Muslims Petition Attorney General For NYPD Probe

By Omar Sacirbey
Religion News Service

(RNS) More than 30 Muslim and legal advocacy groups are urging New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman to investigate the New York City Police Department after the second scandal in as many weeks involving Muslim Americans.

On Thursday (Feb. 2), The Associated Press reported that it had obtained a secret 2006 NYPD report, "U.S.-Iran Conflict: The Threat to New York City," which recommended that officers "expand and focus intelligence" at Shiite mosques.

The previous week, it was revealed that a documentary film that critics say demonizes Muslims was shown in 2010 to nearly 1,500 police officers during anti-terrorism training. Several months earlier, NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said only a small number of police officers had viewed "The Third Jihad," sparking charges of a cover-up and calls for NYPD Commissioner Raymond Kelly and Browne to resign.

The two incidents show "the need to hold the NYPD accountable for its flagrant use of discriminatory policing practices has never been more glaring and urgent," Muslim groups said in a Friday letter to Schneiderman.

Farhana Khera, executive director of San Francisco-based Muslim Advocates, which spearheaded the letter, said city officials had lost trustworthiness, and could not be counted on to conduct a credible investigation.

"The mayor's office and the City Council have been asked repeatedly to hold the NYPD accountable, and they have not done so," Khera said. "It's time for the state to get involved."

Calls and emails to the NYPD and Schneiderman's office were not returned. In October, several state senators called on Schneiderman to investigate the NYPD after reports that they were racially profiling and spying on Muslims.

Comments

[James Jacob]

09:16 PM on 02/27/2012

As a Christian, I see this as one more example of how the USA is becoming increasingly antogonistic towards people of faith. Beware my friends, Christians, Jews. Taoists....we're next if we don't speak out against this Nazi-like attack on religion and religious freedom.

[nsaff94]

06:08 PM on 02/20/2012

I'd like to question the "moderate" nature of the mosques and groups that the NYPD was supposedly surveilling. I'm sure all of you will remember Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf of the so-termed "ground zero mosque," who was sold to us as a thoroughly "moderate Muslim." Well, maybe he was a "moderate." He was a moderate who blamed US policies for what happened on September 11th, saying that Bin Laden and the evil ideology that he preaches was a direct result of US foreign policy. He was a moderate who refused to call Hamas what it is: a brutal, evil and dictatorial regime that regularly engages in terrorism. He was a moderate who called on the US foreign policy establishment to respect the 1979 "islamic revolution," and, even worse, to respect the "Vilayet-i-faquih," a theory of governance developed by Ruhollah Khomeini that claims all the people of Iran are to be under the "stewardship" of theocratic fascists.

If these mosques that the NYPD has been looking at are the same breed of "moderate" as Imam Rauf, then the NYPD is correct to be doing what they are, and we ought to applaud them.

[GustavoRejivik]

04:14 PM on 02/18/2012

Another thwarted mass bombing attempt by Muslims... this time on our National Mall..

Where's the coverage here??

Islam isn't being unfairly profiled... they are commiting these terrorist acts!!

[Jan Allen McDaniel]

01:01 PM on 02/18/2012

This story continues to produce fallout, and an historical comparison of our government's response to Islamist and Communist propaganda:

"FBI Purges Hundreds of Terrorism Documents in Islamophobia Probe

By Spencer Ackerman February 15, 2012

http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2012/02/hundreds-fbi-documents-muslims/

"In December 1973, when I was still in the Soviet Union, The Gulag Archipelago was published in the West. VOA — or, rather, one VOA announcer — read an excerpt from Gulag on the air.

Immediately, Radio Moscow started screaming that VOA had no right to interfere in the internal affairs of the Soviet Union, that the broadcast had fouled the international atmosphere.

And what did VOA do? With the agreement of the State Department, it took the announcer off that assignment and forbade the reading of The Gulag Archipelago to Russia! More, for several years it was forbidden to quote Solzhenitsyn on VOA, so as not to discredit Communist propaganda.

http://www.nationalreview.com/nroriginals/print/?q=MmFlYWNiMzNmNTliMjcyOTFlZGZmMzc0OGMzMjVhZDU=

That's from Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, "The Soft Voice of America,"

http://www.jihadwatch.org/2012/02/once-the-state-department-always-the-state-department.html

[GotPC]

08:45 AM on 02/13/2012

Ossit wrote:
"There's something terribly wrong with you and others who judge all Muslims for the acts of a few Islamic Extremists who don't own Islam."
- How are you sure that Extremists are not following the true teachings of religion? I can argue that they are.

[Robert Cat]

04:12 PM on 02/08/2012

We aren't crazy to be fearful of Muslims. Sharia Law, which they all want to live under if they could, after all it's their religious law, is brutal, violent, and oppressive.

