Existing Reports, Polls, and Studies on Islam, Muslims & Radicalization
by Sheila Musaji
In the Congressional hearing - “The Extent of Radicalization in the American Muslim Community and that Community’s Response.” - held by Rep. Peter King there were no hard facts brought forward. What we heard were emotional personal stories, opinions, allegations, stereotypes, and innuendo.
Nothing that we heard in these hearings went beyond the long list of bigoted propaganda stating some “fact” that everyone “knows” which are all, quite simply, not facts at all. You can find responses to hundreds of such claims here. You can click on any of the links included in this list of commonly repeated claims, and you will find an article that explains why that claim is false.
Because Rep. King appears to be unaware of existing studies and reports on this subject, TAM has collected a few of these for him and for the other members of the Congressional Department of Homeland Security. Perhaps a few hard facts might help to make any future hearings more productive and less wasteful of taxpayers money. Rather than placing suspicion on an entire community, perhaps a little factual information might save everyone a lot of unnecessary trouble.
The ACLU published BLOCKING FAITH, FREEZING CHARITY: CHILLING MUSLIM CHARITABLE GIVING IN THE “WAR ON TERRORISM FINANCING”
ACLU published Nothing to Fear: Debunking the Mythical “Sharia Threat” to Our Judicial System 5/2011
The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) hosted a briefing on Capitol Hill to publicize the positive relationship between Arab-American communities and law enforcement.
American Sociological Association Report The Fringe Effect: Civil Society Organizations & the Evolution of Media Discourse about Islam since 9/11 Christopher A Bail ** 2012
Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies (ASARB), “2010 U.S. Religious Census: Religious Congregations & Membership Study (RCMS)” (includes info. on states with highest, lowest Muslim populations) ** 2012
Bipartisan Policy Center Report, Countering Online Radicalization in America ** 2012
Brennan Center for Justice, New York University published RETHINKING RADICALIZATION by Faiza Patel. Summary:
Radicalization is complex. Yet a thinly-sourced, reductionist view of how people become terrorists has gained unwarranted legitimacy in some counterterrorism circles. This view corresponds with—and seems to legitimize—“counter-radicalization” measures that rely heavily on non-threat-based intelligence collection, a tactic that may be ineffective or even counterproductive. Only by analyzing what we know about radicalization and the government’s response to it can we be sure that these reactions are grounded in fact rather than stereotypes and truly advance our efforts to combat terrorism.
The government’s lead agencies to combat radicalization recognize the complexity of the radicalization process. However, they have not expressly repudiated theories suggesting it is possible to detect radicalization long before people take concrete steps toward violence.
Domestic law enforcement agencies, including the FBI and state and local police departments, have stepped into the breach, developing simplistic theories, such as the “religious conveyer belt” theory, of how American Muslims become radicalized. These theories suggest, contrary to empirical social science studies, that the path to terrorism has a fixed trajectory and that each step of the process has specific, identifiable markers, according to the report.
This accepted understanding of how someone becomes a terrorist influences the selection of investigative techniques. For example, according to the report, the assumed link between religiosity and terrorism encourages intrusion into mosques, traditionally considered off-limits to the government absent a specific connection to suspected criminal or terrorist activity.
This emphasis on intelligence collection about radicalization, much of which involves First Amendment-protected speech and activities, has undermined a much-touted prong of the government’s strategy—the attempt to engage American Muslim communities in the fight against terrorism.
“Many American Muslims believe their communities are treated as inherently suspicious by the government,” states the report. “As a result, while American Muslim communities have been invaluable partners in the government’s counterterrorism efforts, some American Muslims are becoming more guarded in their relations with law enforcement agencies. The obvious tension between the government’s various responses to radicalization is increasingly noted, but remains unaddressed: Can a community simultaneously be treated as suspect and also be expected to function as a partner?”
The report has specific recommendations for the federal government to recalibrate its approach to radicalization, including:
•Repudiating the unfounded theory of radicalization that is popular with law enforcement agencies;
•Establishing a mechanism to evaluate the effectiveness of the plethora of anti-radicalization measures that have been undertaken;
•Constituting the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board (already mandated by Congress) to analyze the civil liberties impact of counter-radicalization policies, particularly on American Muslims’ First Amendment freedoms;
•Increasing the transparency of law enforcement policies in this area; and
•Reconfiguring its outreach activities to Muslim communities to ensure sustained outreach at the local level accompanied by a serious policy dialogue at the national level.
