By Richard A. Joyce

Redstone Review VP

PUEBLO – The unsuccessful Christmas Day attempt to bring down a Northwest jetliner as it approached Detroit has underscored the harsh reality that Osama Bin Laden and all those who think as he does want to destroy the United States and everyone in it.

To be secure in this terrorist-age environment means constantly tweaking our security systems, which includes strengthening the ability of those many agencies involved in protecting us to communicate and act in a highly effective, unified manner. To blink, for even a second, can lead to disaster and the deaths of many.

The terrorists have proven relentless during the past nine years in devising new strategies and tactics for accomplishing their goals, and they have been identified time after time as “radicalized” Muslims, i.e. Muslims who have rejected the mainstream beliefs of Islam in favor of the erroneous jihadist perspective that embraces violence as the only legitimate means by which to right the perceived wrongs associated with the U.S., Western nations in general, Israel, Christians and Jews – and anyone else who is not willing to accept their interpretation of history, ancient and recent, current events and the Koran, itself.

The intense hatred raging in radicalized Muslims knows no limits in terms of those it kills with regard to number, gender, age, non-combatant status or religion: non-radicalized Muslim men, women and children are included among terrorists’ targets.

It is important for all non-Muslim people in this country to take note of that because just about all Muslim-Americans are actively fighting radicalization, and therefore domestic terrorism, within their communities – for the most part successfully – and they need our help and support to keep waging that battle and win out over those who try constantly to find new terrorist recruits among them.  That is the conclusion of a report released Jan. 6 by researchers at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and Duke University.

The joint report, “Anti-Terror Lessons of Muslim Americans,” says that since the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City and on the Pentagon, “139 Muslim-Americans committed acts of terrorism-related violence or were prosecuted for terrorism-related offenses that involve some element of violence. This level of approximately 17 individuals per years is small compared to other violent crime in American, but not insignificant. Homegrown terrorism is a serious, but limited, problem.”

Although there is no accurate count of Muslim-Americans because the U.S. Census and other data-gathering organizations are forbidden to solicit information about religion from people, a number of studies conducted after the 9/11 attacks indicate that there are approximately 3 million Muslim-Americans, about 1 percent of our population. Given the widespread anti-Muslim response to each terrorist incident, successful or not, among non-Muslim-Americans, the report says, it is significant that so few living in this country have been radicalized.

And what has prevented more radicalization are the actions Muslim-American communities have taken. “Our research shows that a variety of practices of Muslim-American communities may be helping to prevent and address instances of radicalization,” the report says.

Among those practices are:

“Public and private denunciations of terrorism and violence. Muslim-American organizations and leaders have consistently condemned terrorist violence here and abroad since 9/11, arguing that such violence is strictly condemned by Islam. Our research found that these statements were not just for public consumption, but were supported by local Muslim religious and community leaders, who consistently condemned political violence in public sermons and private conversations.

“Self-policing. Muslim-Americans have adopted numerous internal self-policing practices to prevent the growth of radical ideology in their communities. The practices range from confronting individuals who express radical ideology or support for terrorism, preventing extremist ideologues from preaching in mosques, communicating concerns about radical individuals to law enforcement officials, and purging radical extremists from membership in local mosques.

“Community-building. The creation of robust Muslim-American communities may serve as a preventative measure against radicalization by reducing social isolation of individuals who may be at risk of becoming radicalized. The stronger such communities are, in terms of social networks, educational programs, and provision of social services, the more likely they are to identify individuals who are prone to radicalization and intervene appropriately.

“Political engagement. Heightened political activity of Muslim-Americans since 9/11 is also a positive development for preventing radicalization. Political engagement channels grievances into democratic forums and promotes integration of Muslim-Americans into an important aspect of American life.

“Identity politics. The . . . Muslim-American identity follows the precedent of other racial, ethnic, and religious groups in the United States: they have embraced the compatibility of minority and American identities. Increased piety among Muslim-Americans also serves to undercut the radical message that American values and practices are hostile to Islam.”

The report lists seven recommendations for fostering and strengthening those practices, but I would add an eighth. Each of us in this country, as an individual and collectively in our communities, must put aside our tendency to paint the portraits of Muslim-Americans in the stereotyped image of those radicalized few who have caused us to be afraid.

It is past time to understand that Muslim-Americans are Americans. They love their God, they practice their faith, and they love this country and want to help – indeed, are actively helping to – secure it against violence, whether from radicalized Muslims or anyone else. We non-Muslims must join them and invite them to join us in creating a secure nation in which all share the risks and the rewards the future may bring.

Let that be one of our top New Year’s resolutions, and let’s keep it.

Richard A. Joyce is associate professor in the mass communications department at Colorado State University-Pueblo. He was the managing editor of the Canon City Daily Record. He can be reached at phase15@mac.com.

Back to Top