An inventor at the root of the New York mosque matter?

In previous posts, IPBiz has discussed "American Inventor" and similar television shows.

In 2006, one Francisco Patino was a contestant on "American Inventor," presenting a dual-passenger bicycle. Although encouraged by a guest appearance by Lance Armstrong, Patino didn't win.

However, watching the show was one Sharif el-Gamal, who viewed the program from a floor-model TV while shopping at a Sharper Image. Discussing this viewing, Sharif noted on 18 Aug 2010: "I saw him on TV and I like him."

The rest of the story was reported in the Daily News:

Gamal hired Patino and presented him with a map of the Financial District. The teen's orders were to scout out properties that might be suitable for an Islamic community center.

"I told him to go out and find available buildings for the project, and he did," Gamal said. "He's a phenomenal kid. ... He's a good one."

Patino compiled a list that came to include the old Burlington Coat Factory on Park Place. The owner said that by happy chance, it was being shown the following day.

See also

Mosque Developer Claims A Classic NYC Background including the text:

As El-Gamal tells it, he dispatched a young employee named Francisco Patino to scout possible locations. Patino, a former contestant on an ABC reality game show called "American Inventor," came back with a list that included a former Burlington Coat Factory warehouse empty since it was damaged in the 9/11 attacks. It took another four years to buy the property.

In passing, the Daily News did not like "American Inventor" back in 2006:

http://ipbiz.blogspot.com/2006/03/daily-news-if-american-inventor-were.html