The Brookings Institute published REFORMULATING THE BATTLE OF IDEAS: UNDERSTANDING THE ROLE OF ISLAM IN COUNTERTERRORISM POLICY
The Brookings Institute published STRATEGIC COUNTERRORISM
The Brookings Institute published FEELING BETRAYED: THE ROOTS OF MUSLIM ANGER AT AMERICA
The Brookings Institute published Building Capacity and Developing Leadership among American Muslims and Their Organizations
The Brookings Institute published What It Means to be an American: Attitudes in an Increasingly Diverse America Ten Years after 9/11
Bureau of International Information Programs published MUSLIMS IN AMERICA: A STATISTICAL PORTRAIT
CAIR (Council on American Islamic Relations) published WESTERN MUSLIM MINORITIES: INTEGRATION AND DISENFRANCHISEMENT
CAIR published THE STATUS OF MUSLIM CIVIL RIGHTS IN THE UNITED STATES 2009: Seeking Full Inclusion
CAIR published THE MOSQUE IN AMERICA: A NATIONAL PORTRAIT
CAIR and the University of California, Berkeley’s Center for Race and Gender (CRG) published Same Hate, New Target: Islamophobia and its impact in the United States 6/23/11
CAIR released Securing Religious Liberty. A Muslim community handbook for opposing legislation that restricts religious freedom and threatens the U.S. Constitution. Countering anti-Sharia legislation. 2012
The Center for American Progress report UNDERSTANDING SHARIAH LAW: Conservatives’ Skewed Interpretation Needs Debunking, by Wajahat Ali and Matthew Duss.
Center for American Progress report FEAR INC.: THE ROOTS OF THE ISLAMOPHOBIA NETWORK IN AMERICA. The key researchers for this report were Wajahat Ali, Eli Clifton, Matthew Duss, Lee Fang, Scott Keyes, and Faiz Shakir. The report itself is the result of a six month investigative project, and is 132 pages in length. Article about the report, with article collection here 8/26/11
Center for Human Rights and Global Justice (CHRGJ) at NYU published “Targeted and Entrapped: Manufacturing the “Homegrown Threat” in the U.S. which critically examines three high-profile domestic terrorism prosecutions and raises serious questions about the role of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the New York City Police Department (NYPD) in constructing the specter of “homegrown” terrorism through the deployment of paid informants to encourage terrorist plots in Muslim communities.
The Center for National Policy’s Scott Bates, a Homeland Security expert points out the false connection between religion and terrorism: “The folks who are most knowledgeable of the religion are the least likely to get recruited. It’s those who have almost a voyeuristic attraction to it [the religion] that get drawn in.” This is also backed by a study performed by researchers at Duke University and the University of North Carolina, who found that mosques actually serve as a deterrent to terrorism. According to the study, many mosque leaders have put significant effort into countering extremism by building youth programs, sponsoring antiviolence forums and scrutinizing teachers and texts. [Scott Bates, 9/8/10. David Schanzer et al, 1/6/10] ** The same study also found that The American Muslim community has been the single largest source of tips that have brought terror suspects to the attention of authorities, the study found. (It also found that the number of American Muslims found or suspected to be part of terror operations dropped substantially in 2010.) **
Communique Partners published Western Perception of Islam and Muslims 2005
A coalition of organizations released The American Mosque 2011 by Ihsan Bagby which aims to obtain a more accurate count of the number of mosques and Muslims in the U.S., demographics of mosque attendees, and the attitudes of mosque leaders towards topics such as American Muslim participation in civil society, how they interpret the Quran and Sunnah, perceptions of discrimination, etc. 2012
A Congressional Research Service Report, AMERICAN JIHADIST TERRORISM: COMBATING A COMPLEX THREAT cites numerous examples of Muslim community activities and federal engagement and partnership activities with Muslim-American communities. Note that on pgs. 59 and 77 the report notes actions taken by CAIR that contradict King’s assertions about Muslim leadership. This report sent to Congress with little fanfare on September 20, contends that soon after 9-11, American Muslims “recognized the need to define themselves as distinctly American communities who, like all Americans, desire to help prevent another terrorist attack” and explores how federal, state and local law enforcement organizations responded by tapping into American Muslims’ language skills, contacts, information and cultural insights. The CRS is a branch of the Library of Congress.
