Intelligence
agencies in both Britain and the United States are focusing on the
foreign threat from al Qaeda -- and rightly so. The terror group is
eager to strike
innocent civilians and key infrastructure. But while we act
against an external hazard, we cannot afford to ignore the dangers
of domestic terrorists.
The threat of homegrown Islamic militancy is especially potent in a
democratic society. After all, the al Qaeda training manual urges
members, if captured, to exploit the many protections the American
justice system provides. Surely, they'll take advantage of our
other freedoms as well.
Islamic militant groups already have great influence in the United
Kingdom. Growing up in an ethnic area of Birmingham, I spent plenty
of time debating Muslim friends on theology and politics, and their
perceptions are unnerving. Although only a handful practice radical
Islam, the underlying beliefs of the Muslim community support
jihadism.
Muslim youth tend to be openly anti-American and
anti-Semitic. Many ideologically support Osama bin Laden's 1998
fatwa and consider Saddam Hussein a hero for "standing up" to the
West. As late as 2002, the main mosque in Birmingham was named
after Saddam, who paid most of the cost to build it in the 1980s.
Local Muslims were proud of this symbol of their defiance of
Western ideas.
A minority even believes in practicing jihadism. This
has generated growing support for the British-based radical clerics
Sheikh Omar and Abu Hamza, who incite racial hatred and encourage
young Muslims to inflict jihad.
Such clerics and their growing number of followers
pose a real threat. Convicted "shoe bomber" Richard Reid met Omar
and Hamza at Brixton mosque in southern London and pledged
allegiance to bin Laden. Later he tried to blow up a plane with
explosives concealed in his shoes.
For many British Muslims, their allegiance lies more
with their faith than with their country. Although may are
third-generation Britons, the sense of their native roots is still
strong, which explains why most prefer to live in close-knit
communities, rather than fully integrate into British life.
In fact, some are actually plotting to undermine
democracy in Britain. The "International Islamic Front for Jihad
against Jews and Crusaders" states its goal is to turn Britain into
an "Islamic state by 2025." Group such as these treat the threat
from "Christian capitalism" as a modern crusade.
Meanwhile, with the
end to communism and the cold war, many Muslims believe the clash
of the twenty-first century is not over political ideologies but
religious ones. This surely is true of some American Muslims, who
in fact may be angrier at America than at Britain.
Many Muslims resent American support for Israel, the
stationing of U.S. troops in the Middle East and the vast interests
of American companies in oil and other Arab commodities. American
cinema and pop music are also sore points. Bin Laden's 1998 Fatwa
embodies what many Muslims in Britain perceive -- the United States
as a global hegemon, which is already threatening Islamic states
through its support of Israel.
At a time when Britain has closely allied itself with
Washington, the terrorist threat to British soil has never been
higher. Public officials there are bracing for what they consider
is an inevitable attack on London. That's led to the recent arrests
of hundreds of British Muslims under the Terrorism Act.
All these concerns bring up the inevitable question of
how the British authorities can stop a domestic attack from
occurring. With our experience of the troubles in Northern Ireland
in dealing with domestic terrorism, the security services (MI5) and
law enforcement agencies have proven effective in cracking down on
potential terrorists with the swift use of intelligence. Yet in
this post Sept. 11 world, the perils of domestic militancy will not
diminish easily.
Here in the United States, too, jihadist groups are in
the minority, but their beliefs are potentially problematic and as
we now know from experience, it only takes a small number of
militants to cause a grave disaster.
Unfortunately,
American security officials have even less experience with
homegrown terrorists than British officials do. So there is much
our countries can learn from one another in this long fight.
Dialogue between the
U.S. government and the Muslim community could help to prevent acts
of violence and xenophobia against peaceful members of their
community, such as Sikhs, who are occasionally perceived as
terrorists because of their turbans. And our Department of Homeland
Security should use the full extent of the law to stop potential
perpetrators, as Britain has done with its Terrorism Act.
The major threat to our nations probably remains
overseas. But our attention should never drift away from the perils
of domestic terrorism.
J. Singh-Sohal, a British citizen and a student at Brunel
University in London, is an intern at The Heritage
Foundation.
Distributed nationally on the Knight-Ridder's youth wire, known as "KRT Campus"