Muslims fighting back against NYPD spying tactics

The intensity of emotion following the attacks of 9/11 led to some surprising changes in the way the United States police forces conduct business.  What would have been inconceivable or considered un-American the year before now became completely viable.  And nowhere was this sentiment stronger than in the city where the attacks took place, New York.

In order to combat potential terrorist attacks, the NYPD was tasked with spying on Muslims.  It wasn't just those who had ties to terrorist organizations or those with criminal records that fell victim to this spying.  Other main targets consisted of Islamic places of worship and Muslim student groups. 

Many spying techniques were used in order to collect information and create files on thousands of individuals.  They tracked where Muslims lived, shopped, worked and which mosques they attended.  Police infiltrated those mosques and Muslim student groups as well.  Eventually, however, the truth of what the NYPD was doing would be exposed in an investigation.

But even after the revelation, things did not change.  Now, it’s boiling to a head and Muslims are beginning to exercise their rights as U.S. citizens.  Civil liberties lawyers have filed a lawsuit against the NYPD, accusing them of gross civil rights violations. It is their hope that by using this lawsuit they may finally end the unwarranted surveillance.  Their goal is to counteract some of the hate and fear that police spying has resulted in and restore some dignity for Muslims who call this country their home.

The NYPD, of course, claim that they are perfectly within their rights in the measures that they’ve taken.  They say that all existing laws have been adhered to and that there was no surveillance conducted that could be considered illegal. 

That is, of course, somewhat questionable, since the majority of those they spied on were not involved in any untoward activity.  The only crime of most Muslims under surveillance was that they were Muslim.  One news report details the extent that the NYPD was willing to go to in order to catch Muslims, including deliberately baiting them into making statements that could be considered terrorist in nature.

It’s a question of whether the ends justify the means.  Sure, there were no more terrorist attacks in New York, but was it due to this extreme diligence and the bending of laws and civil rights?  Or was it simply because the vast majority of Muslims are not interested in violence?

We have to ask ourselves, how far are we willing to go in allowing the government to spy on U.S. citizens freely?  When it stops being “them” who are the main target and begins being “us,” will we then change our tune?  Or will it by that time be too late?  In a primarily Christian nation, can we finally learn to accept those whose religion is different then ours?

NYPD photo courtesy of Pete Stewart via Wikicommons