Surprise! American Muslims Not Interested In “Rooting Out” Extremism

After each and every one of the outrages Islamic radicals carry out on an innocent and unsuspecting host population there is always a call for the Muslim community to help stamp out the alleged “perversion” of Islam that gives moral justification to young men and young women to go out and kill themselves for no greater purpose than racking up a body count of innocent bystanders. We hear pleasing noises from groups like CAIR, that UAE-designated terrorist group that visits the White House regularly, but mostly we are told that we need to suck it up and let them bomb away, otherwise we are Islamophobes. And example comes from Obama hectoring speech to the nation Sunday night:

If we’re to succeed in defeating terrorism we must enlist Muslim communities as some of our strongest allies, rather than push them away through suspicion and hate.

That does not mean denying the fact that an extremist ideology has spread within some Muslim communities. This is a real problem that Muslims must confront, without excuse. Muslim leaders here and around the globe have to continue working with us to decisively and unequivocally reject the hateful ideology that groups like ISIL and al Qaeda promote; to speak out against not just acts of violence, but also those interpretations of Islam that are incompatible with the values of religious tolerance, mutual respect, and human dignity.

But just as it is the responsibility of Muslims around the world to root out misguided ideas that lead to radicalization, it is the responsibility of all Americans — of every faith — to reject discrimination. [blah, blah, blah]

Why isn’t this working? How did Syed Farook plan a terror attack over at least three years with no one in either his family or the mosque he regularly attended the wiser? The answer is that he didn’t. Some members of his family knew. Some of his acquaintances knew or had reason to suspect what he intended to do.

NPR, that very conservative organization, has some insights in Some Muslim Americans Irritated By Obama’s Call For Them To ‘Root Out’ Extremism.

President Obama’s request that Muslim Americans help “root out” and confront extremist ideology in their communities is getting mixed reactions. Muslim leaders say they want to help, but some are not happy that they are being singled out.

“We would never ask any other faith community to stand up and condemn acts of violence committed by people within their groups,” said Palestinian-American activist Linda Sarsour, who has worked extensively with the Black Lives Matter movement and other minority groups. “The fact that this is only directed at the Muslim community is something that I personally can’t accept.”
…
“Now, I have an ask,” [Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson] said. “It is an ask of the people in this room and all Muslims across the country. Terrorist organizations overseas have targeted your communities. They seek to pull your youth into the pit of violent extremism. Help us to help you stop this.”

Muslim leaders have heard this before, and some find it a little irritating.

“We’re not law enforcement officials,” said Shahed Amanullah, a Washington, D.C.-based Muslim American entrepreneur with Silicon Valley connections.

Muslim leaders have heard this before, and some find it a little irritating.

“We’re not law enforcement officials,” said Shahed Amanullah, a Washington, D.C.-based Muslim American entrepreneur with Silicon Valley connections. He has worked with the U.S. government on combating online extremism, but he said it’s unrealistic to expect Muslim Americans to confront violent people in their midst.

“We’re community members and Americans like everybody else,” he said, “and we should have the same relationship with law enforcement that everybody else has. To expect us to be on the front lines without having the capacity or the support would not be [productive]. It wouldn’t be productive with any community.”

And herein lies the issue. Outside the Muslim community, the idea of turning people into the police who are planning crazy stuff is not unusual. It is against the law to not do so. There is no requirement that the government provide you with resources. Pick up a phone. If you don’t pick up the phone, like the friend of Charleston shooter Dylan Roof, you end up in jail. Right now, the mother of the San Bernardino shooter is still walking free despite the mathematical improbability of her non-involvement.

But when you have a tribal mentality, a calculated sense of being apart from the nation of residence, then there is no incentive to do so. In fact, just the opposite. Among US Muslims under the age of 29 as many as 42% believe that suicide bombings are justified. So if you are suspected of informing the police of a potential attack you and your family could easily be targeted. When you read the La Stampa interview of the San Bernardino shooter’s father, also named Syed Farook, gives hints of a man who knows a lot more than he feels safe revealing.

The fact is that the US Muslim community has zero skin in the game. And the way they keep it that way is by not cooperating with authorities before the fact and paying lip service to cooperation after the fact. Our pervasive political correctness has made inserting informants into mosques and suspect organizations dangerous for the law enforcement entity contemplating the action. Handling terrorist sympathizers with kid gloves and the inability of our consular staffs in suspect countries, like Pakistan, to competently carry out even menial tasks… like verifying home addresses… indicates the federal government has abjectly abrogated any pretense of trying to protect the nation before a disaster strikes.

Counting on American Muslims to assist in “rooting out” extremism is a strategy that has two decade of failure to its credit. You can’t blame them. They are sucked up to by the government because of fear they will be violent. They either sympathize with the terrorists motives or their tribal loyalty outweighs their duty as citizens. If they do cooperate they could very well, literally, have their head handed to them.

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