Is This A Prelude To ‘No-Go’ Zones In America ?

No-go zones are areas in a city or country where the local authorities (police, fire department, and other emergency personnel) have lost control. In Europe there are large areas of major cities that are off-limits to non-Muslims. These areas are controlled by Sharia law–not the laws of whatever country they are actually in.

Townhall.com posted an article by Associated Press News reporting on teachings by the Muslim leadership in New York City regarding dealings with the police.

The article reports:

Muslim community leaders are openly teaching people how to identify police informants, encouraging them to always talk to a lawyer before speaking with the authorities and reminding people already working with law enforcement that they have the right to change their minds. Some members of the community have planned a demonstration for next week.

There has been a program in New York City that has involved eavesdropping on the Muslim community. Police have built databases of the members of the community.

The article reports:

A recently distributed brochure from an advocacy organization at the City University of New York Law School warns people to be wary when confronted by someone who advocates violence against the U.S., discusses terror organizations, is overly generous or is aggressive in their interactions. The brochure said that person could be a police informant.

“Be very careful about involving the police,” the brochure said. “If the individual is an informant, the police may not do anything … If the individual is not an informant and you report them, the unintended consequences could be devastating.”

Sweeping skepticism of police affects community relations at all levels of law enforcement on a wide range of issues, not just the NYPD’s counterterrorism programs. Interactions with a real terror operative could go unreported to law enforcement out of an assumption that the operative is actually working for the NYPD. A victim of domestic abuse or street violence may not trust the police enough to call for help.

This is a problem that has good arguments on both sides. No one wants to be spied upon–I understand that, but how do we deal with the risk of terrorism and the fact that recent acts of terrorism against America have been planned and executed by Muslims. It is a fact of life that we have textbooks in some Muslim schools in America teaching antisemitism. It is a fact of life that we have Muslim clerics in various mosques in America preaching hatred and violence. It is a fact of life that we have Muslim leaders on the internet encouraging violence and terrorism. What is the government’s responsibility in terms of keeping Americans safe? What are the rights of Americans to practice their religion without being observed by the government? Is it time to acknowledge that there is a political and military side of Islam that does need to be monitored?

As you can see, I have more questions than answers about the matter of spying on mosques and Muslim leaders. Unfortunately, spying on mosques and Muslim leaders may be a temporary necessity.

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