Surveillance of Muslim Student Clubs

NYPD’s surveillance of MSAs (Muslim Student Associations) is apparently extremely widespread. This is clearly another example of what can happen when there is no oversight over the police.

The effect of this profiling is to demonize and categorize as suspicious a whole class of fourth amendment protected association ie “Muslim student club” based (if NYPD Spokesman Browne is to be believed) on a few instances of radicalized or militant students and not on the specific behavior of the student groups.

The NYPD logic would allow extensive surveillance of any group or institution– an unlimited fishing expedition for police; a dragnet. It is very regrettable that Mayor Bloomberg has supported this dangerous approach. Muslim Student Associations don’t deserve such treatment.

College Presidents have protested this illegal surveillance:

Rutgers President STATEMENT here.

Yale President STATEMENT here.

NYU President STATEMENT here.

NYU ROUNDTABLE here.

The National Muslim Student Association STATEMENT is here.

The Columbia University MSA STATEMENT is here.

For Related news see

http://manhattan.ny1.com/content/top_stories/156835/nyu-town-meeting-decries-nypd-s-alleged-surveillance-of-muslim-students

http://www.alternet.org/rights/154654/swat_teams_and_campus_spies_7_ways_the_homeland_security_state_has_taken_over_our_universities/?page=1

http://manhattan.ny1.com/content/top_stories/157016/fordham-law-students-protest-nypd-s-surveillance-of-muslims

http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/politics/2012/02/5319255/bloomberg-blasts-questions-yale-president-and-reporters-nypds-musli