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AMP Report – December 10, 2009/Updated on December 21, 2009
American-Islamic group alerted FBI to missing students
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) played a key role in alerting U.S. authorities about five young Americans who were arrested in Pakistan on suspicion of attempting to join militant groups after going missing from the United States. The five lived in Northern Virginia.
One of the five men had left behind a video that appeared to be some kind of "farewell" statement which cited Quranic verses out of religiously orthodox contexts. CAIR got the family members in touch with the FBI and played the 11-minute English video for agents and Muslims leaders at a lawyer's office.
The five – Ramy Zamzam, 22; Ahmad Minni, 20; Umar Chaudhry, 24; Waqar Khan, 22; and Aman Hassan Yemer, 18 – were arrested in Sargodha, Pakistan on December 9.
The incident provoked deep concern in the Muslim community about the existence of homegrown extremism among Muslim American youth.
Shahed Amanallah, editor of altmuslim.com, says those Muslims who have found themselves immersed in radicalism have two primary traits in common: a strong aversion to U.S. policy in Muslim countries (which, it must be stressed, is in and of itself not extremist) combined with a profound "identity complex" with respect to what it means to be a Muslim American. The combination of the two creates susceptibility to extremist interpretations that both provide both an identity and a means (albeit violent) to push back.
He suggests that the best possible antidote then, to Muslims falling prey to extremist thought is to craft and propagate a compelling Muslim American narrative that instills pride and purpose among susceptible minds, and to connect them to mainstream efforts to address U.S. policy in Muslim countries. “Those Muslims exploring violent tactics need to be convinced that it is more effective, moral, and Islamic to defend Muslims overseas through lawful means, and this education needs to happen where they spend the most time searching for answers - namely, the Internet.”
The Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) has issued a paper on the issue which is titled: "Building Bridges to Strengthen America: Forging an Effective Counterterrorism Enterprise between Muslim Americans and Law Enforcement." The paper advocated intense grassroots engagement among police and U.S. Muslim neighborhood leaders to thwart the emergence of homegrown extremism.
"Unfortunately, in the current political climate, the actions of certain law enforcement agencies -- whether spying on peaceful activist groups and houses of worship without reasonable suspicion, or religious profiling -- have added to difficulties," the report said. Such a "heightened sense of fear and grievances also creates a greater pool of alienated people terrorists can tap into for recruitment," the report added.
Glenn Greenwald, author and columnist, sees a concerted effort by the Government to claim loudly that the threat posed by radicalized American Muslims is increasing. ”These claims are being made based exclusively on the basis of a handful of recent episodes involving American Muslims accused of having links to Al Qaeda and/or the Taliban. There is no data whatsoever offered to corroborate the claim of a "trend."”
According to Glenn Greenwald, US "counter-terrorism" campaign basically consists of three steps repeated endlessly: (1) Interfere in or otherwise act aggressively in the Muslim world. (2) Provoke increased anti-American sentiment and fuel terrorism as a result of Step 1. (3) Point to the increased anti-American sentiment and terrorism as a reason we need to escalate our interference and aggression in the Muslim world. The coordinated campaign to hype the alleged "growing domestic Muslim threat" at exactly the time we are escalating our conventional war in Afghanistan and our covert Predator war in Pakistan is a perfect illustration of this process.
Dr. James Zogby, President of Arab American Institute believes that the problem of the so-called radicalization should be seen in context and not blown out of proportion. Since “we are in engaged in a number of international conflicts, which have repercussions here at home either because they involve countries which are the lands of origin of individuals living here in the U.S., or because there are those, on both sides of these conflicts, who have sought to exploit them as a “clash of civilizations.”
As Dr. Zogby said this form of radicalization leading to antisocial behavior has long been a problem in our country. “We’ve seen it before. In recent decades we’ve witnessed recruitment into white supremacist and “Christian Nation” and militia organizations, the Black Panthers, the Jewish Defense League, the I.R.A, etc. The fact is that the allure of absolutist ideology and romanticized machismo, complete with weapons, training and acts of bravado does provide, for some of these men, a dangerous cure for the alienation and feeling of powerlessness they’ve experienced. And we are seeing it again, now with a different group of people.”
The answers to this problem are, therefore: to keep it in context, to provide young people with alternatives to alienation, and to continue to develop close ties between affected communities and law enforcement to address problems as they occur, Dr. Zogby concluded.
