DRUM as member of the Muslim American Civil Liberties Coalition Holds Press Conference for NYPD Accountability on…
POST RELEASE
March 22, 2011
MACLC: Muslim American Civil Liberties Coalition
Contact:
● Cyrus McGoldrick, (CAIR-NY), 212.870.2002
● Monami Maulik, (DRUM), 347.385.9113
Muslim Community & Supporters Seek
Dignity, Respect, and Accountability from the NYPD
New York, NY – Advocates of the Muslim community with co-sponsored by City Councilmember Daniel Dromm were joined by elected officials, civil and immigrant rights organizations, and supporters at a press conference on the steps of City Hall on Tuesday afternoon to voice their concerns over the NYPD’s use of a controversial film about Islam and Muslims as part of its training program. The film, The Third Jihad, has been widely criticized as smearing American Muslims and Islam, and is reportedly no longer being used by the NYPD. The event was oined by City Council Members Robert Jackson, Melissa Mark-Viverito, Charles Barron, and Jumanee Williams as well as statements of support sent by NY State Senators Kevin Parker and Bill Perkins.
The press conference was organized by the Muslim American Civil Liberties Coalition (MACLC) and Council member Dromm who opened by saying, “Today, I want to say I am a Muslim too because….what has been done to malign the Muslim community can be done to any community in New York City.” MACLC said that they sent two letters, and held a meeting with representatives of the NYPD, only to receive a brief letter from Commissioner Raymond Kelly stating that the video was no longer being used. MACLC representatives stated that the letter did not address any of their substantive concerns and demands, and called it an insufficient and dismissive response, especially since such trainings and materials had to be funded out of public tax dollars. They called upon the NYPD for greater transparency about the curriculum and the process of selecting materials to train officers about Islam and Muslims, and assurances and community input mechanisms that trainers and materials would be properly vetted in order to protect New Yorkers’ collective safety and to avoid the racial and religious profiling of Muslims.
Reverend Chloe Breyer from the Interfaith Center of New York, stated, “We are in this together–Muslims, Jews, Christians, Sikhs, and those with no religious tradition. We need each other and it is wrong for anyone–particularly the police–to perpetuate hateful stereotypes that pit communities against each other. They and we deserve better.”
Speakers also highlighted that this was not an isolated incident, and was representative of a problematic national trend exemplified by the recent and controversial Rep. Peter King hearings, use of biased instructors and materials, and the systematic failure to regulate content in nationwide counterterrorism trainings
A recent report by the DC- based Political Research Associates, “Manufacturing the Muslim Menace: Private Firms, Public Servants, & the Threat to Rights and Security,” exposed the distorted information, and anti-Islamic rhetoric propagated in various ways by trainers associated with three private counterterrorism organizations with national outreach, and exposure to over 130,000 security and law-enforcement personnel. The report is part of a nine-month investigation aimed at increasing government oversight into both funding and content of private counter-terrorism programs.
“America faces very real threats of violent terrorism, yet, trainers from the organizations in our study draw from a variety of anti-Islamic frames to teach public servants conspiracy theories about stealth infiltration of America that echo the shameful witch hunts of McCarthyism,” says Thom Cincotta, author of the report.
Ramzi Kassem, Supervising Attorney at the CLEAR program (Creating Law Enforcement Accountability & Responsibility), and Professor at CUNY School of Law, emphasized, “For the NYPD to include such hateful materials in its trainings is unacceptable. Not because sensibilities might get hurt, but because officers misguided by this propaganda might discriminate against Muslims in our city. The lives of New Yorkers are on the line. For that reason, we ask our city and our police for accountability.”
Udi Ofer, Advocacy Director at the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) called “upon the NYPD and Commissioner Kelly to repudiate the stereotyping and singling out of Muslims for scrutiny because of their religious faith.” He also asked the “NYPD to fully explain its role in supporting Congressman Peter King’s hearings into Muslim Americans,” and demanded that the NYPD “must make clear that it rejects religious profiling once and for all.”
The coalition and their supporters, expect that the press conference would lead to further accountability from the NYPD, and would genuinely promote the safety, civil rights and dignity of all New Yorkers. Council Member Melissa Mark-Viverito stated, “..we need to be included in the conversations of how are communities are going to be portrayed…”
NY State Senator Bill Perkins statement was also read and stated, “This movie, “The Third Jihad” should be immediately removed from the training procedures for the NYPD, and a thorough review done of the effectiveness and fairness of future trainings.”
The Muslim American Civil Liberties Coalition (MACLC) includes: Arab American Association of New York (AAANY), Association of Muslim American Lawyers (AMAL), Council on American Islamic Relations – New York (CAIR-NY), Creating Law Enforcement Accountability & Responsibility (CLEAR) – CUNY School of Law, Desis Rising Up and Moving (DRUM), Muslim American Society of New York (MAS-NY), Muslim Bar Association of New York (MuBANY), Muslim Consultative Network (MCN), Muslim Progressive-Traditionalist Alliance (M-PTA), Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC-NY), NYU Brennan Center for Justice, Women In Islam, Inc., and more.
The event was endorsed by: Adhikaar, Arab Muslim American Federation, CAAAV Organizing Asian Communities, Center for Constitutional Rights, Center for Human Rights and Global Justice – NYU Law School, Center for Immigrant Families, Citizen Action of New York, Coalition for Asian American Children and Families, Community Development Project of the Urban Justice Center, DAMAYAN Migrant Workers Association, Defending Dissent Foundation, Dr. Dhafir Support Committee, Families United for Justice in America (FUJA), Friends of Human Rights, Greater New York Labor-Religion Coalition, Interfaith Center of New York, Jews Against Islamophobia, Jews for Racial and Economic Justice (JFREJ), Justice for Newburgh 4, Make the Road, Malcolm X Grassroots Movement (MXGM), The Malcolm X Museum, Muslim Peace Coalition USA, Muslim Solidarity Committee of Albany, NYC Coalition to Stop Islamophobia, NYC Majlis Shura Council, Mississippi Immigrants Rights Alliance – MIRA (Jackson, MS), National Liberty Fund (NLF), National Network for Arab American Communities (NNAAC), National Coalition to Protect Civil Freedoms, New Immigrant Community Empowerment (NICE), New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC), New York Neighbors for American Values, Northern Manhattan Coalition for Immigrant Rights (NMCIR), NY Senator Kevin Parker, Pakistan Solidarity Network, Peace thru Justice Foundation, Professor Alfonso Gonzalez (Lehman College, NY), Project SALAM, Public Research Associates, South Asian Americans Leading Together – SAALT (Washington DC), The Shalom Center, Sikh Coalition, Turning Point for Women and Families, Ugnayan ng mga Anak ng Bayan / Linking the Children of the Motherland, UNITED SIKHS, Urban Justice Center, VAMOS Unidos, Voice of the Ex-Offender – VOTE (New Orleans, LA), Women Against Islamophobia and Racism (WAIR)
