CAIR Asks States to
Check Databases for Muslim Profiling
Washington, DC: A prominent
national Islamic civil rights and advocacy group has urged
state law enforcement agencies nationwide to check suspect
databases to make sure they are not being used to profile
Muslims.
The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations
(CAIR) made that request following reports that agents of
the New Jersey Office of Counter-Terrorism have been barred
from filing reports to the State Police database after the
discovery of more than 100 entries that seemed to target
suspects only because they practiced Islam or were active
in the Muslim community.
SEE: “State Police Cite Muslim Profiling”
http://www.nj.com/printer/printer.ssf?/base/news-2/1127710390243320.xml
“Disturbing reports of this kind will only serve to
confirm the worst fears of American Muslims about being
singled out based solely on their faith,” said CAIR
Legal Director Arsalan Iftikhar. “Profiling is never
an effective law enforcement technique and does a disservice
to our nation’s long tradition of equality before
the law.”
Iftikhar called for a thorough investigation of the New
Jersey database and for similar probes nationwide.
CAIR, America’s largest Muslim civil liberties group,
has 31 offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada. 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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