Interestingly, the PEW Research Center in a report said recent events such as the Fort Hood shootings and the arrest of five Muslim American students in Pakistan have raised questions about the threat of homegrown terrorism in the United States. However, the Pew Research Center's comprehensive portrait of the Muslim American population suggests it is less likely to be a fertile breeding ground for terrorism than Muslim minority communities in other countries. Violent ‘jihad’ is discordant with the values, outlook and attitudes of the vast majority of Muslim Americans, most of whom reject extremism.
December 16, 2009
Confronting radicalization online
Shahed Amanallah
The recent arrests of five American Muslim youth in Pakistan on suspicion of attempting to join militant groups there has provoked deep concern about the existence of homegrown extremism among Muslim American youth. Until recently, it was believed that this was a problem confined to other Western countries such as the UK. The fact that several Muslim Americans have recently surfaced in Somalia and Pakistan among militant groups demands immediate action by the Muslim American community.
The good news is that those Muslims who espouse militant ideologies no longer find a physical home in mainstream Muslim America. For example, Anwar al-Awlaki, an American-born imam who cheered on the Fort Hood shootings, became ever more radical in his ideology and teaching after leaving the United States and colluding with Yemeni extremists. Similarly, the New York-based al-Qaeda supporting extremist duo that calls itself "Revolution Muslim" has been reduced to heckling mosque-goers from the sidewalk.
The bad news is that after being chased out of the Muslim mainstream, those Muslims leaning towards extremism have found sanctuary on the Internet. There, militants have been able to exploit visitors' religious illiteracy and social alienation better than their moderate brethren and recruit people to join their cause.
Those Muslims who have found themselves immersed in radicalism have two primary traits in common: a strong aversion to U.S. policy in Muslim countries (which, it must be stressed, is in and of itself not extremist) combined with a profound "identity complex" with respect to what it means to be a Muslim American. The combination of the two creates susceptibility to extremist interpretations that both provide both an identity and a means (albeit violent) to push back.
The best possible antidote then, to Muslims falling prey to extremist thought is to craft and propagate a compelling Muslim American narrative that instills pride and purpose among susceptible minds, and to connect them to mainstream efforts to address U.S. policy in Muslim countries.
Those Muslims exploring violent tactics need to be convinced that it is more effective, moral, and Islamic to defend Muslims overseas through lawful means, and this education needs to happen where they spend the most time searching for answers - namely, the Internet. While Muslim Americans should be commended for moving towards a zero-tolerance policy towards extremist rhetoric in their mosques, they have unfortunately not fought these ideologues on Internet forums where anti-radicalization efforts are most needed.
It is understandable why mainstream Muslims haven't engaged extremists on the Web. For one, it is distasteful and difficult work, and it is easy to fall prey to the notion of "out of sight, out of mind." Second, there remains widespread fear that ordinary Muslims who participate in dialogue on extremist websites may themselves be targeted by authorities on suspicion of terror-related activities. I have discussed this dilemma with the highest levels at the Department of Homeland Security, and while there is consensus that this perception is a problem, little has been done to date to address it.
However, there are also other ways to confront aggressive ideologies online. First, we can cultivate an online Muslim presence that is far more sophisticated and engaging to those Muslims who are exploring their identities. Second, we must create online venues where those Muslims troubled by U.S. policies in the Muslim world can join together and engage constructively with lawmakers to help bring about the changes they seek. Third, we must shake any fear of being somehow "less Islamic" than extremists and turn the tables on them through sound scholarship and articulation of principles that speak to the heart of Muslim youth.
It does seem unfair at times that mainstream Muslims are called upon to lead the fight against extremism in our midst. After all, similar injunctions are not made on African-American or Latino communities regarding criminal elements that operate from within their communities. But those of us who believe that Islamic tradition is a noble, life-affirming one need to exhibit the same (or greater) energy as those who see it as a constant vehicle for confrontation, and take the struggle to the Internet where they now find sanctuary.
Shahed Amanallah is Editor-in-Chief of www.altmuslim.com
Salon.com - Dec. 14, 2009
The allegedly growing domestic Muslim threat
Why, after a decade, would American Muslims suddenly become radicalized?
Glenn Greenwald
There is clearly a concerted effort by the Government to claim loudly that the threat posed by radicalized American Muslims is increasing. Last week, The Los Angeles Times published a lengthy, scary story under the headline "U.S. sees homegrown Muslim extremism as rising threat," claiming that "Anti-terrorism officials and experts see signs of accelerated radicalization among American Muslims." Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano warned this month: "Home-based terrorism is here." When justifying his Afghanistan escalation at West Point, Obama warned of "extremists within our borders who were sent here from the border region of Afghanistan and Pakistan to commit new acts of terror." And strangely, on Saturday, two articles with virtually identical storylines appeared -- one in The Washington Post and the other in The New York Times -- warning that American Muslims, for the first time, are now becoming a radicalized threat in the way European Muslims are.
