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Seminar on Identifying, Preventing, and Responding to Domestic Terrorism Held in DC
On July 14, 2010, a DC based progressive advocacy group convened policy makers, researchers, and security experts to discuss the roots of “Islamist radicalization” and how best to respond.
Called “Strengthening America’s Security: Identifying, Preventing, and Responding to Domestic Terrorism”, the two hour seminar began with a keynote address from Representative Keith Ellison (D-MN) followed by a moderated panel discussion and audience question and answer period.
Ellison, the first Muslim elected to Congress, began by recalling how a friend approached him on November 5, 2009, the day Muslim-American soldier Nidal Hassan opened fire on fellow US soliders at Fort Hood. After telling Ellison about the shootings, the friend asked rhetorically “you know why I’m telling you this, right?” Ellison knew what it would mean for Muslims in America if the shooter turned out to be Muslim.
Reiterating the stance of the major Muslim American community organizations and leadership against terrorism in all forms, Ellison emphasize the need to have an “open door” to the conversation about radicalization and terrorism. “People who cherish individual liberty … and due process must be involved in the conversation or it will go on without them,” he said.
Ellison cited the arrest of five Alexandria, Virginia Muslim-American youth in Pakistan as a good example of how Muslim Americans are “collaborating” with intelligence and law enforcement agencies to prevent violent acts. The five youth were arrested by Pakistani police in late 2009 after their families made it known to the FBI that their sons left without notice to Pakistan, leaving behind a video message.
Ellison returned to the controversial technique of racial profiling throughout his approximately twenty minute speech, saying profiling is an ineffective tool to prevent terrorist acts.
“Focus on behaviors, not worry beads, beards, or turbans … behavior is the best guide, not race or religion,” he advised the attendees, numbering close to one hundred people representing think tanks, security agencies, government workers, and other interested parties.
Ellison admitted the recent case of Faisal Shahzad, a naturalized Pakistani-American young man seemingly integrated into American society who attempted to set-off a bomb in New York’s Times Square earlier this year, was worrisome because it showed there is no profile for who might be prone to violent acts. Ellison called on Congress to setup a committee to study the “roots of radicalization.”
American-born Islamic lecturer Anwar Al-Awlaki was mentioned several times in Ellison’s speech, and by many guests during the subsequent panel discussion. Ellison called Al-Awlaki – whose CD sets on Islamic history are popular among English speaking Muslims around the world – an “influential, persuasive manipulator” who needs to be “taken in”.
Through all efforts to ensure national security, Ellison said the government should never move away from constitutional principles. “Civil liberties …and public safety … it’s not an either or,” he said.
On the Muslim-American community’s response to some local youth gravitating towards radicalization, Ellison said the community must move beyond slogans like “Islam is peace”. Recognizing many Muslim youth are angered at the US for its foreign policy and frustrated at on-going, large scale civilian deaths in Muslim lands, Ellison said the community must have answers to their questions. “We have to confront the moral logic [of these radicalized youth],” he said. These youth are expressing their feelings through “rage” rather than through a “process” like political engagement or social activism, said Ellison.
Questions for the congressman included what Ellison thought of Dr. Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, a world renowned Egyptian scholar, who advocates waging jihad against Israel. Ellison said he will not comment on particular scholars, saying the “people most versed in Islamic jurisprudence will almost never” be found advocating “violent extremism”.
Following the keynote address, an hour-long panel discussion took place moderated by Faiz Shakir, Vice-President of the Center for American Progress and Editor-in-chief of Thinkprogress.org. On the panel were former New York Police Commissioner Wiliam Bratton; Rashad Hussain, US Special Envoy to the Organization of Islamic Conference; Pradeep Ramamurthy, Senior Director for Global Engagement at the National Security Council; Nadia Roumani, Director, American Muslim Civic Leadership Institute, and David Schanzer, Associate Professor of the Practice for Public Policy, Director, Triangle Center of Terrorism and Homeland Security, Duke University.
Pradeep Ramamurthy said although domestic terrorists are not always Muslims – case in point Oklahoma bomber Timothy McVeigh – national security experts say Muslim extremists are different in that they all subscribe to a “unifying narrative” that the West is at war with Islam.
Rashad Hussain represented President Obama’s Cairo message where the President emphasized the west is not at war with Islam. “The future belongs to those who build, not to those who destroy,” Hussain quoted from the President’s speech. Hussain, who has the Quran memorized and who quoted from it in arabic during the panel discussion, said “qualified Muslim scholars need to acknowledge the [foreign policy] grievances [of the Muslim youth] but reject the violence.”
Nadia Roumani said one reason the Muslim-American community might not be engaged in discussing extremism openly is that the “conversation between the government and the Muslim community has been one-way … and a lot is framed as ‘monitoring’ … we need less monitoring and more conversation,” she said. “[Our] communities are in a pressure cooker, under a spotlight, and in a petri dish all at once .. [there are no] safe spaces to have this discussion,” she added.
Professor David Schanzer studied domestic terrorism cases in-depth and conceded each one is different. “There is no profile .. some [of the terrorists] are successful, some are not, some are white, some black … there seem to be some dissatisfaction with people’s lives, but we don’t really know why one radicalizes and another does not,” said Schanzer. He also said the “tone of the discourse” about Muslim-Americans and terrorism in the public arena is “disturbing” and “not good” for Muslim-Americans.
Commisioner William Bratton, now heading the Los Angeles Police Department, said lessons from dealing with gangs can be applied to some aspects of domestic terrorism. He said “community policing” has opened up channels of communication between local law enforcement and Muslims in Los Angeles.
A brief question and answer period followed the panel discussion. Organizers thanked the audience and were hopeful the seminar was the start of more engagement on discussing the causes of and remedies for domestic terrorism.
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