Last year, the department said it had shown the film The Third Jihad only "a couple of times," but a Freedom of Information Act request from The New York Times reveals that it was a whole lot more than that. The film's basic message is that most of the Muslims here in the United States and the West are out to bring down Western society in what it says is the "third jihad" (following a first such campaign at the time of Mohammed and a second in the Middle Ages). It starts with footage of protesters burning American flags and an American-accented preacher lauding suicide bombers as heroes, and then gets into some real scare tactic imagery such as an Islamic flag flying over the White House. The film also includes an interview with Police Commissioner Ray Kelly. 

Following the Associated Press' big investigation into the department's spying on the city's Muslim communities, which prompted Muslim leaders to boycott Mayor Michael Bloomberg's interfaith breakfast, there's a good chance this news will give those critical of the department's attitudes toward Muslims even more reason to think the police are out to get them. 

The Third Jihad: Radical Islam's Vision for America from Clarion Fund on Vimeo.

Want to add to this story? Let us know in comments or send an email to the author at amartin at theatlantic dot com. You can share ideas for stories on the Open Wire.
Adam Martin