These claims are being made based exclusively on the basis of a handful of recent episodes involving American Muslims accused of having links to Al Qaeda and/or the Taliban. There is no data whatsoever offered to corroborate the claim of a "trend." Given the dangerous inherent in such claims -- as well as the motives the Government generally has in disseminating such claims and the motive it specifically has when escalating a war -- far more than a few anecdotes ought to be required before any of this is believed.
What's most striking about these "warnings" is that they virtually never examine the reasons why this would be happening. Why, after all this time, would American Muslims suddenly be more willing to engage in violence against the U.S.? To his credit, Scott Shane devoted several paragraphs of his NYT article to addressing this question, and what he finds is both highly significant and highly unsurprising:
[T]he continuing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the American operations like drone strikes in Pakistan, are fueling radicalization at home, [terrorism expert Robert Leiken] said. "Just the length of U.S. involvement in these countries is provoking more Muslim Americans to react," Mr. Leiken said . . . .
Like many other specialists, [Georgetown University terrorism expert Bruce] Hoffman pointed to the United States' combat in Muslim lands as the only obvious spur to many of the recent cases, especially those with a Pakistani connection. "The longer we’ve been in Iraq and Afghanistan," he said, "the more some susceptible young men are coming to believe that it’s their duty to take up arms to defend their fellow Muslims."
A few analysts, in fact, argue that Mr. Obama’s decision to send more troops to Afghanistan -- intended to prevent a terrorist haven there -- could backfire.
Robert A. Pape, a University of Chicago political scientist, contends that suicide attacks are almost always prompted by resentment of foreign troops, and that escalation in Afghanistan will fuel more plots. "This new deployment increases the risk of the next 9/11,” he said. “It will not make this country safer."
The evidence proving this causation is now so overwhelming as to be undeniable. Waging wars, occupying, and dropping bombs in Muslim countries is the single most counter-productive step that can be taken to combat Islamic extremism (indefinitely imprisoning them without charges is a close second). It's akin to advising a lung cancer patient to triple the quantity of cigarettes he smokes each day. Yet we continue to do it over and over, and then point to the harms we cause as reasons we need to continue doing it. Our "counter-terrorism" campaign basically consists of three steps repeated endlessly:
(1) Interfere in or otherwise act aggressively in the Muslim world.
(2) Provoke increased anti-American sentiment and fuel terrorism as a result of Step 1.
(3) Point to the increased anti-American sentiment and terrorism as a reason we need to escalate our interference and aggression in the Muslim world.
The coordinated campaign to hype the alleged "growing domestic Muslim threat" at exactly the time we are escalating our conventional war in Afghanistan and our covert Predator war in Pakistan is a perfect illustration of this process. Basically, what Shane's article reveals is the shocking truth that waging war in Muslim countries for more a full decade radicalizes Muslims and drives some of them to want to return the violence. Who would have guessed?
http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2009/12/14/terrorism/print.html
The Arab American Institute - December 21, 2009
We are not Europe
By Dr. James Zogby
In the wake of the Ft. Hood massacre and recent arrests involving some young men seeking association with dangerous international terrorist activity and others who appeared to be on the verge of carrying out terrorist actions in the U.S., questions have been raised by politicians and the media. “Do we have a homegrown terrorist problem?” “Are we becoming like Europe?”
It was in this context that I accepted an invitation, last week, to testify before a Congressional committee. I was pleased that the committee wasn’t buying into the media frenzy, but was seeking, instead, a sober discussion, because I believe that this entire matter is critical not only to our national security, it also represents a test of our national character.
I began by noting that we are not Europe because our situation, in the U.S., is fundamentally different. I’ve spoken with 3rd generation Kurds in Germany, Algerians in France, or Pakistanis in England who continue to remain on the margins of their societies. They’re “Turk,” “A-yrab” or “Paki” they do not become British, or German or French.
On the other hand, no single ethnic community defines what it means to be American. Within generations diverse communities and people of different religious backgrounds from every corner of the globe have become American. And not only do they become American, but America becomes changed as well. Because of this rich history of integration and assimilation, recent immigrants from Arab and Muslim countries come to this country, in effect, with the table set for them and they find it to be a fertile ground for the ever broadening definition of being American.
