Last week, a troubling piece of news came to the fore, announcing the NYPD's initiative to promote security through a wide surveillance of New York's Muslims and community institutions. Some of the City's Muslim leaders acted swiftly, questioning the constitutionality of such monitoring. The Police Commissioner and the Mayor continue to insist that no laws have been broken, and they have acted in concert with advice from lawyers. Commissioner Kelly also discounted the criticisms of "so-called civil liberties groups."
If it is all legal, then why is it a problem? One issue is the sense of powerlessness and fear that such surveillance engenders. Police surveillance of any space, whether it is a building or a bar, suggests that something about that space is a cause for concern. We assume that the police, as a law enforcement agency, are there watching out because something illegal has happened there. Common sense tells me that if my place of worship is being watched by the police for terrorism, it is not a place that I should go to. Since the news report last week suggested that every single mosque in New York City had been canvassed and "crawled," then effectively, there is no mosque in New York City that the police deem safe from terrorism. It seems there is no mosque that I should consider safe for me and my family.
For observant Muslims, drifting away from the mosque creates spiritual dislocation and disconnection from the community. There is also a cost to religious freedom, a growing sense that our choices are constrained. For someone like me, who has grown up in the United States and has a sense of belonging outside the mosque, the loss of not attending the mosque is serious but in a different way. For newer immigrants who feel estranged and rely on their mosque for a sense of belonging, direction, and rootedness, the consequence of staying away is potentially greater alienation. In addition, newer immigrants who come from countries where police are heavy-handed are even more likely to stay away if they believe the police secretly watch the mosque. Given that the NYPD has theorized a role for alienation in radicalization, its initiative to monitor every mosque could ultimately produce the very problem that it claims is a factor in "home-grown" terrorism -- more alienation.
Another problem is that the news of NYPD's use of CIA professionals and CIA-informed methods comes at a low point in its relationship with key community leaders, who increasingly feel marginalized by the Police Commissioner. Many of these organizations and individuals came together to form the Muslim American Civil Liberties Coalition to respond to the NYPD Report on Radicalization, released in 2008. There is a growing frustration among these leaders about the NYPD's lack of accountability and transparency. Since 2009, leaders have been asking for access to the curriculum the NYPD uses to teach its officers about Islam and Muslims. The requests have been ignored and leaders became more annoyed with recent news about the use of "The Third Jihad" as background video in a training break for cadets. They have asked for websites that the NYPD lists as inciting terrorism. That has also been ignored. They asked about the use of informants. They did not get a response. Without such information, community leaders are unable to make a determination as to whether the Police is an ally, and whether it will do right by the community. The relationship is growing less collegial, with coalition leaders turning increasingly away from dialogue as a viable option, towards media advocacy and considering lawsuits against the NYPD as a more suitable remedy.
Trust is the basis of any partnership. It is generated when partners take the time to listen to each other, to accept each others' concerns as legitimate and real. In a relationship where there is a clear imbalance of institutional power, such as police having more power than the community, it becomes incumbent on the party with more power to do more of the listening. Listening is required in order to exercise power and authority with justice. Listening and the trust that it engenders can go a long way to create a partnership that will benefit not just the NYPD, but ultimately all of New York.
By ignoring legitimate questions, dismissing community concerns as polemics, and leaving it to investigative journalists to expose its questionable programs, the NYPD has shown a shaky commitment to real and honest partnership. It has shown how little it trusts the Muslim community. Let's just hope that the currently fractured relationship can be reversed, and it doesn't turn into a liability. Our collective safety depends upon it.
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mosques are nothing more than a breeding ground for terrorists.
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yh-sm4ICE3g&feature=fvst
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igX7Z8VstN4
- http://www.infowars.com/you-only-believe-the-official-911-story-because-you-don%e2%80%99t-know-the-official-911-story/
http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Three-churches-attacked-in-less-than-a-month-6180.html
For instance what is the point in announcing that they are watching activity at a particular website for
gathering intelligence on extremists. Why do you wish to know this information in the first place?
Again critically evaluate what your are doing. Prioritize. There is no point asking questions which are sensationalist but does not move your cause one bit. You wish to know the identity of informants? I am amazed that you think police will answer anything on that. They can neither confirm nor deny about it. It is not peculiar to Muslims. Whether it is far right or drug dealing or weapon smuggling or nuclear material smuggling, you can bet that police are working with informants.
Do not get into a twist about videos seen during a break between training. Prioritize.
Police snooping on mosques indicates trouble at mosques
Since there is trouble you don't go there
Since you don't go there you feel alienated.
That is all okay but surely in this case Police are the messengers. They are giving you the message that there is suspicion. Deal with the suspicion not with the message. If you love your mosque find out why the police are snooping and deal with it.
Shoot the messenger and you will never get the message. If you feel police are not willing to engage and there is a trust deficit then no amount of name calling and finger pointing will ensure it.
Instead first deal with trust deficit. Why is it the police are not willing to trust you? Do you want to force them to deal with you or do you want them to willingly deal with you? If the latter is the case then do you consider them as friends or adversaries? No adversary will deal with you willingly.
You say you want them to listen but actually you want them to talk (by replying to your questions). The police have to tread a fine line between transparency and methods which require secrecy to be effective.
Few bouquets for cultural sensitivity can ever be awarded to such a Friday Night Football crew.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0811/62286.html
all you have to do is cry and get Welfare .i am talking about all kinds that bleed the system to
death