Council of Religious Institutions of the Holy Land Report on Israeli & Palestinian Textbooks (Weakens Israeli Claim That Palestinian School Texts Teach Hate) ** 2013
The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) released a report saying that the U.S. Should Forge “New Partnership” With Turkey. 2012
The Counterterrorism Communications Center published “WORDS THAT WORK AND WORDS THAT DON’T: A GUIDE FOR COUNTERTERRORISM COMMUNICATION”
This report offers specific directives, such as: don’t use terms such as “jihadist” or “holy warrior” because it legitimizes bin Laden’s followers, but also don’t use terms such as “Islamo-fascism,” which offends everyone else by associating Islam with fascism. UPI reports that “Urging officials not to use the word Islam in conjunction with terrorism, the guide notes that, “Although the al-Qaida network exploits religious sentiments and tries to use religion to justify its actions, we should treat it as an illegitimate political organization, both terrorist and criminal.” Instead of calling terror groups Muslim or Islamic, the guide suggests using words like totalitarian, terrorist or violent extremist—“widely understood terms that define our enemies appropriately and simultaneously deny them any level of legitimacy.”
Demos has released a report THE EDGE OF VIOLENCE: TACKLING HOME GROWN TERRORISM. The path into terrorism in the name of Islam is often described as a process of radicalisation. But to be radical is not necessarily to be violent. Violent radicals are clearly enemies of liberal democracies, but non-violent radicals might sometimes be powerful allies. This pamphlet is a summary of two years of research examining the difference between violent and non-violent radicals in Europe and Canada. It represents a step towards a more nuanced understanding of the behaviour of radicalised individuals, the appeal of the al-Qaeda narrative, and the role of governments and communities in responding. ... The report which defines ‘radical’ as the ‘rejection of the status quo’ lays bare the myth that radicalisation is a linear path to violence and terrorism. As the report argues; ‘differentiating between types of radicalisation is extremely important because targeting the wrong people can breed resentment and alienation and erode the freedoms Western governments want to preserve’. Using a combination of literature reviews and interviews across 5 countries (UK, Canada, Denmark, France and the Netherlands), the report seeks to cast light on how and why some types of radicalisation develop into violence and others do not; how the different types relate to each other and what implications this has for social and security policy. The report comes up with the following 3 recommendations stakeholders will find useful in addressing the challenges in question: encouraging positive activism, demystifying and de-glamourising Al-Qaeda as a structure and an ideology and encouraging a greater role for the involvement of non-governmental actors.
The Dept. of Homeland Security published RIGHTWING EXTREMISM: CURRENT ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL CLIMATE FUELING RESURGENCE IN RADICALIZATION AND RECRUITMENT in 2009. Due to a veritable firestorm of protests from rightwing media personalities and GOP’s in Congress, the report was withdrawn. It is still obtainable through the link.
The Dept. of Homeland Security published TERMINOLOGY TO DEFINE THE TERRORISTS: RECOMMENDATIONS FROM AMERICAN MUSLIMS
This report was considered by the State Department in preparing their report on “Words that Work”. From the conclusion of this report: “Words matter. The terminology the USG uses should convey the magnitude of the threat we face, but also avoid inflating the religious bases and glamorous appeal of the extremists’ ideology. Instead, USG terminology should depict the terrorists as the dangerous cult leaders they are. They have no honor, they have no dignity, and they offer no answers. While acknowledging that they have the capacity to destroy, we should constantly emphasize that they cannot build societies, and do not provide solutions to the problems people across the globe face.”
