July 16, 2011

Imam Suhaib Webb was one of nine scholar to
address the Muslim American community in
MPAC's 2010 'Injustice Cannot Defeat Injustice' video.

With the demise of terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden recently behind us, and the 10th anniversary of 9/11 quickly approaching, now is the time for us to reflect on the progress made and the work that remains in countering violent extremism (CVE). For us as a country, it is clear that effective domestic CVE requires the partnership of our communities.

That’s because CVE is a two-fold issue. On one hand there is a fringe violent and criminal element that needs to be prevented. On the other hand, an extremist narrative exists seeking to distort Islamic teachings and play off of community concerns to justify senseless violence against innocents. Law enforcement can neither do it alone, nor arrest its way out of this challenge.

Preventing violence and keeping Americans safe is law enforcement’s job. The American Dream and the teachings of Islam provide the foundation to the leaders of the Muslim American community to fulfill their moral and civic duty to counter extremist ideology.

Flashy and financially lucrative proposals seeking to push law enforcement into “fighting the ideological battle” are not only ineffective and constitutionally questionable, but also deeply counterproductive. In the marketplace of ideas, the best way to defeat bad speech is to counter it with better speech, not prevent speech altogether.

Exposing al-Qaeda’s bankrupt ideology is needed. This is why continuing to uplift mainstream Muslim voices on the Internet through anti-extremism videos, such as “One Year Later” and “Injustice Cannot Defeat Injustice,” are important.

The vast majority of Muslim Americans are law-abiding citizens. MPAC's upcoming Young Muslims Americans poll results show that the overwhelming majority aspire to be equally faithful to their religious and American identities. In the fight to define the narrative for ourselves from Muslim and anti-Muslim extremists, drawing ourselves closer to, not further from, the American principles of liberty, justice and democratic change is what will ensure the longevity of our communities and the safety of our nation. Muslims worldwide are rejecting the narrowly imposed narrative that seeks to stifle growth; as we have seen in Egypt and Tunisia, Muslims are taking matters of change into their own hands in a productive and peaceful way.