing virtually the entire daily Internet and telecoms traffic is an institutional and outsourcing vendor goal. It is not one that enhances security at acceptable legal, political or economic costs.

  2. Strangely Enough says:

    “If you are going after radical Muslims you don’t go to Ben’s Kosher Deli.”

    Indeed. King actually, unintentionally, got that little part right. These guys weren’t looking for radicals- they were looking for places to eat.

    And, coffee and donuts.

  6. emptywheel says:

    @lysias: There’s a lot of folks who actually will use butchers of the others’ faith. A woman I met from MI once told me about a Middle Eastern (upscale Whole Foods style) Supermarket where Jews and Muslims shop together in perfect harmony.

  9. PeasantParty says:

    Can’t wait to hear the Jewish Community response to this. AIPAC will be proud of King.

    One thing stands out for me in that report.

    ‘Among the businesses the NYPD profiled are at least five kosher butchers, delis, or restaurants not far from King’s home in Long Island’

    Peter has said and done a lot of things that would anger residents of the state and the country. It appears he is using the police department as he own personal security team.

    Also, the FBI has been shoved aside once again. If it is not the military intell apparatus, or the private contractor spies, now it is the local police trying to take on what should be on their turf. Things just get spook ier and spook ier these days.

  10. MadDog says:

    @MadDog: More OT – And speaking of US drone targeting, this from the AP:

    US drone strike kills 4 in Somalia

    A U.S. military drone strike that targeted an international militant in southern Somalia killed four al-Shabab fighters, officials said Friday.

    A U.S. official in Washington confirmed the attack was carried out by a U.S. drone. A second U.S. official said an “international” member of al-Shabab was the target of the strike, though he said a white Kenyan reported killed in the attack was not the target.

    Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity in order to share details of the classified program…”

    (My Bold)

    Just what the ACLU’s FOIA lawsuit complains about.

    When the US government wants to beat its manly chest and trumpet its “my drones will kill ya’ dead” successes, then boasting anonymously about the latest US drone kills is cool.

    When responding to a FOIA request, the US government don’t know nothin’ from nothin’.

  11. EJ says:

    @emptywheel: Many muslims who follow the dietary laws consider kosher meat to be an acceptable substitute for halal. So it’s not surprising muslims would patronize Kosher butchers.

  12. Yastreblyansky says:

    @Strangely Enough: Lots of Muslims in the US buy kosher meat in the belief that it is halal, or at least close enough to halal to be forgivable. Muslims account for 16% of the kosher foods market here according to a statistic that’s not exactly believable (nobody ever gives a source, and some report it’s 16% of US Muslims eat kosher food) but definitely suggestive. King is an idiot. That was part of the profiling. Jews and Muslims consuming one another’s meats is also an example of how the “ancient hatreds” between the two groups are 20th-century fiction.

  14. Jack Parsons says:

    When you grow out of and then renounce a previous religion, you have to renounce a lot of its everyday practices. Muslims came out of Christianity and went back to Judaic practices, like kosher/halal butchers.

    A lot of French Muslims send their daughters to Catholic girls’ schools, because they are single-sex and strict.

  15. justbetty says:

    I saw a clip of Mayor Bloomberg defending the extreme surveillance by the NYPD, stating, “This is a dangerous place.” It struck me that he looked like the incredible shrinking man- long gone are the days he seemed to some as Presidential material.

  18. MadDog says:

    More OT – A couple articles from the AP that I highly recommend:

    “AP investigation of US drone strikes in Pakistan

    The Associated Press conducted a rare, on-the-ground investigation of casualties from U.S. drone missile strikes in Pakistan, interviewing around 80 villagers at the sites of 10 of the deadliest attacks over the past 18 months in North Waziristan, the main sanctuary for militants in the rugged tribal region along the Afghan border. Details from those accounts are included below…”

    I would note that the above AP article makes the US government’s official position of no civilian/collateral deaths absurd.

    “AP IMPACT: New light on drone war’s death toll

    American drone strikes inside Pakistan are killing far fewer civilians than many in the country are led to believe, according to a rare on-the-ground investigation by The Associated Press of 10 of the deadliest attacks in the past 18 months.

    The widespread perception in Pakistan that civilians, not militants, are the principal victims – a view that is fostered by leading right-wing politicians, clerics and the fighters themselves – fuels pervasive anti-American sentiment and, some argue, has swelled the ranks of al-Qaida and the Taliban…”

    I would note that this second AP article also makes US government’s official position of no civilian/collateral deaths absurd. As in: 30% of the deaths “were either civilians or tribal police”.

    In both articles, anonymous US officials are in complete denial that any civilians have ever been killed and they base their denials on the ultimate in human insults: Ignorance!

  19. MadDog says:

    @MadDog: Even more OT – Another AP article about how the Pakistanis are in the process of demolishing OBL’s “palace” also mentions this additional US drone news:

    “…A suspected U.S. drone crashed Saturday in the North Waziristan tribal area, the main sanctuary for militants along the border, said Pakistani intelligence officials and local residents.

    The unmanned aircraft went down near Mir Ali, one of the main towns in North Waziristan, said the intelligence officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.

    The drone caught fire after it hit the ground and was believed to have crashed because of technical problems, they said.

    Local resident Nasir Khan said he saw the burning debris from the roof of his home in the Machi Khel area. It was about 500 yards (meters) from his house…”

  21. Susan says:

    @Benjamin Franklin: kinda hard to believe that Saddam didn’t want his enemies to know that there were NO WMDs…. because he went on live TV (Channel 4, Britain) and publicly stated that he had NO WMDs. I believe he did it more than once, but don’t have the other sources.

  22. shekissesfrogs says:

    You’ve identified the perfect place to plan nefarious activities. Pious muslim terrorists now have an alternative to topless bars.

  23. EJ says:

    @Jack Parsons: Um, no.

    Islam originated in the Arabian Peninsula, which was at the time mostly pagan. Historically, conversion of Christians to Islam was only common in Europe and a few other areas such as Egypt, but this happened long after the dietary laws were formulated. They are most likely partially based on Jewish law (though there are a lot of differences between kashrut and halal). Regardless, Christianity don’t enter into it.

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