"Mr. Browne said several callers reported seeing men clicking hand-held counting devices while riding on subway trains or waiting on platforms. The callers said that the men appeared to be Muslims and that they seemed to be counting the number of people boarding subway trains or the number of trains passing through a station. They feared the men might be collecting data to maximize the casualties in a terror attack. But when the police looked into the claims, they determined that the men were counting prayers with the devices, essentially a modern version of rosary beads. The counters are a common item in the Islamic shops on Atlantic Avenue in Downtown Brooklyn, where they sell for $5 to $8. Ali Mohammed, 44, a Brooklyn grocery owner who was shopping on Atlantic Avenue recently, said many Muslims use a tally counter as they repeat the many names of God. “Anybody’s dress, anybody’s behavior or outlook, it can be suspicious to anybody,” Mr. Mohammed said. “But especially if they’re Muslim, somebody is going to be suspicious.”" (thanks Ahmad)