A few years back, there was an ongoing weekly da’wah campaign orchestrated by MCMC and WhyIslam at the Times Square Subway station. The campaign boasted a high volunteer count and was well-coordinated with clear branding and numerous banners. The volunteers would approach passersby, striking up conversations, engaging them with the campaign’s message.

One particular day, I was appointed to handle the photography and videography for the campaign. As I prepared for my tasks, I was informed that the NYPD seemed to be preparing to intimidate our team. True enough, NYPD officers started harassing the younger volunteers who were distributing flyers. Despite having a permit for our setup, the officers lodged complaints about it.

As the situation escalated, I began filming what was happening around me. One by one, members of our da’wah team started disappearing from the scene, leaving fewer of us to handle the rising tension. From a distance, a sergeant spotted me and called out, demanding to see my ID. He claimed I was filming without a permit. Although commercial filming in New York City does require a permit, I found his allegation excessive given I was merely using a small camera.

Nonetheless, I complied and put the camera aside, approaching the sergeant. The situation only escalated from there. Before I knew it, I found myself surrounded by about seven police officers in a circle, their eyes fixed on me. I was holding my phone with the flash on, trying to document the situation as best as I could. Despite part of my ID being visible in a tiny pocket at the back of my phone, the officers insisted on seeing it.

At this point, only two people from our team were left. One of them told me that I had tried my best and that it was okay to yield. Eventually, I handed my ID to the officers. It took four officers to write my $25 ticket. I engaged the sergeant in conversation afterwards. He seemed somewhat appeased because I had given them a tough time. However, I was merely exercising my Fourth Amendment rights.

Among the officers, there was one Muslim cop. He accused me of being rude because I had the flash of my phone on, directed at the sergeant’s face. However, in my perspective, they were the ones intimidating everyone at the scene and I was simply capturing that on film.

The situation eventually deescalated. Shortly afterwards, the rest of the da’wah team reappeared. We ended the day on a lighter note, taking a selfie together. Despite the day’s challenges, everyone was able to return home safe and sound.