Holder expands Muslim outreach faulted by counterterror specialists
Attorney General Eric Holder disclosed last week that he has expanded Justice Department outreach programs with American Muslims, a program that during the Bush administration was criticized for legitimizing U.S. Muslim groups that were acting as fronts for terrorist groups, such as the Muslim Brotherhood.
In a speech June 4, Holder revealed that he had created the Arab-Muslim Engagement Advisory Group within the Justice Department.
Opponents of the civil rights-oriented approach to Muslim outreach at both the Justice Department and FBI have been criticized by counterterrorism specialists who say the effort is legitimizing domestic sympathizers for Muslim extremists who are creating a foundation for terrorist operations in the United States.
Stephen Coughlin, a former Pentagon specialist on Islamist terror, has said the U.S. government outreach efforts in the past have included groups linked to terrorists.
Supporting such groups can undermine domestic counterterrorism efforts and "lead to potential for embarrassment for the [U.S. government] and legitimize threat organizations by providing them domestic sanctuary," Coughlin stated in a memorandum made public several years ago.
Holder spoke before a meeting of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee.
Holder said U.S. government outreach programs were designed to build "mutual trust" by keeping open lines of communication and "meaningfully engaging" Muslim communities.
Most of the outreach efforts are being led by the Civil Rights division that has been at odds with many national security officials over which groups to interact with.
Holder also said the FBI also has an outreach program that includes conference calls with local Muslims leaders and each FBI officer has a "community outreach specialist" to conduct town-hall meetings, public speaking, youth initiatives and citizen academies.
The FBI also has created a new "Specialized Community Outreach Team, or SCOT," Holder said that is working to "strengthen engagement between the FBI's field offices and communities of every ethnic background."
Holder said the efforts were aimed at preventing discrimination. He did not say whether the effort would be used to counter Muslim terrorism.
"The era of 'us versus them' that some of you have experienced must end," Holder said. "At long last, I believe it is ending."
Let the screaming, hair rending and stamping begin.
But you know since even the Bush people didn't get it, ........
1 comment:
OMG!
I feel doom.
Post a Comment