NYPD Terminates Muslim Tracking Unit
The NYPD's decision to halt a questionable unit that documented the daily lives of Muslims, has been happily received by civill liberties supporters and the Muslim community.
The mission of the tracking was to reveal terrorism threats. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio stated, "This reform is a critical step forward in easing tensions between the police and the communities they serve, so that our cops and our citizens can help one another go after the real bad guys".
The Muslim Demographics Unit was established 1.5 years after the September 11th terrorist attacks. The study, assisted by the CIA, created databases concerning where Muslims worked, lived, prayed and shopped. Civilian clothed officers observed Muslim student groups, sermons and mosques. It recorded New York Muslims who changed their surnames into American ones.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations Spokesman Ibrahim Hooper claimed, "It's a good step, but I think what we need to do now is build bridges between the NYPD and law enforcement authorities in general". Muslim Advocates Legal Director Glenn Katon commented, "We're, of course, concerned that some of the functions might just be carried out by different parts of the NYPD".
