NYPD’s tracking of Muslims in their places of worship has caused a lot of uproar in recent weeks.  However, it seems that even the mosques being followed manage to find the silver lining.

Masjid Ibrahim, a mosque in Newark, NJ, is one of several mosques listed in NYPD’s secret surveillance report.  The mosque’s Imam, Mustafa El-Amin, has found a way to leverage this situation into a useful tactic for attracting new members and promoting a positive view of Muslims.

The mosque’s new advetisement’s headline states: “NYPD surveillance of Muslim Community”, and says that there’s no need for secret surveillance of Muslims by the New York Police Department or any other agency because, “We have nothing to hide. Our doors are open.”

Imam El Amin says of his ad initiative “You have to be innovative, when something concerns you or your community, It’s not purely advertising; it’s to state unequivocally that we have nothing to hide.