Another important difference between our situation and Europe’s is that people here do not stay on the margins. Because of the extraordinary social and economic mobility available to immigrants, they move into enterprise. The Yemeni community in California, which I first met about 30 years ago when they were farm workers, are now business owners throughout the country and their children are in colleges—becoming quite successful.
This is not to say that we do not have a problem, rather it is to note that the problem we do have should be seen in context and not blown out of proportion.
Another issue to consider is that because we are in engaged in a number of international conflicts, which have repercussions here at home either because they involve countries which are the lands of origin of individuals living here in the U.S., or because there are those, on both sides of these conflicts, who have sought to exploit them as a “clash of civilizations.”
All of this exacerbates tensions, promotes fear on all sides, and makes reasoned discussion more difficult. Despite all this, the vast majority of Arab Americans and American Muslims have rejected this fomenting clash. They have worked within the political process available to them. They have fought discrimination, combated hate crimes and voiced their policy differences as citizens, not as aliens. Nevertheless, some alienated young men from those communities have become susceptible to anti-social radicalization and forms of extremism. But it is critical to note that their behavior is atypical and they remain on the margins of their communities. In fact, in the two most recent cases, it was the parents of the young men and members of their mosques who first reported them and worked closely with law enforcement authorities.
This form of radicalization leading to antisocial behavior has long been a problem in our country. We’ve seen it before. In recent decades we’ve witnessed recruitment into white supremacist and “Christian Nation” and militia organizations, the Black Panthers, the Jewish Defense League, the I.R.A, etc. The fact is that the allure of absolutist ideology and romanticized machismo, complete with weapons, training and acts of bravado does provide, for some of these men, a dangerous cure for the alienation and feeling of powerlessness they’ve experienced.
And we are seeing it again, now with a different group of people.
I’ve reviewed dozens of these cases involving young Muslim men, and while there are many differences we should take note of so that we do not lump them into one group, the pattern of alienation that leads to violent action as the cure to that alienation seems to run through them all. This is what must be addressed. But, I believe we must address it with a scalpel and not with a sledgehammer, because If we fail to recognize that we are dealing with marginal behavior and instead take a swipe at the whole community we run the risk of increasing alienation, making it more difficult for us to deal with the problem.
At the same time, we have to understand what we’re doing right, not only what is wrong. Today leading Muslim American organizations are actively responding to efforts to deal with the problem reaching out to law enforcement and working with their communities to create political alternatives—so that young people can voice their differences with policies in politically productive ways. Law enforcement is also working with these communities, and doing so quite effectively. And finally, we have a President who is opening space for discourse with the Muslim world in an effort to create a more positive atmosphere—this should be built on in order to address the alienation and potential for radicalization.
The answers to this problem are, therefore: to keep it in context, to provide young people with alternatives to alienation, and to continue to develop close ties between affected communities and law enforcement to address problems as they occur. It is most certainly not, as some would suggest, to change who we are or how we react, but to be more of who we are and to continue to do what we do best.
http://www.aaiusa.org/washington-watch/4445/we-are-not-europe
VOA - December 18, 2009
Muslim leaders grapple with how to protect their youth
Laurel Bowman
Muslim leaders are trying to create a safe haven for young people to learn Islam's lessons about peace
At one of the largest mosques in the United States, Muslim leaders are trying to create a safe haven for young people to learn Islam's lessons about peace. But can those leaders protect their youth from the doubts that lurk within them? Muslim leaders renewed efforts following the arrest of five American Muslims in Pakistan who allegedly tried to join terrorist groups using the Internet.
It's a battle of bodies and for minds on this basketball court just outside Washington. It's Tuesday night at the Adams Center, one of the largest mosques in the U.S. The young people here are hard at play, and the Muslim elders are hard at work trying to keep them engaged in positive activities.
After basketball, the younger kids meet for Boy Scouts. And after Scouts, hundreds gather for evening prayers.
It's a tense time for the Muslim leaders, following the arrest in Pakistan of five young Americans from a neighboring community. The young men are being held on suspicion of links to terrorist groups.
Sajjad Ahmad is the sports league coordinator at the Adams Center. He describes his reaction to the arrests: "Happy because I think the parents and the community took the right actions but sad because members of the Muslim community, kids that I might have crossed paths with at some time, got into that false ideology," he said.
Ahmad says one of the center's top missions is getting youth involved in mosque activities.
"They need to invest in activities where the youth can come and relate in a non-religious manner so that involves religion, they know where they need to come back to. "You know, I was playing basketball with so and so and so maybe I can go ask him or her,' and that resource gets embedded in their head," he added.
