Japan's top court has approved blanket surveillance of the country's Muslims

Japan's Supreme Court has upheld the government's blanket surveillance of the country's Muslim community.

The court struck down the second appeal by Japanese Muslim plaintiffs against what they perceive as an unconstitutional invasion of their privacy and freedom of religion.

A 2010 leak of 114 police files revealed nationwide surveillance of Japanese Muslims. The files revealed that Muslim places of worship, halal restaurants and Islam-related organisations across the capital, Tokyo, were being monitored.

www.independent.co.uk...]

Muslims in Japan have been watched by the government. Details were leaked and personal information leaked out. Some of them didn't like it and sued. The 17 muslims who sued were granted the equivalent of $800,000 for violation of privacy.

There was no judgement of the surveillance, in that case, and a lower courts ruling stood. That ruling stated that it was "necessary and inevitable" to guard against international terrorism.

The muslims appealed and the top court ruled it constitutional. This is not even just mosques, but halal restaurants too.

I say good on Japan. With the actions of islamists around the globe, I'd say you'd have to be a fool not to spy on muslims. I say good job Japan, maybe other countries will follow suit.

a reply to: harvestdog

Good for Japan? So because a minority under the guise of Islam commit terrible acts you think all, almost, 2 billion Muslims worldwide are guilty of terrorism? That is so completely ignorant.

Here's a fun fact for you. The NYPD wasted tax payer monies and man hours doing the same thing to Muslims in NY and guess how many arrests or leads they came up with? The answer is zero.

Do you support the Patriot Act, Prism, and the rest of gov't spying on Americans too?

a reply to: Swills

Giving up safety for liberty is fine as long as it is muslims, duh.

originally posted by: Sremmos80
a reply to: Swills

Giving up safety for liberty is fine as long as it is muslims, duh.

Says a person like me, like ALL Americans that are under constant SURVEILLANCE.

We don't have the NSA for nothing.

US Americans are about the last people to go around 'lecturing' Japan.

For a myriad of reasons.

a reply to: harvestdog

If the high court has ruled it constitutional then I see no reason why anyone could complain.

a reply to: harvestdog

Courts are political entities.

They do as they please.

As we all know, its a "waste of time for judges to study the Constitution".

a reply to: Swills

Here's where I stand: I have no problem targeting muslims for surveillance other than the fact there are so many of them the data gets lost.

Islam is a political tool masqueraded as a religion. The koran and sunna are full of values that are not compatible with freedom.

All muslims are to live as muhammed. All one has to do, is learn what a swell guy he was. Now imagine him ruling over you if you won't submit to allah. No thanks.

BTW, I believe most muslims to be ignorant of their own faith. They read the uthman koran which was created to confuse the reader. I also take it they don't study the hadith and sira with their uthman koran.

That does not make them any less dangerous in my mind. They are devoted to allah, they just need to be shown what he wants them to do with the kafirs.

We have to face the facts. Given the political climate of the world at present, Muslims have a much greater proclivity towards terrorism than other groups of people do. Watching a group with a greater proclivity towards terrorism simply makes sense. What Japan is doing would be called a "common sense" law by liberals in the US, if it werent against one of their terrorism prone pet groups.

Not all Muslims are terrorists, certainly. Its just that they are MORE LIKELY to be terrorists right now in history in than any other group.

Theres nothing wrong with profiling and monitoring a group that is clearly more prone to some violent, societally disrupting action (such as large scale mass-murders and bombings), than other groups by a large margin.

Muslims at this time, are that group.

Hopefully other countries can start doing what Japan is doing and people like the Muslim Orlando terrorist can be stopped before they are able to kill 50+ people in the name of a Muslim terrorist organization.

Heil authoritarianism! Let's praise big government whIle at the same time complaining it's too big!

This is the equivalent of surveilling all white male gun owners because the majority of mass shootings are done by them. I bet if that's what was happening the same people praising this decision would be crying about it.

Such is the case with double-think though. "1984" is just around the corner and I feel like this is one of the main steps toward such a system being implemented.

originally posted by: CaticusMaximus


Hopefully other countries can start doing what Japan is doing and people like the Muslim Orlando terrorist can be stopped before they are able to kill 50+ people in the name of a Muslim terrorist organization.