Salam al-Marayati of MPAC commented on this topic “Dropping religious labels] denies Al-Qaeda and its affiliates the religious legitimacy they severely lack and so desperately seek. For years, Muslim public opinion has decisively turned against Bin Ladin, Al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups because of the immoral, unethical and gruesome tactics they employ and because the vast majority of their victims have been other Muslims. ... one of our strategic goals should be to empower the authentic and mainstream Muslim voices that are working on a daily basis to counter the cult of death, which groups such as Al-Qaeda call to. By removing religious labels from describing the terrorists, we empower and embolden those mainstream voices and deny the terrorists from making a religious claim. This is precisely why in 2008 a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) internal memo circulated amongst government agencies directed government officials and diplomatic staff to consider the implications of using “Islamic” language when discussing terrorism-related issues.”
The Dept. of Homeland Security published USE OF CYBER ATTACKS OVER THE COMING DECADE
Duke Univ. Islamic Studies Center and ISPU report Community Engagement is Key in Countering Violent Extremism in the U.S. ** 2012
EUROPOL published EU TERRORISM SITUATION AND TREND REPORT and 2010 report According to figures listed in this report, Dan Gardner ]notes: As for who’s responsible, forget Islamists. The overwhelming majority of the attacks- 237 of 294 - were carried out by separatist groups, such as the Basque ETA. A further 40 terrorists schemes were pinned on leftist and/or anarchist terrorists. Rightists were responsible for four attacks. Single-issue groups were behind two attacks, while responsibility for a further 10 was not clear. Islamists? They were behind a grand total of one attack. Yes, one. Out of 294 attacks. In a population of half a billion people. To put that in perspective, the same number of attacks was committed by the Comité d’Action Viticole, a French group that wants to stop the importation of foreign wine. Updated Europol data http://www.loonwatch.com/2011/11/updated-europol-data-less-than-1-of-terrorist-attacks-by-muslims/
Foreign Policy Research Institute FPRI, Radicalization in the U.S. Beyond al Qaeda
Treating the disease of the disconnection Clint Watts ** 2012
The George Washington University Homeland Security Policy Institute and The University of Virginia Critical Incident Analysis Group has published NETworked Radicalization: A Counter-Strategy The American Muslim (TAM) along with a number of other Muslim efforts was mentioned positively in this study.
Harvard University published Evangelism in the Profession of Arms: An Evaluation of Evangelical Christian Proselytizing in the Professional Journal of the United States Air Force
The Homeland Security Institute has prepared for the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security The Internet as a terrorist tool for recruitment and radicalization of youth
The Hope Not Hate campaign released a Counter Jihad Report which profiles over 100 individuals who are central to the international anti-Muslim network.
Institute of Race Relations (Great Britain) Pedlars of Hate: the violent impact of the European far Right ** 2012
The Institute for Social Policy and Understanding published A Portion of the People: Islam in a ‘Christian’ America
The Institute for Social Policy and Understanding published Islamo-Christian Civilization Richard Bulliett ** 2012
The Institute for Social Policy and Understanding published The United States & Political Islamism: From Demobilization to Deradicalization?
The Institute for Social Policy and Understanding produced Tackling Muslim Radicalization: Lessons from Scotland
The Institute for Social Policy and Understanding published The Muslim Friday Khutba (in America): Veiled and Unveiled Themes
The Institute for Social Policy and Understanding published Islamic Schools of the United States: Data-based Profiles
The Institute for Social Policy and Understanding produced Not In Our Neighborhood: Managing Opposition to Mosque Construction
The Institute for Social Policy and Understanding published Global Battleground or School Playground: The Bullying of America’s Muslim Children
The Institute for Social Policy and Understanding published Malleable Stereotypes: How Media is Improving the Image of American Muslims
The Institute for Social Policy and Understanding published The US Patriot Act: Impact on the Arab and Muslim American Community
The Institute for Social Policy and Understanding (ISPU) released a report based on interviews with more than 200 North American Muslims over four years concludes that a recent spate of state laws banning “sharia law” from the court system may be an overreaction to a non-existent threat. The report Shari’a Law: Coming to a Courthouse Near You?: What Shari’a Really Means to American Muslims notes that ” Based on the study, for most American Muslims shari’a represents a private system of morality and identity, primarily focused on marriage and divorce rituals. None of the American Muslims interviewed for this study expected American courts to enforce shari’a. Just like other Americans, they will access the courts for adjudication according to American family law if they cannot make a private agreement (relating to divorce) that meets their needs and values.”
