DRUM leader and victim of NYPD entrapment releases statement on boycott of Mayor’s breakfast…
DRUM Coverage and Statement:
“Borough Muslims Boycott Bloomberg’s Annual Breakfast”
MOTHER OF NYPD’S VICTIM’S OPEN LETTER TO LEADERS OF MUSLIM COMMUNITY
Mayor Bloomberg’s Breakfast is Unacceptable
Since Mayor Bloomberg still publicly supports the NYPD…
In the past, NYPD has met with certain Muslim communities and leaders many times, and nothing positive has resulted, except false promises, diversions, and empty rhetoric. In fact, even those who have met with the Mayor or the NYPD, many of them have also been under surveillance and targeted by them. This breakfast of the Mayor is also one of their tactics. First they will feed you breakfast, then they will continue to target you.
Since 9/11, NYPD and CIA have worked together to entrap young Muslim men in fake and self-manufactured terrorism cases, and especially targeted those young men who have developmental and intellectual disabilities, or those who are mentally unstable or have even been admitted into hospitals many times or are on medications, or those who have substance abuse problems. These cases have been created through the use of NYPD paid informants and undercover officers. No one approached these young men except the informants and undercovers. You can research for yourself. These are innocent young men who have no links to terrorism. The lives of these young developmentally challenged and unstable have been used for a larger agenda: to keep continued funding for the NYPD; to keep the American public scared; and to keep Muslim communities quiet and scared.
An example of this is my own peaceful and innocent family, who has been punished over the last many years for a sin we didn’t commit except to be Muslim. My son Shahawar Matin Siraj was entrapped by a paid NYPD agent and an undercover into a fake terrorism case through deception. For this, the agent was paid $100,000. My son has mental and developmental disabilities, and has an IQ of 78. The co-defendant who was arrested with my son, James Elshafay, also has mental problems like schizophrenia and substance abuse problems.
Additionally, a young man named Ahmed Ferhani, who also has mental health problems and is bipolar, and has been to the hospital many times, and takes medications, has also been entrapped by a NYPD undercover. Now, another young man named Jose Pimental, who was recently arrested, has also been reported to have mental health issues like talking to himself or attempting to circumcise himself. We expect to hear a similar story in his case about the role of the informant or undercover. That would make all three of the three NYPD “sting operation” cases, and at least five of the six defendants from these cases.
These cases are all the result of the NYPD programs. In all these cases, the Mayor has either approved of the NYPD’s actions, or in the case of Ferhani and Pimentel he has actually participated in the press conferences of the cases. It seems that some of our Imams are confused about the role of the Mayor. I know some have mentioned of the Mayor’s support when the two fires happened in the Bronx, or the Park51 case. But that is the job of a Mayor. He is supposed to show such support to all our communities as New Yorkers, and he should be commended for having done his job. But it is also his job to appoint and oversee the NYPD Commissioner and his management of the department. Has he done his job?
This secret spying operation by the NYPD and CIA has been ongoing for 10 years and been watching the Muslim community, masjids, schools, bookstores, and every other place of Muslim life. Paid agents and undercovers have been spread out all over. Are these real cases? Muslims know very well that in our communities such secret spy operations are taking place, and innocent people are being targeted, and our rights are in danger. In the meantime, Mayor Bloomberg refuses to say anything, and continues to stand with the NYPD at their press conferences publicizing these manufactured cases. What has been gained by such cases, and the NYPD’s operations? Is the city any safer for the NYPD having manufactured cases for itself to solve? What has been the benefit except the funding of the NYPD?
For many years I have been fighting alone for the life and rights of my son, and for the life and rights of other families who have been similarly affected. Many other families are affected by other policies of NYPD and are living quietly out of fear or lack of support. Shamefully, during these times, I have rarely seen any Muslim leaders or organizations stand up with any of these families, come to any protests, or say anything publicly. Is it more important to stand with such victims, such families, and our communities or is it more important to shake hands and have breakfast with the Mayor? When you go to such meetings who do you represent? Our communities? Or yourself?
Now more bills and legislation have been passed that will further target Muslims as well as other communities and undermine our rights. NYPD rather than protecting us, will further target more people. As we have seen the protestors at Occupy Wall Street were beaten mercilessly and driven away. Black and Latino men are being targeted by the NYPD. Corruption scandals and misconduct by the NYPD are spreading. We should learn from these incidents. Learn for ourselves, and also to hold Mayor Bloomberg and other elected officials accountable.
In such circumstances, Muslim leaders, or in fact leaders of any faith, should not be attending the Mayor’s breakfast. Now, instead of going to the breakfast, it is better that we stand for our safety, our rights, and our dignity. All this prejudice and hate that has been spread against Muslims, needs to be addressed by leaders of all faiths. It is time to have courage and be steadfast.
