Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Pro-Muslim Subway Ads Linked to Controversial Imam
By
John Del Signore
Published Jul 21, 2008
Modified Jul 21, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
John Del Signore
Published Jul 21, 2008
Modified Jul 21, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
The Post has some fun stoking readers’ xenophobia with a story today about an upcoming subway ad campaign promoting Islam during Ramadan. Besides the predictable puns (“Train-ing Day for Jihadists,” “Allah board!” and “G-had train”), the story points to a connection between the “proselytizing” ad campaign and terrorism, an assertion based on a YouTube video intended to raise funds for the "You Deserve to Know" Subway Project.
One of the talking heads in the promotional video is Siraj Wahhaj, an African-American Imam of Al-Taqwa mosque in Brooklyn. Wahhaj was named as one of 170 un-indicted co-conspirators in the case against Omar Abdel-Rahman, the blind Muslim serving a life sentence for the World Trade Center bombing in 1993. Wahhaj was never charged, but did serve as a character witness for Abdel-Rahaman’s defense.
The Post has it that Wahhaj has referred to the FBI and CIA as the "real terrorists" and sermonized that "in time, this so-called democracy will crumble, and there will be nothing, and the only thing that will remain will be Islam.” Yeah, probably not the best choice for a campaign to counter "Islamaphobia." Of course Wahhaj does strike a less inflammatory tone in the Subway Project video, seeking donations by asking viewers to imagine millions of subway riders “seeing the name Mohammad. Imagine them seeing the word Islam. Imagine them seeing the word hijab.”
Tagged
ads
islam
muslim
Siraj Wahhaj
subway
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Pressure grows on Mamdani to reform admissions to NYC specialized high schools
A former top-school official will join councilmembers and other prominent educators at an event focused on specialized high schools.
By
Elizabeth Kim
Published Oct 26, 2026 at 4:03 p.m. ET
Police search for man in Central Park sexual assault
A 39-year-old woman was attacked near East 66th Street and Fifth Avenue on Saturday night, police said. No arrests had been made as of Monday.
By
Charles Lane
News
Police search for man in Central Park sexual assault
A 39-year-old woman was attacked near East 66th Street and Fifth Avenue on Saturday night, police said. No arrests had been made as of Monday.
By
Charles Lane
Rockefeller Center's 2026 Christmas tree is a 76-foot spruce from Upstate New York
By
Giulia Heyward
‘A killer cop lives here’: Brooklyn arrests raise questions about limits of free speech
By
Ben Feuerherd
What to expect and avoid in NYC’s Halloween, voting, marathon and daylight saving weekend
By
Catalina Gonella
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .