A new report says the New York City Police Department’s efforts to spy on Muslim Americans have had a chilling effect on freedom of speech and religion. A coalition of civil liberties groups says NYPD surveillance of Muslim student groups and mosques across the Northeast silenced activism and religious expression as individuals attempted to “refrain from appearing overtly 'Muslim' to avoid triggering surveillance.” Soheed Amin with the Brooklyn College Islamic Society spoke at a news conference Monday.

Soheed Amin: “We Muslims are not asking for any special treatment. We are asking to be treated the same. We are asking for us to be able to look at the NYPD as our protectors, not as people who bring terror to us and make us terrified of living here and dealing with them and speaking with them — and speaking with even our own Muslim brothers and sisters.”