A counterterrorism project in Los Angeles that would collect information about Muslim neighborhoods is drawing outrage from Islamic groups and civil libertarians who say it unjustly singles out residents based on faith and could lead to unconstitutional police tactics.
\nThe groups complain that the Los Angeles Police Department’s “community mapping” project, which aims to prevent radicalization and homegrown terrorism, unfairly brings suspicion on Muslims.<\/p>\n
They say it undermines trust established between Muslims and police since the 9\/11 attacks and is reminiscent of how Nazis identified Jews during the Holocaust.<\/p>\n
“This is anti-Semitism reborn as Islamophobia,” said Shakeel Syed, director of the Islamic Shura Council of Southern California. “We will fiercely resist this.”<\/p>\n
The mapping project would collect information about specific neighborhoods but not individuals, according to Michael Downing, the LAPD’s counterterrorism chief.<\/p>\n