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Civil Rights Group Questions Federal Plan to Fight Radicalization
White House Report Ignores Problems and Raises New Concerns
San Francisco, CA - The Asian Law Caucus (ALC) joins civil rights organizations across the country in expressing concern about the implications of the White House's recently released report on the federal government's plan to counter violent extremism. The report, titled Empowering Local Partners to Prevent Violent Extremism in the United States, details a government plan to grow its engagement of the private sector in the fight against Al Qaeda. While keeping all of our communities safe should be a priority for this administration, the federal government's plan is rooted in a false premise and proposes the expansion of flawed models of community engagement.
Although the report notes that "rather than blame particular communities, it is essential that we find ways to help them protect themselves [against violent extremism]," the premise of the proposal is that American Muslims are vulnerable to indoctrination by Al Qaeda. "The idea that American Muslims are susceptible to being 'lured' by terrorist ideology is not just reductionist and stereotypical, it's empirically false," said Veena Dubal, Staff Attorney at the ALC. "We continue to be concerned that the federal government is casting a shadow on an entire religious community of Americans." Dubal noted that contrary to the assumptions made in this report, a Gallup Poll released two days ago revealed that American Muslims are more likely than any other faith group in the United States to reject attacks on civilians.
Further, the report proposes an expansion of law enforcement partnership with communities, but fails to mention the myriad issues belying this relationship. Nationally, civil rights advocates have documented the overbroad law enforcement surveillance of the American Muslim community, and the lack of transparency and accountability. Unfettered spying undermines trust and destroys the relationships this report advocates. Rather than address these concerns, the report proposes the expansion of the programs that raise them.
"The Obama administration says that they will challenge Al Qaeda propaganda with words and deeds, defined by American ideals. But so far, this has been an empty promise. Rather than upholding the constitutional rights of all Americans, federal law enforcement has adopted a 'guilty until proven innocent model' for the American Muslim community," said Summer Hararah, Program Coordinator at the Asian Law Caucus. "Without any suspicion of criminal activity, our mosques are infiltrated by FBI informants and our community members are visited by FBI agents. And now, the White House is proposing a national plan that will engage civil society in the flawed premise that American Muslims are vulnerable to radicalization. This is not a step forward for the safety of our communities; this is a step backward."
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About The Asian Law Caucus:
The Asian Law Caucus was founded in 1972 as the nation's first legal and civil rights Asian American organization. Recognizing that social, economic, political and racial inequalities continue to exist in the United States, ALC is committed to the pursuit of equality and justice for all sectors of our society, with a specific focus directed toward addressing the needs of low-income, immigrant and underserved Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. The Asian Law Caucus is a member of the Asian American Center for Advancing Justice. Visit: http://asianlawcaucus.org
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