Study: Anti-Terror Lessons of Muslim-Americans

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“Religiously conservative Muslim-Americans are just as vehement in denouncing violence,” says a January 2010 research project finding “Muslim-American communities strongly reject radical jihadi ideology.” Analyzing the scope of terrorist violence by Muslim-Americans since 9/11 and the campaign of “positive steps that help prevent radicalization within their communities,” a trio of North Carolina state professors concluded the number of radicalized Muslim-Americans in the United States remains small. The authors recommend the government augment the activities already taking place in Muslim-American communities that reduce the threat of domestic terrorists.

"Muslim-Americans organizations and the vast majority of individuals that we interviewed firmly reject the radical extremist ideology that justifies the use of violence to achieve political ends," said co-author David Schanzer, associate professor of counterterrorism and homeland security at Duke University.

The report, "Anti-Terror Lessons of Muslim American Communities," draws upon interviews with over 120 Muslim-Americans across the country, analysis of Muslim-American media and information from terror related prosecution of Muslim-Americans. Drawing upon their research, the authors determined public and private condemnation of violence, government assisted funding for community building resources, internal monitoring, and political engagement all contribute to reducing the threat from “homegrown terrorists.”

According to the authors of the report, Muslim-Americans "are feeling the strain of living in America during the post-9/11 era." They found anti-terror strategies that reinforce the successful Muslim–American community actions reduce the possibility of alienating segments of the community. "Our research suggests that initiatives that treat Muslim-Americans as part of the solution to this problem are far more likely to be successful," said Schanzer.

The other authors of the report were Charles Kurzman, professor of sociology at the University of North Carolina and Ebrahim Moosa, associate professor of religion at Duke.