Monitoring Muslim student speech

I came across this article in the New York Times today about how the New York City police department monitored websites created by Muslim student organizations on college campuses.  While the mayors office has been trying to justify such monitoring--suggesting that the NYPD Cyber Intelligence Unit was perfectly justified in monitoring public websites as a way to "guard" the city against possible terror threats, university officials were less happy.  The article notes how Yale University President Richard Levin sent a memo to students, staff and faculty condemning such practices saying that "in the strongest possible terms, that police surveillance based on religion, nationality or peacefully expressed political opinion is antithetical to the values of Yale, the academic community and the United States.”  One of the universities monitored, Rutgers, issued a statement that it had been unaware of the monitoring. "While all the facts are not known and the reasons for actions of the NYPD have not been shared with the university," they noted in a somewhat cautious response, "it is important to state that Rutgers does not condone the surveillance of any members of our community based on their race, gender, ethnicity or religious beliefs.

The story, first brought to light by the Associated Press, is gaining traction.  According to NPR (from the Associated Press reporting) this surveillance of websites was part of a larger project:

"The student monitoring was part of a much larger intelligence operation that has put entire Muslim neighborhoods under scrutiny. The NYPD built databases showing where Muslims lived, worked, shopped and prayed. Plainclothes officers known as rakers eavesdropped in cafes, and informants known as mosque crawlers reported on weekly sermons."

Democracy Now provided some great reporting on this, including an interview with one of the students monitored by the NYPD and mentioned in its report.

Of course, Muslim student organizations and Muslim communities are also weighing in.  According to one report, the Rutgers University Muslim Student Association, in their response, noted "There is absolutely no justification in religiously profiling university students who attend this institution to attain intellectual liberation and positively contribute to American society." The Muslim Student Association of the University of Pennsylvania responded with a statement and is holding a public meeting to discuss the issue.The Harvard Crimson reported that the campus Islamic community was "dismayed" by the reports. Other Muslim student organizations are also posting responses--including Yale.

This issue raises many free speech questions for me--the impact of 9/11 on civil liberties, the degree to which so-called "security" should be balanced by freedom, the protection of student speech, and the protection of academic freedom on campus.  Seems to me that such actions--and now being more aware of those actions--might have some chilling effect on student organization willingness to post controversial issues on websites or in their publications. However, the revelation also seems to be prompting more speech on the matter, with responses on a spectrum from outrage at potential civil liberties violations to a deep defense of universities as spaces for the free exchange of ideas.  So, we will see where the story goes... I will be interested to see the fallout.