http://www.homelandsecuritynewswire.com/dr20150204-u-s-muslim-leaders-uneasy-about-counterradicalization-pilot-program
Radicalization U.S. Muslim leaders uneasy about counter-radicalization pilot program Published 4 February 2015 Later this month, the White House and the Justice Departmentwill hostthe Countering Violent Extremism summit and meet with leaders of America’s Muslim communities to launch a programaimed at curbing Islamist radicalization in the United States. The Twin Cities, Boston, and Los Angeles have been selected as pilot cities for the program, but some Muslim leaders are concerned that federal law enforcement agencies will use the program to gather intelligence. American Muslim leaders want to be reassured that the program will not be used for blanket surveillance of their communities. Later this month, the White House and the Justice Department < http://www.justice.gov/ will host < http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2015/01/11/statement-press-secretary-white-house-summit-countering-violent-extremis the Countering Violent Extremism summit and meet with leaders of America’s Muslim communities to launch a program < http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/empowering_local_partners.pdf aimed at curbing Islamist radicalization in the United States. The Twin Cities, Boston, and Los Angeles have been selected as pilot cities for the program, but some Muslim leaders are concerned that federal law enforcement agencies will use the program to gather intelligence. U.S. Attorney Andy Luger said the initiative, which grew out of conversations with concerned Somali-American community members, involves more after-school and mentoring programs for vulnerable youth. “I’ve met with hundreds, if not thousands, of community members to gather their thoughts on what we should be doing, and that’s in fact what we’re doing,” Luger said. “I’ve told people this has nothing to do with surveillance and investigations, and I’m telling the truth.” American Muslim leaders, concerned about the federally backed program point to documents released last month by the Brennan Center for Justice < https://www.brennancenter.org/ at New York University School of Law, revealing that in 2009, two law enforcement outreach programs in the Twin Cities were designed to support federal counterterrorism investigations. The FBI and St. Paul police department have claimed that they never gathered intelligence as part of those outreach programs. Jaylani Hussein, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Minnesota < http://www.cairmn.com/, remains skeptical. “We want to make sure if the government says they’re here to do outreach, they’re doing outreach,” Hussein said. “We don’t want to create (mistrust) in that relationship. That puts more burden on future cooperation.” The Duluth News Tribune reports < http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/3667620-muslims-worry-federal-anti-terrorism-program-could-gather-intelligence that, in one of the documents revealed by the Brennan Center, St. Paul police submitted a grant proposal to the Justice Department to create an outreach team of officers that would, in part, put together a list of “radicalized individuals” in the Somali-American community. St. Paul Police Chief Tom Smith insists his staff did not assemble a list. “There wasn’t a database,” he said. “There isn’t a database.” According to Smith, the program did allow officers to win the trust of Somali-American youths, by taking them to soccer and other sport games. “If we’re intelligence gatherers on a soccer field, in a swimming pool, in a bowling alley, that’s just too much for me to comprehend,” Smith said. “It’s about building relationships and having documented and frank conversations right now about the threat of ISIS.” Smith does admit that in at least one case, St. Paul police shared information with federal authorities. In that case, Smith learned that a Somali teen was being recruited to join a terrorist group in Somalia. “This young man was being recruited to go overseas to fight for al-Shabab — 14 years old,” Smith said. “But we had a parent who gave us information, and that allowed us to learn more. And a mother got to save her 14-year-old son from disappearing from the streets of St. Paul.” Still, Muslim leaders worry about the potential to manipulate the newly formed program. Asad Zaman, executive director of the Muslim American Society of Minnesota <http://www.masmn.org/, one of the partners in the St. Paul pilot program, said the relationship between the Muslim community and St. Paul police is positive, but he points to stories around the country where law enforcement has been accused of spying on mosques while purporting to do outreach. “Do I have to wait for it to happen in my backyard before I start getting skeptical?” Zaman asked. “I don’t have to wait.” __._,_.___ ------------------------------ Posted by: "beowulf" <[email protected]> ------------------------------ Visit Your Group <https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/grendelreport/info;_ylc=X3oDMTJmMm5jMThqBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzIwMTk0ODA2BGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTMyMzY2NwRzZWMDdnRsBHNsawN2Z2hwBHN0aW1lAzE0MjMwNjM2NTg-> [image: Yahoo! 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