Earlier this month, the Associated Press reported that the New York Police Department monitored Muslim college students at several universities in the Northeast, including Yale and Columbia, during a period from 2006 to 2007. The surveillance, which included both screening their Internet activity and collecting publicly available information, was directed towards students who were members of Muslim student associations at their respective universities. Troublingly, the White House provided funding that was used to carry out these operations. We strongly condemn the actions of the federal government and the NYPD as an outrageous instance of cultural prejudice, and we call upon politicians and academics alike to protest this violation of individual rights in higher education.
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's actions in response to this issue have been disheartening. He maintained his approval of the NYPD's actions on the basis that past Muslim Student Associations members have been found to participate in radical activity. Bloomberg declared that in the wake of 9/11, "we just cannot let our guard down again" and denied that the NYPD had participated in racial profiling, maintaining that the department was investigating "just to kind of get familiar with what's going on." Bloomberg added that the city does not "target individuals based on race and religion."
These are clearly contradictory statements, given that students were monitored purely because their fellow religious adherents have committed acts of terrorism against the United States. These kinds of arguments are never an excuse for racial prejudice. Thankfully, the issue has become prominent in the upcoming mayoral elections in New York City, and some politicians have spoken out against the NYPD. We hope New York politicians will continue to reiterate that racial profiling is unacceptable and take strong action to stop it.
We are pleased that support for the Muslim students has been even more forthcoming from their school administrations. Last week, Yale President Richard Levin circulated a letter to the Yale community denouncing the investigations and said that "police surveillance based on religion, nationality or peacefully expressed political opinions is antithetical to the values of Yale, the academic community and the United States." We commend Levin for his sentiments on behalf of his school's Muslim Students Association, and we hope that academics at other schools where injustice occurred will take similar positions on the issue.
We acknowledge that violent acts, whether motivated by religious extremism or otherwise, pose a real threat to the United States, but invading the privacy of Muslim students in a non-terrorist organization is an inappropriate response that fundamentally violates their freedoms. Instead, it is important to educate American students — and perhaps some of our politicians — on all aspects of Muslim culture and include Muslim students in our society, rather than ostracizing them on the basis of their religion. In doing so, politicians and school administrations can work towards facilitating a much-needed process of cultural exchange.
Editorials are written by The Herald's editorial page board. Send comments to editorials@browndailyherald.com.
