Progressive Relationship Between Muslims and Law Enforcement: ADC's Hill Briefing

Image: 

Yesterday morning, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) held a briefing in Capitol Hill’s Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, DC. The briefing sought to highlight the progression of the relationship between the Arab American and Muslim American communities and law enforcement over the decade since September 11, 2001. The panel was moderated by Abed A. Ayoub, Legal Director of the ADC, and featured commentary by Barbara L. McQuade, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, Michael German, Policy Counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union Washington Legislative Office and Sahar Aziz, Legal Fellow for the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding and Adjunct Professor at Georgetown Law Center who formerly served in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The panelists, in their respective capacities, attempted to discuss the benefits of and challenges to outreach efforts between law enforcement and Muslim, Middle Eastern and Arab communities, particularly noting those that have proven effective and led to mutually beneficial interaction and dialogue.

All three panelists provided a counter-weight to arguments made by Chairman Peter King of the House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee who has targeted solely Muslims in America for public scrutiny in planned hearings on topics such as “radicalization” and “homegrown terrorism”and has stated that the Muslim community is uncooperative with law enforcement. Civil and human rights advocates and members of Muslim, Arab and Middle Eastern communities have sounded alarm—publicly condemning hearings that make Muslim Americans suspect based on their religion. During yesterday’s briefing, Ms. McQuade noted that for law enforcement and prosecutors in Michigan, it is “very important to build relationships of trust” that prove mutually beneficial for law enforcement and communities. She acknowledged that law enforcement in Michigan has a responsibility to protect all communities and that it indeed relies on tips about crimes from the Muslim and Middle Eastern community. She underscored, “you’re more likely to find out about radicalization if you have good relationships in communities” but acknowledged that although robust community engagement programs existed in Michigan, they were not perfect.  

Mr. German, as a former FBI agent, highlighted that ideology is not the main driver of terrorism-related crimes and that the “problem with the radicalization concept is that it [wrongly] justifies focusing on people based on race, religion and ethnicity” and that this is “destructive to democracy.” Ms. Aziz placed her emphasis on describing that although community-law enforcement engagement efforts are important, they have sometimes led to greater distrust on the part of the communities when, for example, law enforcement agents have infiltrated mosques or when agents use immigration-related threats or incentives for recruiting informants. Mr. German corroborated that such incidents are not isolated, that complaints regarding such law enforcement practices are received from across the country by rights’ groups. He also noted that certain FBI programs do track racial and ethnic communities—which does constitute a specific targeting of American communities based on their race or ethnicity.

Yesterday’s messages called into question the basis for Chairman Peter King’s proposed hearings. Particularly in light of pro-democracy protests in the Middle East, we must embrace our democracy here in the United States. We are so fortunate to live in a country where we’re not all expected to agree, where thoughtful debate is encouraged and where respect for varying opinions and perspectives and backgrounds is enshrined in constitutional principles. Chairman King’s hearings, as described, should not go forward. If hearings on topics such as “radicalization” and “homegrown terrorism” do come up, they should not single out any specific communities for scrutiny based on race, religion, ethnicity or national origin and they should allow for perspectives such as those shared at ADC’s Hill briefing yesterday—perspectives that acknowledge the progressing relationship between law enforcement and Muslims and the ways in which the Muslim community has cooperated in tipping off law enforcement to criminal activity.