Muslim Response to NYPD's Terrorism Report

About a year ago, the NYPD released a report on domestic terrorism. The report discussed only "Islamic" terrorism and cautioned that any Muslim serious about his faith could be incubating into a terrorist. The report stated that incubation takes place in such sinister locations as bookstores, cafes, and mosques. Clearly, the report had problems. Last week, the New York Muslim American Civil Liberties Coalition released its response.

Cleverly-titled "CountertERRORism Policy," the response highlights the serious shortcomings of the NYPD's report. First, it criticizes the department's choice to focus on the religion of the terrorists, rather than their motivations. The result of such a narrow view is that all religious Muslims become suspect, which is useless for a police department looking for red flags.

MACLC's critique also slams the NYPD for suggesting that places such as bookstores and mosques need to be monitored, as these are important centers for free speech and free exercise. This is especially ironic because the NYPD's report indicates that a person is prone to terrorism when he is isolated from his community. By monitoring Muslim communities and driving people to secret centers to engage in ordinary discussions, the NYPD's own policies are breaking down the Muslim community. By the department's own analysis, they are causing more terrorism.

The MACLC paper concluded with a list of suggestions for the NYPD, including sensitivity training and regular meetings with Muslim leaders from various NYC communities. The Coalition has a lot of work ahead, given that the NYPD report was adopted by police departments in other large cities and read by Congress as well. It will take hard work to re-educate the public.