Shahina Parveen Siraj
Mother of the targeted and entrapped Shahawar Matin Siraj
DRUM Leader
The Honorable Michael R. Bloomberg
Office of the Mayor
City Hall
New York, NY 10007
Dear Mayor Bloomberg:
As Muslim religious, civic, and lay leaders in the city of New York, we have received the invitation to your 2011 annual year-end interfaith breakfast. We recognize from our experience over the years that such events can be a very good opportunity for the city’s leaders to come together for the betterment of our society, in the spirit of interfaith cooperation. We strongly value the civic and interfaith relationships celebrated at this event. However, this year we have decided to respectfully decline your invitation.
We believe with heartfelt conviction that during times when a community’s rights are being flagrantly violated its leaders cannot in good conscience appear at a public gathering with the government official who is ultimately responsible and smile for the cameras as if all is well, when we know full well that it is not.
Last year, we appreciated your principled position in defense of Park51 and American Muslims as we endured attacks from hate groups and opportunistic politicians who promoted un-American, divisive rhetoric. We also appreciated your compassion and responsiveness when two horrific fires in the Bronx resulted in the perishing of many members of a Muslim family and the destruction of a Mosque.
However, despite these welcome and positive actions, very disturbing revelations have come to light regarding the City’s treatment of Muslim New Yorkers. This past August, the Associated Press released a series of investigative reports that detailed how, over the past decade since 9/11, the NYPD has been monitoring and profiling virtually every layer of NYC Muslim public life, often with no suspicion of wrongdoing. These reports were based in large part on leaked NYPD documents and interviews with unidentified former and current NYPD officials. According to the investigation, the police department monitored and collected information on New Yorkers at about 250 mosques, schools, and businesses throughout the city, simply because of their religion and not because they exhibited suspicious behavior.
Mayor Bloomberg, the extent of these civil rights violations is astonishing, yet instead of calling for accountability and the rule of law, you have thus far defended the NYPD’s misconduct. We, on the other hand, believe that such measures threaten the rights of all Americans, and deepen mistrust between our communities and law enforcement. We are not alone in our belief. Many New Yorkers continue to express a variety of concerns centered on a lack of law enforcement accountability in our city, from stop and frisk procedures in African American and Spanish-speaking communities, to the tactics used in the evacuation of Zuccotti Park.
At least 34 members of the U.S. Congress, including a ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee and eight Members of the House Judiciary Committee, have expressed similar concerns about the NYPD and called for the House Judiciary Committee and the Department Of Justice to investigate the surveillance program.
We believe it is unequivocally wrong and fundamentally misguided to invest law enforcement resources in religious or racial profiling, rather than investigating suspicious activity. We wholeheartedly agree with the words of Rep. Mike Honda (D-CA), who said:
“I know that public safety must be of the utmost concern to enforcement agencies. I also know that we must not single out a group based solely upon their ethnicity or religion, especially when such actions undermine the sanctity of the Constitution and the security of our homeland.”
We are deeply disturbed that to date we have only heard your words of strong support for these troubling policies and violations of our rights. We are equally disturbed by Commissioner Kelly’s denials of what we know to be true as verified by the leaked documents. We echo the public statement of Congressman Jerry Nadler (D-NY):
“It is the mayor’s job, I might point out, to ensure that the Police Department, under his command, obeys the laws and respects the rights of all New Yorkers.”
Muslims comprise no less than 10% of the city’s population. As New Yorkers we call on you to safeguard our freedoms through robust and independent oversight of police activities. We seek your clear, unambiguous, public support for the rights and privacy of all New Yorkers, including Muslims; and a condemnation of all policies that profile and target communities and community groups solely based on their religion or the color of their skin. We desire equality and safety for ourselves and our children. Like many other New Yorkers, we are confident that our city would benefit from increased transparency in government, and greater police accountability. We request a meeting at the earliest possible date between yourself and a delegation that we will form to discuss these issues.
As we await your response regarding these issues, we pray that the New Year will usher in a more just and healthy chapter in our relationship with both you and the New York City Police Department.