Institute for Social Policy & Understanding (ISPU) report Engaging American Muslims: Political Trends and Attitudes by Farid Senzai 2012
The Institute for Social Policy and Understanding published Sharia and Diversity: Why Some Americans are Missing the Point Asifa Quraishi-Landes ** 2013
Institute for Strategic Dialogue Policy Briefing: FAR-RIGHT EXTREMISM: TRENDS AND METHODS FOR RESPONSE AND PREVENTION 2012
The International Centre for the Study of Radicalization has published Countering Online Radicalisation: A Strategy for Action
Int’l Journal of Intercultural Relations report Perceived islamophobia: Scale development and validation ** 2012
ISNA (The Islamic Society of North America) published STATEMENT AGAINST TERRORISM AND RELIGIOUS EXTREMISM
The FBI published DOMESTIC TERRORISM IN THE POST-9/11 ERA
Journal of Religion & Society, Claremont Graduate Univ., Kripke Center, Anti-Islamic Sentiment and Media Framing during the 9/11 Decade, Christopher Smith ** 2013
Leadership Group on U.S.-Muslim Engagement report, “Changing Course: A New Direction for U.S. Relations with the Muslim World” ** 2008
MAPOS The MUSLIM AMERICAN PUBLIC OPINION SURVEY by Matt A. Barreto, University of Washington and Karam Dana, Harvard University
Marquette University Prof.Risa A. Brooks’ Study on Muslim “Homegrown” Terrorism in the United States How Serious Is the Threathttp://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/ISEC_a_00055
Muslim Advocated published LOSING LIBERTY: THE STATE OF FREEDOM 10 YEARS AFTER THE PATRIOT ACT
MPAC (Muslim Public Affairs Council) published “A REVIEW OF U.S. COUNTERTERRORISM POLICY: AMERICAN MUSLIM CRITIQUE & RECOMMENDATIONS.”
MPAC published its first policy memo as the Counterterrorism Chronicles in 1993, and produced its first policy paper on counterterrorism policy in 1999. In September 2003, MPAC published its second counterterrorism policy paper entitled “A REVIEW OF U.S. COUNTERTERRORISM POLICY: AMERICAN MUSLIM CRITIQUE & RECOMMENDATIONS.” General Brent Scowcroft, former Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs to Presidents George H.W. Bush and Gerald Ford, said, “MPAC’s Counterterrorism Policy Paper is a serious and thoughtful document that should be valuable to all policy-makers. Counterterrorism analysis from an American Muslim perspective is critical to the decision-making process. I found the paper to be serious and in-depth, and the recommendations should be reviewed by the policy-making community.”
Against the background of more than a dozen domestic terrorism plots uncovered in 2009, this paper discusses the current analysis of the “domestic radicalization” and proposes a blueprint for effective community-law enforcement engagement and partnership. This report focuses on several key components:
•Assessing current public opinion and policy discourse on violent extremism
•Understanding processes leading to “radicalization” and violent extremism
•Critiquing the effectiveness of current counterterrorism policies such as informants, NSA wiretapping, racial profiling, and national security letters
•Outlining a model for a community-law enforcement partnership based on community-oriented policing
•Addressing potential challenges to community-oriented policingBuilding Bridges to Strengthen America seeks to provide a mainstream Muslim American contribution to the counterterrorism policy discourse. In particular, it seeks outline a “blueprint” for how Muslim American communities - from a Muslim American perspective - can be an asset to national security. At the same time, this report also provides practical recommendations for law enforcement to uphold civil liberties while maintaining their effectiveness.
MPAC has created campaigns to assist local Muslim communities in engaging with law enforcement and ensuring financial and ideological transparency at their mosques. One such program is our NATIONAL GRASSROOTS CAMPAIGN TO FIGHT TERRORISM, which was launched in 2004 and endorsed by the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) and the Department of Justice. More recently, they released an eye opening policy paper entitled “BUILDING BRIDGES TO STRENGTHEN AMERICA: BUILDING AN EFFECTIVE COUNTERTERRORISM ENTERPRISE BETWEEN MUSLIM AMERICANS AND LAW ENFORCEMENT.” Against the background of more than a dozen domestic terrorism plots uncovered in 2009, this paper discusses the current analysis of the “domestic radicalization” and proposes a blueprint for effective community-law enforcement engagement and partnership.
