Congress, consider non-Muslim terror
For some time, U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul has taken the lead in the national conversation regarding domestic and international terrorism and will do so again next week when he holds hearings on the topic in the committee he chairs — the House Homeland Security Committee. Those hearings help keep the pressure on government agencies charged with protecting Americans against terrorist threats by radical Islamists, be they abroad or at home.
But in the wake of the Charleston massacre last month, in which nine African-Americans were shot and killed by a self-professed white supremacist, there is growing awareness that terrorism comes in different shapes and sizes — and is just as devastating when carried out by non-Muslims.
To that point, we add our voice to those urging McCaul, a Republican, to broaden next Wednesday’s hearings to include terrorism carried out by anti-government extremists, neo-Nazis and white supremacists.
If that proves impractical at this late date, McCaul could conduct in the near future separate examinations that focus on those other brands of terrorism.
We’re not saying the focus on Islamic-inspired terrorism should be shifted or diluted. We see from recent events in Garland the need to strengthen the nation’s focus on Muslims who, while living among us, are being radicalized. But we are urging McCaul to address with equal intensity the other forms of terrorism that threaten Americans, as seen in Charleston, S.C.
The latter has spurred several African-American churches in Austin and elsewhere to wonder aloud if they are safe from the kind of terrorism carried out June 17 by alleged gunman Dylann Roof when he walked through the unlocked doors of Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church.
After sitting with church members, including the church’s pastor, the Rev. Clementa Pinckney, in Bible study for nearly an hour, Roof opened fire. Online, Roof had espoused racial hatred toward African-Americans in a manifesto that didn’t draw much attention. The U.S. Justice Department is investigating the attack as domestic terrorism and a hate crime.
So far McCaul, whose district includes Austin, hasn’t clarified whether his committee would address terrorism committed by non-Muslims.
Some have blamed partisanship for McCaul’s silence on that — as Democrats are among those calling for hearings that focus on non-Muslim extremists.
It goes without saying that partisanship has no place in this matter. We all should have learned that lesson from the 1995 bombing of an Oklahoma City federal building and the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
We did receive this statement from McCaul: “We face rising terror threats across the board, yet I’m concerned too little is being done to keep Americans from getting radicalized and recruited from within our own communities.
“I am holding a hearing on July 15 to urgently examine our country’s preparedness to counter violent extremism — including both international and domestic terrorism. We can’t afford to tackle these challenges at a bureaucratic speed when terrorists are recruiting our citizens at broadband speeds, which is why my Committee will also consider legislation the same day to accelerate counter-radicalization efforts here in the homeland.”
What is meant by “both international and domestic terrorism” is anyone’s guess, as McCaul’s office is mum on the reference. We’ll see what happens next week. What is clear, however, is the need for a deep dive on other forms of terrorism.
“There’s a growing recognition that the resources the federal government devotes to combating terrorism may be too skewed toward jihadism, even as deadly attacks by non-Muslim extremists are becoming increasingly common,” said Southern Poverty Law Center President Richard Cohen. “Congress should hold hearings to determine how the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice are working to respond to this threat.”
The center, which tracks hate groups, cited two recent reports that underscore the need for congressional hearings on terrorism carried out by non-Muslims:
The Triangle Center on Terrorism and Homeland Security at Duke University found that U.S. law enforcement agencies rank the threat of violence from anti-government extremists higher than the threat from radi- calized Muslims. In a survey of 382 law enforcement agencies, 74 percent reported anti-government extremism as one of the top three terrorist threats in their jurisdiction. That compares with 39 percent that reported extremism connected with al Qaida or like-minded terrorist organizations.
Though the data were collected in early 2004, follow-up interviews only slightly changed the results.
New America, a Washington-based research center, released figures that show since Sept. 11, 2001, nearly twice as many people have been killed by white supremacists, anti-government fanatics and other non-Muslim extremists than by radical Muslims. In all, 48 have been killed by extremists who are not Muslim, compared with 26 by self-proclaimed jihadists.
Those figures should persuade McCaul. If not, he should consider the plight of black churches in his district and elsewhere that are in the unenviable position of having to lock their doors, hire security or pray in fear on Sundays and during weekly Bible studies — lest they again be confronted with violence that enters their sanctuaries.