Fox Report On Islamic Center Developer Falls Short

The Fox affiliate in New York, WNYW-TV, is running what it purports to be an investigation into the developer behind the lower Manhattan Islamic Center, Sharif el-Gamal. The report first aired last night, but Fox News is now showing it nationwide.

The lengthy piece includes a reporter chasing el-Gamal down for an interview and offers revelations such as the fact that he worked at two major New York restaurants and “relished the opportunity to shmooze the high-dollar clientel,” according to one restaurant owner.

It also reports he later went into real estate and even includes a shadowy figure who anonymously badmouths el-Gamal with a voice-disguised commentary reminiscent of a Mafia-turncoat, but who offers no evidence of any wrongdoing.

Fox also reports that he has since purchased several buildings in Manhattan, but provides no information on the funding while gladly speculating it must have come from questionable sources since he will not reveal it and one real estate expert contends: “I don't think he has a lot of money,” but offers no sourcing for such a comment.

One reporter is shown again chasing el-Gamal down and asking why he won't talk to them. Maybe because of Fox's consistent slanted and inaccurate coverage of the story.

A look back through CNN coverage shows el-Gamal gladly gave that network an interview in July and seemed to have no problem answering its quesitons.