NEW YORK, Feb. 26, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today called on the New York Post to apologize for publishing a political cartoon that the Muslim civil rights group says "evokes anti-Semitic themes" through its depiction of hook-nosed terrorists objecting to the New York City Police Department's (NYPD) widespread campaign of spying on Muslims without warrants or evidence of wrongdoing.
View the cartoon:
http://tinyurl.com/7s6llpm
CAIR is also asking American Muslims and other people of conscience to contact the newspaper and to politely ask that they apologize for the offensive cartoon. E-Mail: letters@nypost.com, Copy to: info@cair.com
The cartoon by Sean Delonas was published Friday in the Post and shows the turban-wearing, hook-nosed terrorists preparing bombs and weapons in an apartment, with an NYPD vehicle in the street. One of the terrorists is depicted on the phone with The Associated Press news agency, and says: "Hello, AP Press?. . .I'd like to register a complaint against the N.Y.P.D. for spying on us."
The cartoonist's reference is to a series of Associated Press investigative articles exposing the NYPD's spying on Muslim individuals, students, businesses, and religious institutions -- a campaign that has been condemned as unconstitutional by American Muslim and civil liberties groups.
Video: NJ Muslims Condemn NYPD Spying (CAIR)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2ioUX1-h5Y
CAIR-NJ: Muslims Denounce 'Complete Betrayal' of NYPD Surveillance
http://tinyurl.com/6msj2z3
NYPD Spying Program Aimed at Muslims
http://tinyurl.com/6sf8myz
"This offensive and inaccurate political cartoon evokes anti-Semitic themes that would be recognized by any historian of pre-war Nazi Germany," said Zead Ramadan, board president of CAIR's New York chapter. "The cartoon is not only offensive in its portrayal of a religious minority; it is also inaccurate in its depiction of those targeted by the NYPD spy campaign in that there is no evidence that those monitored were suspected of wrongdoing of any kind."
CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.
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CONTACT: CAIR-NY Board President Zead Ramadan, 212-882-1520; CAIR-NY Civil Rights Manager Cyrus McGoldrick, 212-870-2002, or 203-206-6883, E-Mail: cmcgoldrick@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, E-Mail: ihooper@cair.com; CAIR Communications Coordinator Amina Rubin, 202-488-8787, 202-341-4171, E-Mail: arubin@cair.com
SOURCE Council on American-Islamic Relations
