Ramadan begins in New York amid new controversy over Muslim surveillance
NYPD Deputy Commissioner (Intelligence and Counter Terrorism) John Miller. (Courtesy:NYPD)
Streamline report, 02 April 2022.
(New York City): Newly appointed NYPD Commissioner Kechant Sewell, a first ever woman Police Commissioner of the City, wants to keep the elected officials of the City more informed about the overall activities of the NYPD during her tenure. So she sent her deputy NYPD Deputy Commissioner (Intelligence and Counter Terrorism) John Miller to join a special briefing with the City Council Budget Committee on March 22, 2022. This briefing was a special experience for the freshman council members who were elected in the council last January 2022.
At the briefing, Shahana Hanif, the freshman Council Member and the only Muslim Councilwoman in New York City asked Deputy Commissioner John Miller if NYPD would release details of the “Muslim surveillance” of New York’s post-9/11 Muslim community and whether NYPD should seek apology to the Muslim community for such discriminatory, fruitless and destructive surveillance programs against them. In response, Deputy Commissioner of Police John Miller said that Muslim surveillance was nothing but a “perception”; In fact, various investigations have not found its existence.
At a subsequent press briefing after an eight-hour long committee hearing, Councilwoman Shahana Hanif reacted angrily to the Press on the NYPD’s denial of such a well documented fact of Muslim surveillance. She also demanded the removal of John Miller from the service for his comments that were insensitive and insulting to the Muslim community.
The New York Police’s (NYPD) surveillance of American Muslim communities especially New York Muslims, following the September 11, 2001, attacks on the Twin Towers is a common knowledge of Muslim life here in New York City. The news agency Associated Press (AP) first published a series of well documented reports on the surveillance in 2011 for which the news agency received the Pulitzer Prize of the year. After the news of the surveillance was leaked to the media, then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Ray Kelly did not deny the allegations but said that the NYPD was doing what was needed as a counter-terrorism strategy.
Only after AP’s breakthrough reports, Muslims in New York City could learn for the first time how the NYPD has been closely monitoring the social, family and personal lives of Muslims since 2002, technically in mosques and using their tribesmen as agents in Muslim-dominated areas.
In a court hearing in August 2012, one year after the surveillance issue was leaked, the NYPD acknowledged that no significant gains had been made through surveillance. The following year, in October 2013, 125 Muslim organizations, led by the American Civil Liberties Union, demanded that the US judiciary investigate NYPD’s discriminatory surveillance. Since 2014, NYPD has stopped the process of hiring agents within the Muslim community. In the same year, human rights and Muslim groups of the city including the New York Civil Liberties Union filed dozens of lawsuits against the NYPD. In June 2016, the NYPD agreed to make sweeping amendments to the Muslim Surveillance Program, which resulted in the settlement of these cases as well.
In response to John Miller’s remarks and the demand of his resignation, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said that Muslim surveillance has ben a wrong move and defending or denying it is also a wrong move.
In a written response sent to Streamline News, New York City Comptroller Brad Lander’s Office said that how can New Yorkers believe that the police will not violate human rights when they lie about such well documented facts. Comptroller Brad Lander also praised Councilwoman Shahana Hanif and expressed solidarity with her demand for the resignation of John Miller.
Muslim groups in New York have reacted angrily to the NYPD deputy commissioner’s remarks that “Muslim surveillance is just a perception”. The next day of this much debated remarks by Deputy Commissioner of NYPD, Mayor Eric Adams met with the leaders of 30 Muslim organizations of the City to express his condolences. Reacting to the outcome, Ahmed Mohammed, head of the New York chapter of the Council on American-Muslim Relations (CAIR), America’s largest Muslim rights group, told the Streamline News that City Mayor Eric Adams should apologize for this and let his police officers learn to understand their own reality.
Lamia Khandaker, executive director of the Majlis-e-Ash-Sura, Islamic Leadership Council, said the NYPD should not seek to rewrite its well documented history. We will never forget the white paper we have by the NYPD to prove that devout Muslims are involved in terrorism.
Imam Shamsi Ali of Jamaica Muslim Community Center in Queens reacted with the Streamline News last night terming the comment of John Miller a ‘blunder on his part and a blow to the NYPD’ . Imam Ali expressed concern that this comment ‘may lead to further mistrust between the Muslim Community and NYPD’.
‘While I am not in a position to comment on the call of his resign, but I remind the City to decide what is the best for the City and the Muslim community’, Imam Ali added.
A number of Bangladeshi American Muslim leaders have also reacted on the issue while discussing with Streamline News. Queens Democratic Party District Leader-at-Large Attorney Moin Chowdhury told this correspondent yesterday that it is true that the Deputy Commissioner of Police’s statement has disappointed us. But, even today, on the occasion of the upcoming Ramadan, the NYPD has met with our Muslim leaders about providing security and additional benefits to Muslims – which is really commendable.
Shah Nawaz, a community leader and candidate for the post of District Leader (Male) in New York City’s Assembly District 24 (A) election scheduled in June, said there was nothing wrong with Muslim surveillance – it was done for the sake of our overall security – so there should also be no reason to denying it. However, he declined to comment on John Miller’s resignation.
“I have testified in court as a witness to Muslim surveillance,” said Mazeda Uddin, a community leader who is contesting for the District Leader (Female) post in the Assembly District-24. ‘I demand the immediate resignation of Deputy Commissioner of Police John Miller for his denial of Muslim surveillance’, she added.
Gias Ahmed, a former New York State Senate candidate and the current President of the Jackson Heights Bangladeshi Business Association (JBBA), said such comments by the police would erode our confidence in law enforcement, especially during Ramadan, when we need more police security during Iftar and Tarabeeh than at other times of the year.
Seemingly, in a mixed atmosphere of a kind of suppressed anger, doubt and optimism, more than 800 thousands of Muslims in New York City began Ramadan fasting from Saturday. Despite the controversy on Muslim surveillance denial, the NYPD already had launched a number of positive programs for ensuring safety in Ramadan for Muslims this year, including special security at Mosques during Iftar, morning prayer and Tarabeeh time and relaxation of parking laws.
In an unofficial estimation, there are more than 200 mosques in New York City, and about 10 percent of the City’s voting population is of Muslim origin. As a result, the Muslims have now a days become an influential vote bank of the New York City local politics.
Meanwhile, after the remarks of NYPD Deputy Commissioner John Miller, none of the Muslim leaders raised the issue of his resignation in their meeting with the NYPD Chief Kechant Sewell at One Police Plaza on Friday.
On John Miller’s removal from the service, Councilwoman Shahana Hanif told this correspondent yesterday in a written statement, “We have video records where NYPD Deputy Commissioner John Miller lied about Muslim surveillance while testifying under the oath.We have referred this video to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office for legal action against him’. In her written response, Shahana Hanif, the first Bangladeshi American Councilwoman, also expressed her firm commitment to ensure justice for the victims of Muslim surveillance with the help of her fellow councilmembers in New York City Council in the days ahead.