MPAC held a Forum on Partnership of Muslim Americans and Law Enforcement on Capitol Hill - video here titled “Muslims, Law Enforcement and National Security,” which included Peter Bergen, CNN National Security Analyst and current Director of the National Security Studies Program at the New America Foundation; Roger Cressey, Former Director for Transnational Threats at the National Security Council (NSC) and professor at Georgetown University; Sheriff Lee Baca, Los Angeles County Sheriff, Founder Muslim American Homeland Security Congress (MAHSC); Michael Downing, Deputy Chief of the Counter-Terrorism and Special Operations Bureau of Los Angeles Police Department; and MPAC’s Alejandro J. Beutel, who wrote a policy paper on countering violent extremism.
MPAC published POST 9/11 TERRORISM DATABASE
This report examines the challenges posed by Muslim terrorists in two ways. The first is by examining the quantitative and qualitative nature of terrorism trials. Second, it looks at the number of actual and attempted attacks within the United States, including a comparative analysis of incidents involving Muslim and non-Muslim perpetrators. The Database draws upon tracking done by the Congressional Research Service, Heritage Foundation, Southern Poverty Law Center, official government and court documents, and mainstream media reporting. Summary of key findings HERE
MPAC published THE IMPACT OF 9/11 ON MUSLIM AMERICAN YOUNG PEOPLE Published in 2007, this special report attempts to do two things: first, frame the issues related to the radicalization of Muslim youth in the West in a way that is consistent with realities on the ground and emphasizes the distinction between the American and European experiences; and second, provide a series of recommendations to Muslim American institutions, government and the media in their efforts to engage young Muslims in a healthy partnership of respect and equality with the goal of enhancing their integration and reducing the possibility for radicalization.
MPAC published COUNTERPRODUCTIVE COUNTERTERRORISM: HOW ANTI-MUSLIM BIAS IS UNDERMINING AMERICA’s HOMELAND SECURITY Several myths abound regarding the role of American Muslims in counterterrorism policy, the most prominent and problematic of which paints the American Muslim community as a threat to America’s national security. In fact, the American Muslim community is an asset to law enforcement in their shared goal to root out terrorism and extremism. The source of suspicion of American Muslims stems from false accusations of American Muslim organizations.
National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Response to Terrorism (START), University of Maryland, Profiles of Perpetrators of Terrorism in the United States (PPT-US) ** 2012
National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) Hot Spots of Terrorism and Other Crimes in the United States, 1970 to 2008 ** 2012
The New America Foundation and Syracuse University’s Maxwell School published Homegrown Terrorism Cases, 2001-2011. They have examined cases of homegrown jihadist and non-jihadist terrorism in the United States since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. The found that Islamist terrorism has been no more deadly in the United States than other forms of domestic terrorism since September 11. They also note that
To be clear, the 114 cases of right-wing and left-wing terrorism we examined probably do not represent a complete survey of non-Islamist terrorist cases in the United States since September 11. While some of this case information is available from the FBI, as well as organizations that track right-wing radicalism such as the Southern Poverty Law Center, keeping track of these incidents is far more difficult than tracking incidents of Islamist terrorism.
That is because unlike Islamist terror cases, which are nearly all tried under anti-terrorism laws or statutes dealing with “material support” to terrorist groups, other domestic terrorism cases are often tried under an array of other statutes, from weapons and explosives violations, property destruction and arson to “seditious conspiracy” in the case of the anti-government Hutaree militia in Michigan.
Research on the subject is also hampered by the fact that many of these cases received only limited media attention, unlike the now 188 cases of Islamist terrorism that the New America Foundation and Syracuse’s Maxwell School have found in the United States since September 11.
More here 9/2011
New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) White Paper [url=http://www.docstoc.com/docs/91827119/NYCLU-Mosque-White-Paper]Religious Freedom Under Att