Muslim Americans and Law Enforcement Partnerships

February 11, 2011


Almost a decade ago, 19 murderers killed thousands of innocent people, and cast an all-encompassing negative spotlight on Muslims worldwide. Prominent Muslim leaders from around the nation and around the world condemned Osama bin Ladin and the attacks, issuing a steady stream of thousands of statements from organizations, leaders, activists and community members in the past 10 years.

Despite the enormous effort to separate mainstream Islam and Muslims from bin Ladin’s extremism and violence, a dangerous myth of “Muslim silence” on terrorism persists. Anti-Muslim pundits have gone as far as to accuse Muslim Americans of being a “fifth column” or enemy within our nation, and even claim the community sympathizes and harbors violent extremists.

This myth-laden discourse has reached such a fever pitch that officials such as Rep. Peter King (R-NY) are now planning Congressional hearings examining the “non-cooperation” of Muslim Americans with law enforcement, and their supposed failure to tackle extremists’ ideology.

The fact is that law enforcement officials and security experts have been tackling this issue head-on alongside the Muslim American community. . Earlier this week, MPAC hosted a briefing on Capitol Hill to discuss law enforcement engagement with Muslim American communities. The forum’s featured experts were CNN National Security Analyst Peter Bergen, former National Security Council Director Roger Cressey, Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca and MPAC Government and Policy Analyst Alejandro Beutel.

SEE: Watch the full video of MPAC’s Forum on “Muslims, Law Enforcement & National Security”

Lecture: http://vimeo.com/19734332
Q&A: http://vimeo.com/19730699

The panelists all stressed the importance of not over-hyping the challenge of violent extremism and the importance of partnering with Muslim American communities.

Bergen noted that while the challenge of violent extremism to our nation is significant, “it is not an existential threat” the way the Soviet Union was during the Cold War. Cressey shared that law enforcement requires help from Muslim American communities to combat domestic violent extremists.

Baca discussed the local partnership initiatives he has developed in Los Angeles County, including the Muslim American Homeland Security Congress. Beutel focused on findings from MPAC’s Post-9/11 Terrorism Database, which found that tips from Muslims have helped foil seven of the last 11 domestic terror plots and 40 percent of all plots since 9/11.

While King seems to be moving full steam ahead with his hearings, it seems he is already in trouble. He appears to be having trouble finding any law enforcement experts willing to testify in support of his claims, and told reporters this week no law enforcement officials will be offering testimony because they’re not willing to say in public what they have said to him in private. Perhaps the best response came from Sheriff Baca, when he stated at MPAC’s briefing:

“If he [Rep. Peter King] has evidence of non-cooperation he should bring it forward… I sit on the Major City Chiefs association as one of three chairs. I also sit on the Major County Sheriff’s Association and I’m on the national board of the international association for the sheriffs’ departments. Here’s the thing: I don’t know what Mr. King is hearing or who he’s hearing it from.”

The response from King’s office was short, but spoke volumes: “We have no contact with Sheriff Baca and there is nothing to comment on.”

Indeed.




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