To combat terror, embrace Muslims
On the heels of this week’s horrific attack in Manhattan by Uzbek immigrant Sayfullo Saipov, there have been immediate calls to curb immigration. I wholeheartedly understand the knee-jerk reaction to close our doors, but if we take that myopic view, it will only make us more vulnerable.
Our immigration system needs to be fixed, but we need to remember who we are and what we stand for before making any rash decisions.
As an undercover MuslimAmerican covert FBI operative, I strongly believe that diversity is actually among our best defenses against terrorism. We as a nation need to dive in together and have some honest and open conversations about who these radicals are, their twisted beliefs and how they operate amongst us.
That starts with including every American in this fight. I call on Muslim leaders to help educate our fellow Americans on the vast differences between the radical mindset and the true tenets of the religion.
And I call on every American of every religion (and no religion at all) to be cognizant of these differences and to shine a light on any and all radicals who mean us harm.
My story underlines why we must take pains to pursue the path of integration, not alienation.
Like most Americans, life was “normal” for me prior to 9/11. My normal wasn’t quite the norm, since I was working undercover narcotics at the time, but it still was relatively peaceful compared to what came after.
The attacks on Sept. 11 were life-changing for all Americans, but for me, they were a simultaneous assault on two of the things I hold most dear: my country and my faith.
I speak Arabic and know the culture and religion. There had to be something I could do to help make sure this never happened to us again.
I struggled to get in the fight until the FBI finally recruited me to help. It was then that I learned how much the men and women of the bureau are doing to keep us safe every day. I’m honored and proud to be just one of many Americans, from all faiths and backgrounds, fighting to keep our nation safe here and abroad.
But after 16 years of war, there is still a gross misunderstanding of what it means to be a Muslim — and that persistent stereotyping actually makes us less safe.
When we treat Muslims writ large as a threat rather than focusing our fire on those who are at actual risk of radicalizing, we waste endless time and resources.
We also alienate those who can and must remain our closest allies in the fight: moderate American Muslims, whose cooperation is absolutely essential if we are to win this long war.
I came to the U.S. from Egypt when I was 4. America has been and will always be my home. But I do know another culture, and that has helped me to work effectively in counterterrorism. To live among them, to defeat them.
The only reason I am able to speak out now is because one of my international terrorism cases was declassified for trial. For me, the case’s conclusion with the conviction of the members of a terror cell gave me a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to shed some light on the vast differences between the radical mindset and the true tenets of the religion while pointing out several terrorism indicators. Since I remain undercover, I had to have my appearance and voice completely disguised to do interviews. But for me, it has been worth it to be able to say, for the first time in my law enforcement career, that we need more people “like me,” that immigrants like me have always been central to the country’s fabric, and that people like me are just as patriotic about America as those whose parents were born here.
America is the greatest country in the world. And one of the reasons is because we are everyone. We are every race, religion and ethnicity. To shun our own people simply because of their religion or skin color not only goes against everything that we stand for, but it makes us less safe.
I implore all Americans to arm yourselves with this knowledge and help us win this war. Don’t let the radicals live among us in hiding anymore. Education, inclusion and love of our great country is our best defense.