Alleged NYC Muslim cabbie slasher works at pro-Ground Zero mosque group

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• 8/25/10, "Alleged anti-Muslim attacker works at pro-Park 51 group," Politico, by Ben Smith

"The apparent anti-Muslim assault on a New York city cabbie by a man shouting “Assalamu Alaikum. Consider this a checkpoint" produced an immediate round of recriminations over its connection to opposition to a New York Islamic Center and an apparent rising tide of Islamophobia.

• But as often at the intersection of politics and violent crime,
  
• the story doesn't appear to fit any easy stereotype: The alleged assailant, Michael Enright, is — according to his Facebook profile and the website
  

of the left-leaning media organization Intersections International — a student at the School of Visual Arts and a volunteer for Intersections,

• which recently produced a statement of support for the Park51 project (the Ground Zero mosque)
  

and is funded by the mainstream, liberal Collegiate Church of New York....

Police described Enright as a resident of Brewster, 21 years old, and an employee of an "Internet media company who had recently spent time with a combat unit in Afghanistan filming military exercises until this past May."

His Facebook picture, above, appears to show him in Afghanistan. The page describes him as a cinematographer and photographer for Intersections."

• From WSJ.com, 8/25

"On its website, that organization (Intersections International) describes itself as a "New York-based global initiative dedicated to promoting justice, reconciliation and peace across lines of faith, culture, ideology, race, class, national borders and other boundaries that divide humanity."

• The organization has publicly supported the proposed mosque near Ground Zero.

Intersections International confirmed that Mr. Enright did volunteer work for the group in video production and editing. Sara Reef, a program director for the group, said she didn't work closely with Mr. Enright, but that he had a good reputation at the nonprofit organization.

• "He was a good guy," she said. "He got along with my colleagues.""...

8/26, "Student charged with hate crime in slashing," WSJ.com, by Gardiner and El-Ghobashy
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