NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Police Department recommended increasing surveillance of thousands of Shiite Muslims and their mosques, based solely on their religion, as a way to sweep the Northeast for signs of Iranian terrorists, according to interviews and a newly obtained secret police document. The document offers a rare glimpse into the thinking of NYPD intelligence officers and how, when looking for potential threats, they focused their spying efforts on mosques and Muslims. Police analysts listed a... Read more

NEW YORK (AP) — A secret police document shows that the New York Police Department recommended increasing surveillance of thousands of Muslims and their mosques based solely on their religion. The Associated Press obtained a copy of a May 2006 NYPD intelligence report on Iran. It says police should expand clandestine operations at Shiite mosques. It then lists mosques around the U.S. Northeast. Mayor Michael Bloomberg has said the NYPD never considers religion in its policing. Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly... Read more

WASHINGTON (AP) — On the defensive, the Obama administration Thursday scrambled to explain its requirement that church-affiliated employers cover birth control as House Speaker John Boehner called it unconstitutional and demanded immediate reconsideration. Under President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul law, most employers and insurance plans will have to cover birth control free of charge as a preventive service for women. The administration already ruled that churches and houses of worship do not have to follow that requirement, but officials... Read more

WASHINGTON (AP) — On the defensive, the Obama administration Thursday scrambled to explain its requirement that church-affiliated employers cover birth control as the leader of the U.S. House of Representatives called it unconstitutional and demanded immediate reconsideration. Under President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul law, most employers and insurance plans will have to cover birth control free of charge as a preventive service for women. The Democratic-led administration already ruled that churches and houses of worship do not have to... Read more

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Police Department recommended increasing surveillance of thousands of Shiite Muslims and their mosques, based solely on their religion, as a way to sweep the Northeast for signs of Iranian terrorists, according to interviews and a newly obtained secret police document. The document offers a rare glimpse into the thinking of NYPD intelligence officers and how, when looking for potential threats, they focused their spying efforts on mosques and Muslims. Police analysts listed a... Read more

NEW YORK (AP) — A secret police document shows that the New York Police Department recommended increasing surveillance of thousands of Muslims and their mosques based solely on their religion. The Associated Press obtained a copy of a May 2006 NYPD intelligence report on Iran. It says police should expand clandestine operations at Shiite mosques. It then lists mosques around the Northeast. Mayor Michael Bloomberg has said the NYPD never considers religion in its policing. Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly has... Read more

CAIRO (AP) — One of the Arab world’s best known Egyptian comedians has been sentenced to three months in jail for offending Islam, a judge said Thursday, in the latest such case against a high-profile figure, underlining concerns about freedom of expression in Egypt. The judge confirmed that Adel Imam, a veteran actor who first starred in a play in 1964, was convicted in absentia of insulting the religion. The judge said Imam can appeal. He spoke on condition of... Read more

WASHINGTON (AP) — Blending politics and religion, President Barack Obama said his Christian faith is a driving force behind his economic policies, from Wall Street reform to his calls for the wealthy to pay higher taxes. Obama’s remarks Thursday at the National Prayer Breakfast were his most explicit account of how his personal religious beliefs factor into his decision-making on the nation’s pressing problems. The comments came amid election-year criticism from Catholic groups and some Republicans that the president is... Read more

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama linked his economic policies to his Christian faith, saying on Thursday that meeting the nation’s challenges requires strong values as much as smart policies. Obama, making his third appearance as president at the breakfast, used his remarks to justify many of his actions, such as his call for the wealthy to pay more in taxes and his health care overhaul. He said they were not only economically sound but also rooted in his Christian... Read more

KUWAIT CITY (AP) — Opposition groups in Kuwait urged for high voter turnout Thursday in parliamentary elections that could increase the voice of government critics — including hard-line Islamists factions — in one of the West’s main Gulf allies. The outcome is widely expected to bring gains for groups that include both liberals inspired by the Arab Spring and Islamic-guided blocs that favor strict rules such as banning women from taking part in international sporting events. A stronger political hold... Read more