“The NYPD cannot single out Muslims, or people police perceive to be Muslims, for bag checks.”

They don’t, of course. Over a period of several years, I was stopped and my bag searched by the NYPD every time I rode the Amtrak train from Penn Station, which was quite frequently. Every time. One time I started laughing, to the considerable annoyance of the testy NYPD officer who was searching my bag. She demanded to know why I was laughing, and I explained that it was because I was stopped and searched every time I rode the train — which only annoyed her further. But it never occurred to me to call the ACLU and claim that the NYPD was singling out “Islamophobes” for special screening. The upshot of Hesham El-Meligy’s complaint, and lawsuit if he files one, is that it will make the NYPD and other law enforcement officials afraid to subject Muslims to any kind of scrutiny at all, which would allow jihadists to operate unhindered. Is that what Hesham El-Meligy wants? If not, how does he propose to stop jihadists if not by methods such as the one that inconvenienced him?

“Activist is handcuffed after refusing Staten Island Ferry bag check,” by Kyle Lawson, Staten Island Advance, March 9, 2017: