Muslims protest NYPD's decade-long spy mission

Muslims rally in New York's Foley Square Nov. 18, 2011, to protest ethnic profiling by law enforcement. / Getty Images

NEW YORK - Hundreds of Muslims prayed in lower Manhattan and planned a march on New York Police headquarters Friday to protest a decade of NYPD spying inside Muslim neighborhoods.

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The traditional Friday call to prayer echoed off the cold stone of government buildings as people, bundled in winter clothes, knelt in prayer on a blue tarp.

"We are unapologetically Muslim and uncompromisingly American," imam Talib Abdur-Rashid told the crowd of about 500 gathered in Foley Square, not far from City Hall and local courthouses.

To Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly, he added, "We want for you to respect us and we will respect you."

An Associated Press investigation revealed widespread NYPD spying programs that documented every aspect of Muslim life in New York. Police infiltrated mosques and student groups. Plainclothes officers catalogued Middle Eastern restaurants. Analysts built databases on Arab cab drivers and monitored Muslims who changed their names.

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"Had this been happening to any other religious group, all of America would be outraged," said Daoud Ibraheem, 73, a retired graphic artist from Brooklyn.

Many of these programs were built with the help of the CIA as part of an unusually close collaboration that is now the subject of an internal CIA investigation.

"There's a wrong that we have all been made aware of," said Abdur-Rashid, of the Mosque of Islamic Brotherhood.

He said it was no secret that police have been watching mosques. But the news that the NYPD was monitoring everything from Islamic schools to restaurants was unacceptable.

"We're peaceful people," said Dalia Nazzal, 18, a freshman at the City University of New York, the target of police infiltration. "We don't deserve to be under surveillance."

Mohamed Mahmoud, 40, the owner of a Brooklyn printing shop, said he knew several people who had been approached by NYPD officers trying to recruit them as informants.

"They think that all Muslims are criminals, and it's not right," he said.

Messages seeking comment from the NYPD were not immediately returned. A dozen or so uniformed police officers monitored the protest, watching in small clusters from around the perimeter. There were no clashes between protesters and police.

The protest was joined by about 50 members of the Occupy Wall Street movement, who marched to Foley Square chanting "Surveillance is violence, we won't remain silent!"

Following the prayer, protesters were scheduled to march to police headquarters, calling for an end to the surveillance.

Protesters carried signs that said "NYPD Watches Us. Who Watches NYPD?" and "NYPD/CIA: Hands Off Our People."

[NinthSt78]

I think their feelings have been presented well in the right sort of way.

[yolo40]

80% of ALL mosques in the US have been proven to be radical or at a minimum to share radical anti western literature. Islam teaches that all christians and jews must be converted subjugated or made war upon. All others converted or made war upon. Look at India. 80,000,000 murdered for being non muslim. Where are the christians in Turkey?? Where are the jews in Iraq or Egypt. Muslims mass murder non muslims EVERYDAY throughout the world. It is time for this to end. Spy on every muslim. It is the only way to be safe.

[LoadedAndDangerous]

The land of the offended. Just stand in lind and wait with the rest of the offended.

[McJen50]

"Had this been happening to any other religious group, all of America would be outraged,"

I don't see any radicalism where innocents are hurt or killed from Jews, Christians, Buddhists, Hindus, Atheists... that's why those groups are not really "targeted", if they had that kind of radicalism, then yes they would be, and rightly so.

(weaselzippers)

[Mojoman666]

Most of the terrorists are muslims and now the muslims are upset we don't trust them? Are you kidding? Why don't these savages just leave? I am getting tired of them. Nobody asked them to come here.And best of all: they want the same rights and respect non-muslims have, yet they don't give a SHlT about the rights of non-muslims who get abused every day in muslim countries. I am so tired of these muslim hypocrites and bigots. Same goes for their appeasers like kelseya330.

[kelseya330]

"Had this been happening to any other religious group, all of America would be outraged." <--- totally true.

We humans need to quit separating ourselves from other groups because of our differences, and start noticing how we're all alike. We're all human and experience suffering, prejudice, and hate... we need to start loving one another.

[Mojoman666]

Oh my, little kelseya330. You are so naive. I am sure you would say the same about Nazis, right? Just because they,re Nazis doesn't mean they're bad people. They hated Jews and homosexuals just like the muslims, but hey, we should not separate ourselves from them. We're all human and experience suffering, prejudice, and hate... we need to start loving one another.

[choptopford]

put your mask on and head for another country

[DenverBroncofan]

"They think that all Muslims are criminals, and it's not right,"

You are all criminals or will wind up a criminal at some point. Brand them all like cattle. Bunch of terrorists

[kelseya330]

that's incredibly prejudice

[Mojoman666]

DenverBroncofan is absolutely right. I hope little kelseya330 can sleep tonight after she read all these mean and incredibly prejudice comments.

[NinthSt78]

Faith in good triumphing over evil is time-proven principle we can all trust. Communists under every bed is a time-proven principle we can't trust.

[NinthSt78]

That's right, I've eaten enough **** in a pot to fill a dumpster(snicker)!