See this video about the violent oppression of women in Islam.

http://terrorismawareness.org/videos/108/the-violent-oppression-of-women-in-islam/

[Vlad Roudenko]

04:03 PM on 02/19/2012

Islam is oppressive to women? Why do so many women in western world convert to Islam every year?

[volanj]

12:30 AM on 02/21/2012

Because they are idiots.

[James Jacob]

09:06 PM on 02/27/2012

Sharia Law-----Blue Laws. Explain the difference Robert?

[Ossit]

01:45 PM on 02/06/2012

LOL! Let me rephrase. Mom didn't have a couple Jamaicans. She had a couple Jamaican women friends. Darn fat finger syndrome. Oh I forgot! When I was a kid I lived with one of my teachers who showed me how nice it is to live in the country, and her oldest son was married to a lovely woman who was from Belfast Ireland. She left because of the fighting. I loved hearing her speak.

Who have my e-mail friends been from? England, China, India, England, Japan. I had a Spanish teacher who was Cuban but raised in Spain, and a French tutor who was an Egyptian but raised in France.I think I'm a heck of a lot more qualified to speak about people because I've met or e-mailed a lot more different kinds. I don't depend on News Media to choose for me who to like OR defend.

[GotPC]

08:40 AM on 02/13/2012

Sorry to burst your bubble but I am from ME and you know nothing about that part of the world or it's people other than emailing and some school friendships.

[Ossit]

09:45 AM on 02/14/2012

School friendships tell a lot because I know from personal experience that Middle Easterns and those from other villainized countries aren't villains. E-mailing people from around the world has also taught me that those countries the U.S. hates now don't contain all mean people. You've had experience with none of that choosing to allow adverse propaganda to make your decisions about people, GotPC.

[Ossit]

01:25 PM on 02/06/2012

I've known Palestinians, Lebanese, Iranian, Pakistani, Arab, South and Central Americans and you know what? Never met a mean one in the bunch. In fourth grade I met my first Canadian and a girl from Trinidad and Tobago, and mom had a couple Jamaican women who made me an awesome hand woven letter box. Poor thing fell apart I wore it out too much. Man. What a burden I have actually knowing these people, going to school with them, knowing that they're not all Media hype, and people still insist on hating them. So to Carlene who asked what good have Middle Easterns in particulary have going for them? Actually knowing the good ones. It's a heavy load on me knowing that most Americans have no desire to get to know good ones and prefer propaganda hype. Oh one more thing. How many blasted times does this lily white girl of European stock have to tell people she's not Muslim? The question is so annoyingly rude!

[setanta54]

11:35 PM on 02/07/2012

and you state you know middle easterners ? LOL--they come in all colours and shades and some are lily white too.
and why do they ask you are you muslim ? search the term taqiyah and it's not that hat definition either.

[Ossit]

03:41 AM on 02/08/2012

I went to school with them for three years so I know them up close, setanta54, I've had Lebanese friends, Arab friends, and I'm friendly with two Palestinians at the corner Convenient. My Lebanese friend was lilly white, with brown hair and eyes. His real name was Michael, and he spoke perfect English even though he was born in Lebanon. Startled me as much as a blond haired blue-eyed Cuban I met once. Very interesting about taqiyah. To lessen the blow of Anti-Semitism many Jews had to do that. Some had to change their last names because of it. People ask me if I'm Muslim in not so pleasant ways because I defend the good Muslims. For some reason they think one has to be a certain thing, to defend it and think I'm some radical.

[Ossit]

03:44 AM on 02/08/2012

I went to private school that had foreign kids, mostly from Iran. There was one, who was my best friend, who lived in Saudi Arabia, who was Pakistani, too, setanta54.

[Ossit]

12:06 PM on 02/06/2012

your cause will continue to be construed as "just another ticked off Muslim who wants to spread hate towards the Americans."

Carlene, dear, do you honestly believe my preaching against discrimination will bring about more hatred toward Americans? Do you think my going to boarding school with foreign kids including Middle Easterns for three years, having Middle Eastern friends, and seeing them as just like everyone else will inspire hate towards Americans and that I'm "just another ticked off Muslim"? Oh gosh I have to get and walk around my house a bit because I just can't type while I'm laughing so hard....okay I'm back. What I am, honey is one "ticked off" Anglo of European stock who preaches against discrimination.

[Puncastle]

01:50 AM on 02/06/2012

If you think Imams in New York sit around planning terror attacks, then you either watch too many movies or watch too much Fox News.

