NYPD surveillance of New York mosques
Friday, February 10, 2012 at 7:33 pm by Louisa RockwellA classified document dated May 15, 2006, was released last week revealing that the NYPD has been conducting targeted surveillance of New York-area mosques. This document, which is just the latest revelation of the ongoing civil rights violations enacted by the NYPD, details the increased police surveillance of Shiite Muslims and their mosques based solely on their religion.
The newly leaked document, “US-Iran Conflict: The Threat to New York City,” was sent to Police Commissioner Ray Kelley in 2006 and recommends that the NYPD “Expand and focus intelligence collections at Shi’a mosques,” as well as “Identify leads of subjects of Iranian descent” and even further: “The Palestinian community, although not Shi’a, should also be assessed due to presence of Hamas members and sympathizers and the group’s relationship with the Iranian government.”
Over 40 anti-discrimination organizations have joined the coalition calling for immediate action in a joint statement:
Through excessive stop and frisk practices, overzealous surveillance measures, and a complete lack of transparency, the NYPD has blatantly violated civil rights and destroyed the trust necessary for effective policing. Such acts of surveillance undermine trust between the Muslim community and the NYPD. These measures are merely the latest in the well-documented history of NYPD’s targeting of communities of color through discriminatory policing practices. The NYPD’s use of widespread ethnic, racial, and religious profiling is a threat to all Americans’ constitutional rights and freedoms. This behavior creates distrust and suspicion among all vulnerable communities and sends the message that law enforcement is not accountable for upholding the right of all Americans to be free from unwarranted police scrutiny. The NYPD should be focused on tracking down actual threats, not targeting innocent Americans for invasive investigations and surveillance.
The statement goes on to call for the NYPD to, “acknowledge this wrongdoing, immediately cease all such activities, and create more transparency,” as well as the for police commissioner Ray Kelly to resign.
The document also lists 12 Shiite mosques outside of New York City that the NYPD said should be assessed.
“The actions by the NYPD are disgusting, but not surprising,” said Imam Talib Abdur-Rashid in an interview with Democracy Now! “We’re not surprised at all. Those of us who are familiar with the history of the NYPD, we know that there has been a longstanding tension not just between the Muslim community, but between communities of peoples of color here in New York City.”
On the heels of other recent revelations of the NYPD’s targeting of Muslims and Arabs, this appearance of this document re-enforces the importance of holding the NYPD accountable for their repeated offenses against civil liberties and targeted attacks on the Arab and Muslim American community.





