Exclusive | Muslim group that hawked Hamas and other terror trinkets scores $85K taxpayer handout via NYC Council

A Muslim nonprofit with strong ties to NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani was awarded $85,000 in taxpayer dough through the City Council – despite coming under fire in January for hosting a Brooklyn fundraiser featuring a twisted array of trinkets promoting Hamas and other terror groups.The Muslim American Society of Brooklyn and Staten Island received $70,000 in Council “discretionary funds” from Democrat Kayla Santosuosso, who represents Bay Ridge and parts of southern Brooklyn. The remaining $15,000 in political pork was dished out by Alexa Avilés (D-Brooklyn), whose district includes Red Hook and Sunset Park.The funds were awarded despite City Council Speaker Julie Menin expressing shock in January upon learning the terrorist swag was being peddled by the nonprofit that previously received $265,000 in Council funds over three years under her predecessor, ex-Speaker Adrienne Adams.Menin, the Council’s first Jewish speaker, told The Post at the time she would block $80,000 in funds that had yet to be paid out to the MAS pending an investigation by city lawyers – and potentially future funding for the nonprofit.Council spokesman Yoav Gonen said the legislative body’s Office of the General Counsel conducted an investigation and “found no affiliation” between the nonprofit and the vendor “that sold the controversial merchandise,” adding that MAS ended its relationship with vendor Thrift For Gaza.“The nonprofit’s funding was restored after its leadership committed in writing to enhanced screening and prevention protocols for all future vendors using its space,” he said.Councilwoman and staunch Zionist Inna Vernikov (R-Brooklyn) said “individual members get to decide what groups get their discretionary dollars, but funding nonprofits that appear to flat out support designated terrorist organizations and spread radical, Jew-hating propaganda is far beyond the pale and potentially illegal.” “And if this was some kind of an alleged hiccup, did ...