He was a natural born United States citizen.

The USA is spreading instability and terror via armaments, alphabet agencies agencies, remote (drone) attacks, overthrowing governments, supporting other terrorists financially and with weapons, killing 50+ people over multiple times in the name of 'freedom , # yeah, 'murica', and has a long track record of creating instability and overthrowing governments.

originally posted by: 3NL1GHT3N3D1
Heil authoritarianism! Let's praise big government whIle at the same time complaining it's too big!

This is the equivalent of surveilling all white male gun owners because the majority of mass shootings are done by them. I bet if that's what was happening the same people praising this decision would be crying about it.

Such is the case with double-think though. "1984" is just around the corner and I feel like this is one of the main steps toward such a system being implemented.

Its actually not the same thing at all.

White males are of a very diverse mindset. Extremely diverse, and no single ideology links them all together.

When talking about Muslims though, a single ideology DOES link them all together, and that ideology is a poisonous one that demands total allegiance to it by all, and basically death to those who refuse (or at the best be second class citizens and/or slaves).

You are saying that genetic traits like skin color, and religious ideology is the same thing, essentially. Thats just nonsense.

Also your example really doesnt carry much oomph any more, because the worst gun massacre in US history is now ascribed to a non-white Muslim.

Good for Japan.

Let's ignore the FACT that over 90% of terrorist acts are committed by Muslims and use the bs line "not all Muslims are terrorists".

The vast majority of Muslims that aren't physically perpetrating the acts are supporting them monetarily and philosophically and refuse to condemn them.

Not all snakes are poisonous but you don't put any of them in a crib with a newborn.

Anybody that keeps snakes keeps them caged and for good reason.

a reply to: 3NL1GHT3N3D1

This is the equivalent of surveilling all white male gun owners because the majority of mass shootings are done by them. I bet if that's what was happening the same people praising this decision would be crying about it.

Hows that ?

Firearm ownership is verboten in Japan.

According to Wikipedia, Japan has only 100,000 Muslims.

a reply to: abe froman

Where is the fact that they commit 90% of all attacks?

originally posted by: Sremmos80
a reply to: Swills

Giving up safety for liberty is fine as long as it is muslims, duh.

We do the same with pedophiles, because they are both dangerous groups, duh.

Speaking of pedophiles- Mohammed.

a reply to: CaticusMaximus

The thing that links them all together is that they own guns, I think that's enough of a link to surveil them (this is sarcasm btw). I'm sure they all share the ideology that they deserve to own a gun.

Also, not all Muslims share the ideology that infidels should die and have their heads cut off, just as not all gun owners believe they should kill a whole bunch of random people in a mass shooting, yet we want to surveil all Muslims but not all gun owners?

Why are we setting a double standard here? There has never been a shooting that didn't involve a gun owner, with the logic of Muslim surveillance supporters that should be reason enough to surveil all gun owners as well.

a reply to: Sremmos80

94%

Thus, what the FBI report is really saying is that a demographic which makes up only 1% of the American population accounts for one-fourth of all deadly terror attacks in the U.S. and 94% of related casualties!

I guess I misspoke.

Muslims are responsible for 94% of the murders from terrorist acts.

Sorry, I guess they're just more prolific rapists and murderers than terrorists.

Of course the Obama administration has purposely skewed the numbers by calling everything terrorism.

"Somebody spray painted a wall? Call it terrorism !"

a reply to: abe froman

Not yet they aren't but give it time.

a reply to: abe froman

The vast majority of Muslims that aren't physically perpetrating the acts are supporting them monetarily and philosophically and refuse to condemn them.

What an ignorant statement. The majority of peaceful Muslims (which are a majority of Muslims) condemn ISIS and what they are doing.

In nations with significant Muslim populations, much disdain for ISIS

In no country surveyed did more than 15% of the population show favorable attitudes toward Islamic State. And in those countries with mixed religious and ethnic populations, negative views of ISIS cut across these lines.

Please stop stating lies and assumptions as if they are fact.