Respectfully,
Respectfully,
Imam Al-Hajj Talib ‘Abdur-Rashid
Imam, The Mosque of Islamic Brotherhood
President, for the Executive Committee,
Islamic Leadership Council of New York
Aisha al-Adawiya
Founder & Chair Emerita, Women In Islam Inc
Faiza N. Ali
Brooklyn Congregations United *
Adem Carroll
Co-Founder, The Muslim Consultative Network (MCN)
Director Muslim Progressive Traditionalist Alliance
Hesham El-Meligy
Founding & Board member, Building Bridges Coalition of Staten Island *
Founding & Board member, NY Neighbors for American Values Coalition *
Ahmed Jamil
Muslim American Society
Habib Joudeh
VP, Arab American Association of NY
Khaled Lamada, Muslim American Society
Imam Al-Amin A. Latif
Masjid Allahu Akbar
Amir Emeritus, Majlis Ash-Shura
Aliya Latif
Omar T. Mohammedi, Esq
President, Association of Muslim American Lawyers (AMAL)
Professor of Law, Fordham Law School
Megan Putney
Director, Muslim Consultative Network
Zead Ramadan
President, CAIR NY
Dr. Hussam Rimawi
Arab Muslim American Federation
Linda Sarsour
Arab American Association of New York
National Network for Arab American Communities (NNAAC)
Other Concerned New Yorkers In Support of This Letter
(List in Formation)
Association of Muslim American Lawyers (AMAL)
Desis Rising Up and Moving (DRUM)
Jews for Racial and Economic Justice (JFREJ)
Jews Against Islamophobia
NYC Coalition to Stop Islamaphobia
Muslim American Civil Liberties Coalition (MACLC)
The New York Immigration Coalition
The Sikh Coalition (invited)
Sammer Aboelela
Organizer, New York Community of Muslim Progressives
Fahd Ahmed
Desis Rising Up and Moving (DRUM)
Hinda Ali, Somali Action Alliance*
Debbie Almontaser
Board Chair, Muslim Consultative Network
Imam Ayub Abdul-Baqi
Tauhid Center for Islamic Development
Chairman, Social Justice Committee,
The Majlis Ash-Shura of Metro NY
Imam Charles Bilal
Masjid Alhamdulillah
Naheed Bahram, Women for Afghan Women* (invited)
The Rev. Chloe Breyer (invitee)
Executive Director, The Interfaith Center of New York *
Elaine Brower
National Steering Committee, World Can’t Wait
Rabbi Feinberg,
Labor Religion Coalition
Dmitri Daniel Glinski
President & CEO
Russian – Speaking Community Council of Manhattan & the Bronx
Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb
Shomer Shalom Network for Jewish Nonviolence at the Community of Living Traditions
Alicia Godsberg
Executive Director Peace Action New York State *
Peace Action Fund of New York State
Naomi Paz Greenberg,
New York Quarterly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) *
Hussein Rashid,
Hofstra University and Religion Dispatches.
Margaret Hughes
Brooklyn Congregations United
Sally Jones
Downstate Co-Chair, Peace Action New York State *
Rev. Susan Karlson
Minister, the Unitarian Church of Staten Island *
Ramzi Kassem
Director, Creating Law Enforcement Accountability & Responsibility (CLEAR)
Imam Abdul-Azim Khan
Masjid Omar bin Abdul-Aziz
Imam Ashrafuz Zaman Khan
President, Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) NewYork
Rabbi Ellen Lippman
Kolot Chayeinu/Voices of Our Lives, Brooklyn*
Loretta Lucas, Brooklyn Congregations United
Children of Abraham Peace Walk
Rev. Tom Martinez
United Church of Christ
Saman Naquvi
Islamic Information Center (NY/NJ Chapter)
Robina Niaz
Executive Director Turning Point for Women & Families
Gideon Orion Oliver
President, National Lawyers Guild – New York City Chapter
Rosemarie Pace
Queens Interfaith Coalition, Flushing Interfaith Council
Betsy Palmieri,
Executive Director, Hudson Valley Community Coalition (invitee)
Charlotte Phillips, M.D.
Chairperson, Brooklyn For Peace
Yusuf Ramadan
Resident Imam Masjid Nuriddin/Corona,NY
Annie Rawlings
M.Div. Director of Outreach and Program Administration, The Interfaith Center of New York *
(Invitee)
Reverend David Rommereim, Lutheran Church of Good Shepherd
Professor Asha A. Samad
SAFRAD Somali Association
Dr. Diane Steinman (invitee)
The Rev. Charles H. Straut, Jr., DMin Consultant in Ministry
Jeanne Theoharis
Professor of Political Science, Brooklyn College
Dr. Shaikh Ubaid
Muslim Peace Coalition
Imam Siraj Wahhaj
Masjid At-Taqwa
Rabbi Simkha Y. Weintraub, LCSW
Rabbi Michael Weisser
Free Synagogue of Flushing (invitee) *
Susan Wilcox, CSJ
A Sister of St. Joseph, Brooklyn, NY
Pastor Khader El Yateem (invitee)
Salam Arabic Lutheran Church
*Refers to “for identification purposes only