Imam Johari Abdul-Malik is a Muslim community leader in the Washington area. He says young Muslims are often confused by disturbing Internet images of their brothers in faith being killed in conflicts, and that one of his community's greatest challenges is helping young people interpret current events. "And that is where the Internet comes in and says, 'Your imam, your community, your youth center, your family, none of them have an answer for this," Johari said. "But we have an answer and we feel your pain."
Abdul Malik says Muslims face a modern challenge beyond shielding their young from traditional dangers like drugs and crime."We have safeguarded them from the terrestrial threat of all the bad influences in their environment. But we did not protect them from something that was inside of them that was connected through the Internet," Johari explained. "That is the next level of our fight against what I would call an enemy."
"Many of young people are vulnerable to being preyed on," said Nihad Awad of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR. Awad helped broker talks between the FBI and the families of the young men arrested in Pakistan. He says Muslim leaders had already started looking at dangers on the Internet before the men went missing. "On the Internet, the other side is trying to exploit people's feelings, and they give them instructions on how to do wrong things and we have to give (them) tools and manuals also on how to stay cool and level-headed and stay reasoned and don't get yourself and others in trouble," Awad said.
At the Adams Center that discussion has started too. "We are telling parents, 'Hey this is what was available on the Internet, this is what your kids are able to do and some basic tips on if you want to increase security this is how you can do it," Ahmad stated. What's most important, says Ahmad, is keeping young people in the game of peaceful resolution, what he calls a true teaching of Islam.
http://www1.voanews.com/english/news/usa/Muslim-Leaders-Grapple-with-How-to-Protect-Their-Youth-79610072.html
PEW Research Center - December 17, 2009
Little Support for extremism Among Muslim Americans
by Richard Wike, Pew Global Attitudes Project,
Greg Smith, Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life
Recent events such as the Fort Hood shootings and the arrest of five Muslim American students in Pakistan have raised questions about the threat of homegrown terrorism in the United States. However, the Pew Research Center's comprehensive portrait of the Muslim American population suggests it is less likely to be a fertile breeding ground for terrorism than Muslim minority communities in other countries. Violent ‘jihad’ is discordant with the values, outlook and attitudes of the vast majority of Muslim Americans, most of whom reject extremism.
A Middle Class, Mainstream Minority Group
As the title of Pew Research's 2007 study suggests, Muslim Americans are "middle class and mostly mainstream." Compared with their co-religionists in other Western societies, they are relatively well integrated into mainstream society. Unlike Western Europe's Muslim populations, Muslims in the U.S. are generally as well-educated and financially well-off as the general population. Most (72%) say their communities are good or excellent places to live, and most believe in the American dream -- 71% say that in the U.S., most people who want to get ahead can make it if they are willing to work hard.
When asked whether they think of themselves first as an American or as a Muslim, 47% of Muslims in the U.S. think of themselves first in terms of their religion, while 28% identify themselves first as Americans and 18% volunteer that they identify as both. At 46%, French Muslims are about equally as likely as those in the U.S. to think of themselves first as Muslim. However, Muslim Americans are less likely to identify primarily with their religion than are Muslims living in Britain, Germany, and Spain.
Primary identification with religious affiliation is not unique to Muslims. Religious identity is almost equally as high among American Christians, 42% of whom say they think of themselves first as Christian. About half (48%) of Christians in the U.S. identify first as Americans, while 7% volunteer that they identify both with their nationality and their religion.1
Roughly six-in-ten Muslim Americans (62%) say that the quality of life for Muslim women in the U.S. is better than the quality of life for women in most Muslim countries, while 7% say it is worse, and 23% believe it is about the same. French Muslims are equally likely to think that life is better for Muslim women in their country, while in Britain, Germany and Spain, Muslims are somewhat less likely to hold this view.
Many Muslim Americans share the concerns of the broader population about extremism. Roughly three-quarters (76%) are very or somewhat concerned about the rise of extremism around the world, compared with 81% of the U.S. general population.2 About six-in-ten Muslim Americans (61%) are also worried about the potential rise of extremism in the U.S., although this is lower than the level of concern among the general public (78%).3
Very few Muslim Americans hold a positive opinion of al Qaeda -- only 5% give the terrorist organization a favorable rating, while 68% express an unfavorable view, including 58% who describe their view as very unfavorable. About one-quarter (27%) decline to offer an opinion.
1. Data for U.S. Christians from 2006 Pew Global Attitudes survey.
2. U.S. general public data from April 2007 survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press.
3. U.S. general public data from April 2007 survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press.
http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1445/little-support-for-terrorism-among-muslim-americans
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