Groups representing over 65 Muslim organizations have asked the New York Police Department to stop monitoring the activities of Muslims and to support calls for oversight.
The Islamic Leadership Council of Metropolitan New York and the Muslim American Civil Liberties Coalition also said they oppose any meeting organized by the NYPD that is “not transparent” and has a “predetermined agenda”
Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly has met with Muslim leaders twice this past week, including on Friday.
The Associated Press has documented how the police department secretly monitored mosques, Muslim-owned businesses and student groups across the Northeast.
Police say the intelligence gathering is essential to the fight against terrorism.
The groups invited Kelly to attend a town hall meeting on the NYPD’s tactics in April.