Here's what Imams in New York are really up to:

http://www.nytimes.com/1988/01/23/nyregion/muslims-start-patrol-to-fight-crack-in-brooklyn.html?pagewanted=print&src=pm

Check the date.

[bokhattak]

10:30 AM on 02/07/2012

Good article. Bed-stuy is still crazy but not like it was back then.

[setanta54]

11:41 PM on 02/07/2012

whoa......the IRA was knee capping the drug dealers and cleaned out dublin etc---think that made them ""acceptable"" to more ??? LOL
and the orthodox jews in bklyn have their patrols long before any imans had a store front mosque.
so the imans walk around shooing the dealers over to another area. and ?

[Puncastle]

01:35 AM on 02/08/2012

''If they can get the drug dealers out, we can keep them out,'' he said. ''We're doing this step by step, block by block. We hope this will give people hope.'' Deputy Chief Thomas Gallagher of the Brooklyn Patrol North, said: ''We are cooperating with them. We set up guidelines that they could not do anything illegal, and we think what they are doing is a laudable idea. If every community did this, it would make our job that much easier.''

Iman means faith, incidentally. Imam is the leader of a congregation.

[Omega2012]

11:45 PM on 02/05/2012

Do not drink the kool-aid.

[Puncastle]

04:00 AM on 02/06/2012

Kool-Aid is good stuff. You've got sugar, red food coloring and lots of artificial flavoring and preservatives.

[Omega2012]

11:52 AM on 02/06/2012

And Cyanide, did you get the Jim Jones reference.

[Ossit]

10:42 PM on 02/05/2012

I'm sick of Americans trashing Middle Easterns because they go on propaganda and approve of NYPD discrimination because of their damned paranoia. NOT every Muslim is a terrorist and I'm tired of people defending their actions while shouting "My civil rights were violated" when something happens to them based on ethnicity or religion! Until I hear more sympathetic Americans other than me who won't be controlled by the Press and express outrage over this discrimination of American born Middle Easterns who AREN'T responsible for the acts of other Middle Easterns who are violent, is the day I won't hold most Americans responsible for perpetuating this discrimination..

I'm especially sick and damn tired of Americans squawking about Freedom when they bash those who refuse to think and say what they want, diminishing their freedom of dissent. That's what America is for, having the freedom to dissent, to speak out against discrimination no matter how unpopular it is.

One poster got outraged because I preach not judging all for the acts of the few and he got angry because I judge all Americans on this Middle Eastern thing. It's really hard not to when I'm the only one with the clear vision to NOT give into Muslim bashing propaganda because they're scared to death of not being liked for having the freedom to have an unpopular sympathy.

[Jan Allen McDaniel]

05:52 PM on 02/07/2012

One poster got outraged because I preach not judging all for the acts of the few and he got angry because I judge all Americans on this Middle Eastern thing. It's really hard not to when I'm the only one with the clear vision to NOT give into Muslim bashing propaganda because they're scared to death of not being liked for having the freedom to have an unpopular sympathy.
=========

If I take your word for it, you are a truly wonderful, liberal, visionary, non-judgemental, courageous, non paranoid, non discriminatory, sympathetic--did I leave out any of your self-identified good qualities?--person. Modest, too--although just a tad preachy and long winded.

judging all for the acts of the few
========

Sometimes this is proper--we think the courage of the acts of the few founders of our nation is reflected on the many Americans of that time who agreed with and supported the founders, don't we?

It is entirely proper to judge Muslims by the acts of those few who act in accordance with Islamic doctrine, isn't it? Or is someone else responsible for those doctrines of jihad and dominance?

[bokhattak]

06:14 AM on 02/08/2012

Are you actually bad-mouthing someone for being tolerant? Are you that vitriolic that compassion and tolerance actually offend you?

Casting militaristic jihad and dominance as Islamic doctrines is a politically-motivated lie and you know it.

[Joel Mendez]

03:23 PM on 02/08/2012

"It is entirely proper to judge Muslims by the acts of those few who act in accordance with Islamic doctrine, isn't it?" OK. if you're a christian, then i hold you personally responsible for the inquisition, the murder of Taino Indians, the Salem Witch Trials, the Crusades, priestly pedophilia, the persecution of Jews, and every other atrocity committed by the RCC and any christian sect, since you're acting in accordance with christian doctrine.

i also hold you to account for the genocide of the midianites, the rape of their underage virgins, and the enslavement of various tribes that warred with the Jews in the OT.

and before you start talking $h!t, i've read the bible in its entirety more than once, so don't think you can pick and choose which passages you prefer. everything i said above is real, the RCC or other xtian groups did it, and they need to pay for what they've done. Which means YOU need to pay for what they've done. that'll be 10% of your income for the rest of your life please. oh, and if it's not covered by then, then it's 10% of your children's income, their children, and so on, until YOU personally, provide just compensation to the descendants of those killed by the RCC and its splinter groups.

i got apples for ya.

