For Immediate Release

 AAF welcomes NJ Attorney General's directive against racial profiling

 Contact Aref Assaf,   973-960-2673

 (Paterson, NJ, December 21, 2005) The American Arab Forum, AAF, welcomes the important directive issued on December 21, 2005, by the NJ Attorney General, Peter Harvey, which further clarifies the prohibition of racial profiling by all state entities in the pursuit of criminal or security suspects. In a stinging article in September 2005, the Star Ledger revealed that the office of Counter Terrorism was involved in gathering data on NJ citizens purely because of their religious affiliations. Muslims were the primary target of this data gathering. AAF issued a press release expressing concern about the allegations and far reaching implication of this breach of the standing laws against racial or ethnic profiling. The press release was soon followed with an opinion piece in the Bergen Record and the Herald News, which ultimately solicited a public response from the NJ Superintendent of Police in which he categorically denied our allegations.

In a new and welcome development, the NJ Attorney General Peter Harvey issued on December 20, 2005 a directive “to Prevent Racial, Ethnic and Religious Profiling in the Course of Conducting Counter-Terrorism Investigations and Intelligence Collection.” The Directive prohibits the New Jersey Office of Counter-Terrorism or any other law enforcement agency acting under New Jersey law from considering an individual’s race, ethnicity, religious affiliation or religious practice as a factor in drawing an inference or conclusion of his involvement in terrorist activity, except in connection with investigation of a specific suspect. Additionally, the directive furthermore requires that Office of Counter-Terrorism personnel undergo  training regarding procedures to implement the Directive and with regard to submission of data into the Statewide Intelligence Management System (SIMS), a database that assists law enforcement in terrorism investigation. To read the full text of the directive, please click here.  

Aref Assaf, president of American Arab Forum said, “We welcome the Attorney General's concise directive which further clarifies the standing prohibition against racial profiling. Guilt by association hinders the  assumption of innocence and prevents full access to and protection of the law." We stand ready to assist in any way possible to ensure the full implementation of this important directive. Addressing our concerns will help all the citizens of New Jersey. End

The American Arab Forum, USA. AAF is a non-partisan and non-sectarian organization. We seek to foster and promote tolerance and understanding through education and shared projects.  We endeavor to provide reliable and credible information and resources to and about the Arab-American community. We also seek to be a resource for public entities, media organizations, and researchers seeking accurate information about our community.  http://www.americanarabforum.org