Congress is currently advancing a new federal surveillance bill aimed at “domestic threat mitigation,” but civil liberties groups are sounding the alarm. For many Muslim-Americans, the language is hauntingly familiar.
Back in the early 2000s, the Patriot Act led to increased surveillance and profiling of Muslims in the U.S. Today, with vague definitions of extremism and expanded data collection methods, this new legislation could open the door to more unjust scrutiny.
Imam Rashid Khan of New Jersey reflects, “They say this bill targets threats, but who decides what’s a threat? We’ve lived through this before. It begins with vague promises and ends with watching our every move.”
Coalitions of Muslim, Jewish, Christian, Sikh, and secular advocacy groups are urging the public to oppose the bill in its current form.
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