The Anti-Defamation League released a statement Tuesday condemning Republican presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX)’s call for police to “patrol and secure” Muslim neighborhoods, calling his comment “misguided and counterproductive.”
Responding to the attacks in Brussels, Cruz had said earlier in the day that police needed to “patrol and secure Muslim neighborhoods before they become radicalized.”
Here’s ADL CEO Jonathan A. Greenblatt’s full statement:
As we saw in Brussels today, violent terrorism is a legitimate concern for the home front. But demonizing all Muslims is a misguided and counterproductive response to the terrorist threat posed by those motivated by a radical interpretation of Islam. It is an irrational approach that harkens back to the fear and bigotry that led to a dark and tragic chapter in American history – the relocation of more than 100,000 Japanese-Americans to internment camps during the Second World War simply because of their ethnicity.
The overwhelming majority of Muslims in America are law-abiding people who are as outraged by terrorism and bigotry as Americans of every other faith. Sweeping generalizations about them can serve only to foment discrimination and hate crimes against innocent, devoted Americans. Furthermore, our law enforcement agencies need the cooperation of Muslim communities and community leaders to combat and deter crimes, including violent extremism.
Ordering special patrols of Muslim neighborhoods will almost certainly create an adversarial relationship between law enforcement and the communities they have sworn to protect, making those communities more vulnerable, more frightened, and often less willing to help. The approach is contrary to the principles of individual rights, equality, justice, and religious freedom on which this nation was founded.