[setanta54]

10:13 AM on 02/08/2012

why aren't you as outraged over the silence from the muslims denouncing the daily acts of violence globally against the infidels ? we're supposed to believe this is an anomaly ? please.
these are not the acts of a FEW.
so why can't they speak out ? is it due to the quranic virtues that speaking out against islam is apostasy ? and of course we all must accomodate them.

[Ossit]

10:34 AM on 02/10/2012

There've been lots of Muslims outraged over the global violence but they're not heard and there's nothing that they can really personally do about it, and it's not their responsibility to do anything. They don't control others' actions. Those who are silent, why should I be outraged over their silence, setanta54? It's not up to me to dictate their behavior. I'm not their Keeper and they're not mine. Islamic Extremists don't own Islam any more than Fundamentalist Christians own Christianity.

Don't you expect to be accomodated? What makes you so darn special?

[Doug Sandlin]

09:41 PM on 02/05/2012

A lot of people have some very strong opinions about Muslims ... and are directing a lot of energy toward Muslims, based on the idea of keeping Americans safe.

If you really want to do some good, though, maybe direct your focus toward:

1. Sharks
2. Lightning
3. Deer

..... they all kill more Americans every year than Muslim terrorists do.

PS - If you think anti-Muslims get kinda crazy ...... check this out, from a well-known anti-Deer pundit ....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MoMXovAuCKA

[sloop uk]

12:16 PM on 02/06/2012

You won't be spouting that if there's an Islamic bomb.
A thermo-nuclear blast- coming to a city near you...

[bokhattak]

10:35 AM on 02/07/2012

He's able to spout that because that bomb doesn't exist and isn't headed to his city... or yours.

[bokhattak]

10:33 AM on 02/07/2012

Check out the WITS tool on nctc.gov. Eco-terrorism attacks were twice as common as Islamic terrorism attacks since NCTC started recording this data in 2004. Even then, there were about a dozen eco-terrorism attacks since 2004.

Great link on deer-terrorism though. LOL

[Antifish]

09:26 PM on 02/05/2012

Here is some real data, not the propaganda Doug is spouting.

"A significant minority (21%) of Muslim Americans say there is a great deal (6%) or a fair amount (15%) of support for extremism in the Muslim American community."

http://www.people-press.org/2011/08/30/muslim-americans-no-signs-of-growth-in-alienation-or-support-for-extremism/?src=prc-headline

That's 1 in 5 Muslim AMERICANS. Keep up the good work NYPD!

[Puncastle]

01:45 AM on 02/06/2012

Your data is skewed.

In 2011, a Gallup poll found that 93% of Muslim Americans considered themselves loyal to the United States.

That's 9.3 out of 10!!!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Muslim

[Puncastle]

08:35 AM on 02/06/2012

And incidentally, 93% was higher than all other religions.

[Antifish]

10:20 AM on 02/06/2012

It's not my data, it's the Pew Research Center's data and the question was not loyalty it was support for extremism. Try a course in reading comprehension.

[bokhattak]

10:39 AM on 02/07/2012

Look at the actual question asked. That's 21% that believe there is a great deal or a fair amount of support for extremism. That's not 21% that support extremism.

The question asked tries to have the participant theorize as to the beliefs of others. That's not real information, that's suspicion and fear.

[USA now]

03:27 PM on 02/05/2012

I’m really getting tired of these people. If they don’t like the way we do things in the USA, they are free TO GET OUT and go back to their WRETCHED lives in those slum countries. If they are going to live in America, they had better start living like Americans. Of course we are profiling them and infiltrating their mosques, that’s where they are harboring terrorists.

[maternatura]

06:45 PM on 02/05/2012

Do you personally know any Muslims? Have you talked to them?

[Jan Allen McDaniel]

06:57 PM on 02/07/2012

Did Imam Anwar Awlaki and others like him openly admit to their real convictions while still living in America?

Why would any Muslim who wants to continue living in America be candid about their beliefs to a non Muslim or to a Muslim who disagreed? If I lived in a Muslim majority country and had a low opinion of Islam, I would certainly keep it to myself.

maternatura seems a bit naive.

[Doug Sandlin]

07:35 PM on 02/05/2012

What is your basis for those opinions?

There's no actual sign that American Muslims are harboring terrorists at mosques --- American Muslims have actual been the number one source for reporting terrorist plots to authorities.

http://sanford.duke.edu/centers/tcths/about/documents/Kurzman_Muslim-American_Terrorism_Since_911_An_Accounting.pdf