DHSMuslim American groups launch campaign to block Kelly's nomination to DHS post

Muslim-American groups have launched a campaign to block New York City Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly from becoming DHS Secretary.

The Huffington Post reports that American Muslims are uneasy with Kelly for what they regard as lack of sensitivity to Muslim concerns, and lack of judgment when it comes to dealing with Muslims. They point, for example, to a broad surveillance programs the NYPD conducted against Muslim communities in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, a program which tracked law-abiding Muslim Americans just because of their religion. The NYPD admitted that years of such surveillance have failed to yield even a single lead.

The anti-Kelly coalition also points to  a Kelly-approved report on terrorism which instructed that certain behavior by Muslim Americans – for example,  quitting smoking – is a  sign of dangerous radicalization.

American Muslims are also angry that Kelly not only agreed to be interviewed for “The Third Jihad,” a 2009 film harshly critical of Islam, but also approved the movie for use in counterterrorism courses for NYPD officers.

Members of the City Council, civil rights advocates, and Muslim leaders objected to the NYPD use of the film, and Deputy Commissioner Paul Browne said that it “never should have shown to officers,” stating “it was reviewed and found to be inappropriate.”

The New York Times reported in January 2012 that Kelly stated he considered the decision to use the movie in instructional courses a mistake, and called the film “objectionable.”

“Ray Kelly has a proven record of violating Americans’ basic civil rights,” Glenn Katon, legal director of Muslim Advocates, a civil rights group based in San Francisco, told the Post. “His willingness to use discriminatory policing methods against innocent citizens should concern Americans of every faith, ethnic and racial background.”

The Muslim Americans Civil Liberties Coalition also sent a 4-page letter to President Obama last month, explaining why the organization will oppose Kelly.

“Commissioner Kelly’s legacy in New York is synonymous with divisive, harmful, and ineffective policing that promotes stereotypes and profiling,” the letter states. The coalition includes the Association of Muslim American Lawyers, the Muslim Bar Association of New York, and the Muslim Consultative Network.

The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee  sent out an “action alert” to members, urging them to e-mail a form letter telling Obama to not nominate Kelly.

Kelly himself has not commented on the potential of being DHS secretary, but did defend his record in a recent article in the Wall Street Journal, dismissing the allegation that the NYPD tracked the activities of Muslim New Yorkers, saying it is a “sensational charge belied by the facts.”

“Anyone who implies that it is unlawful for the police department to search online, visit public places or map neighborhoods has either not read, misunderstood or intentionally obfuscated the meaning of the (police guidelines),” Kelly wrote.

Other groups critical of Kelly’s record and possible nomination include the New York Civil Liberties Union, the Center for Constitutional Rights, the National Latino Officers Association, and 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement.