June 11, 2012
Lawsuit filed against 
NEWARK — The New York Police Department's years-long surveillance of
Muslim businesses and mosques throughout the Northeast denigrated the
Islamic faith and violated the constitutional rights of countless
Muslim-Americans, according to a federal lawsuit filed in Newark today.
The suit, which is the first legal challenge of the NYPD's spy operations, could
mark the beginning of a historical movement, said Farhana Khera, executive
director of Muslim Advocates, the civil rights group filing the suit on behalf of
several New Jersey residents.
"This lawsuit is perhaps the most important legal challenge brought to date by
American Muslims," Khera said.
The eight plaintiffs are all Muslims from New Jersey and include a U.S. Army
reservist, a Newark business owner who served in Vietnam and the imams of
several mosques who were targeted by the NYPD Surveillance and Demographics
unit.
The suit is calling for a "declaratory judgment" which labels specific surveillance
Muslims based on faith unconstitutional, said Glenn Katon, the legal director for
Muslim Advocates.
Katon is also seeking a court order prohibiting the NYPD from future surveillance
of Muslims based on faith and the destruction of all records compiled by the
NYPD during its spy operations.
"When the NYPD says all Muslims are suspects we have a clear case of government denigrating religion," Katon said.Katon said that while the lawsuit is focused on New Jersey residents, further
legal action could involve New York residents as well.
Muslim Advocates considered including Newark police in the lawsuit, but
ultimately there were too many conflicting reports about the extent of their
involvement in NYPD operations in New Jersey.
All eight plaintiffs were New Jersey residents that were in one way or another
watched during NYPD's operations including at least two members of Rutgers'
Muslim Student Association.
In the month since the Associated Press released a 50-page document detailing
the NYPD's actions in Newark, several Muslim leaders in New Jersey have
spoken out on the ways the report has had a "chilling effect" on the Muslim
community.
"This is a blanket victimization of a suspect class," said specialist Farhaj Hassan,
a U.S. Army reservist and one of the plaintiffs. "I think this is what the pilgrims
crossed the ocean to avoid."
The suit comes two weeks after State Attorney Jeffrey Chiesa announced the
completion of a three-month review into the NYPD's actions in New Jersey.
His office found New York investigators did nothing wrong or criminal,
leaving many Muslim leaders in New Jersey to feel like the lawsuit was a last resort
to vindicate themselves.
"They don't have the right to spy and do surveillance on innocent people,
on good citizens," said Newark Imam Abdul Kareem Muhammad.
The NYPD could not be reached for comment immediately, but on Tuesday NYPD
Deputy Commissioner of Public Information Paul Browne said, "I refer you to the
New Jersey AG’s report and to the fact that NYPD activities in New Jersey were
lawful, appropriate and in keeping with efforts there, in New York, and around
the world to prevent terrorists from returning here to kill more New Yorkers."
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Monday, 11 June 2012
NYPD
NYPD Commissioner Raymond Kelly
Dear Harold,
The New Jersey Attorney
General’s office recently completed an investigation of the
New York Police
Department’s surveillance
program.
It concluded the NYPD did nothing wrong.
And while Muslims like Dr. Zuhdi Jasser, who oppose groups like CAIR, have come out in
support of the NYPD, other Muslims are continuing to allege the NYPD’s tactics are
unconstitutional.
See the post from Jihad Watch
below.
Suit against NYPD asks
that surveillance of
Muslims based on
faith be declared
unconstitutional
Islamic jihadists murder and terrorize other people based on their faith, but it is not
permissible for Infidel authorities to take that into account. By actions like this one,
Islamic supremacists in the U.S. are determined to end all effective resistance to their jihad.
More on this story. "Suit
against NYPD asks that
surveillance of Muslims
based on faith be declared
unconstitutional," by James
Queally for The Star-Ledger,
June 6 (thanks to Benedict):
The OIC is trying to pressure
Western countries to
criminalize "denigration of
religion."
Indeed.
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