Bloomberg's Democratic debate rivals must push him on Islamophobia ahead of South Carolina

But though Bloomberg’s expansion of the New York Police Department’s use of stop-and-frisk and allegations that he has used profane and misogynistic language about women are certainly deserving of indignation and collective censure, Democrats have thus far missed the opportunity on prime-time television to confront him on one of his most damning mistakes: Muslim surveillance.Democrats have thus far missed the opportunity on prime-time television to confront him on one of his most damning mistakes: Muslim surveillance.Bloomberg’s anti-Muslim activism provided a blueprint for Republican presidential candidates like Donald Trump, who said he wanted to establish a Muslim registry, and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, who pledged to “patrol and secure Muslim neighborhoods.” During Bloomberg's tenure as mayor, the NYPD’S covert Demographics Unit cataloged mosques, eavesdropped on conversations and spied on Muslim neighborhoods, in order, as he has said, “to keep the country safe.” Unlike stop-and-frisk, however, which Bloomberg has apologized for, the now-Democratic presidential candidate remains unapologetic for this violation of Muslim civil liberties.The silence from the current pool of Democratic presidential candidates is equally alarming. But as Deepa Kumar, a professor of journalism and media studies at Rutgers University observes, “The way liberal Islamophobia works is that it roundly criticizes Islam-bashing, thereby pre-empting charges of racism, but then it goes on to champion programs that target and vilify Muslims.”This site is protected by recaptcha Privacy Policy | Terms of ServiceFor party luminaries like former President Barack Obama and almost-President Hillary Clinton, Muslim American identity remained inextricably linked to terrorism during the 2010s. And it is this lens, coupled with the bile of media personalities like Bill Maher, that informs liberal Islamophobia.Bloomberg’s three-term tenure as mayor produced a joint NYPD and CIA program to surveil Muslims with thousands of informants.