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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CAIR Seeks Probe of White House Funding for NYPD Muslim Spying

(WASHINGTON, D.C, 2/27/12) -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today called on the Obama administration to investigate the reported use of White House funds for the New York Police Department's (NYPD) controversial campaign of spying on Muslims without warrants or evidence of wrongdoing.

According to The Associated Press (AP):

"Millions of dollars in White House money has helped pay for New York Police Department programs that put entire American Muslim neighborhoods under surveillance. ...

"The disclosure that the White House is at least partially paying for the NYPD's wholesale surveillance of places where Muslims eat, shop, work and pray complicates efforts by the Obama administration to stay out of the fray over New York's controversial counterterrorism programs. The administration has championed outreach to American Muslims and has said law enforcement should not put entire communities under suspicion."

The Washington-based Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization called on White House officials to conduct a full investigation to determine whether the funds were used to conduct the NYPD's systematic campaign of religious and ethnic profiling that has been condemned by CAIR and many other civil liberties groups.

CAIR also asked administration officials to take "appropriate measures" to ensure that White House funds are not misused in the future to promote similar profiling campaigns.

"Widespread warrantless surveillance of minority populations, which we rightly condemn when it is conducted by authoritarian regimes, should not be facilitated using taxpayer funds," said CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper in a letter sent today to President Obama. "Your administration should end all support for the unconstitutional profiling of American Muslims by the NYPD or any other law enforcement agency."

He noted that early indicators are very positive that the Obama administration is reforming government training on Islam. That reform process began after CAIR and other groups expressed concerns about persistent reports that FBI agents and other government and military officials are trained to view mainstream American Muslims with suspicion and to view the faith of Islam as the source of terrorism and extremism.

Yesterday, CAIR called on the New York Post to apologize for publishing a political cartoon that the Muslim civil rights group says "evokes anti-Semitic themes" through its depiction of turban-wearing, hook-nosed terrorists objecting to the NYPD's monitoring of Muslim communities.

Video: CAIR Rep on CNN to Discuss Islamophobic NY Post Cartoon
CAIR Slams NY Post for Cartoon That 'Evokes Anti-Semitic Themes'

CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

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CONTACT: CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, E-Mail:ihooper@cair.com; CAIR Communications Coordinator Amina Rubin, 202-488-8787, 202-341-4171, E-Mail: arubin@cair.com