Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/498829
ByTamiAbdollah and Philip Marcelo The Associated Press MISSION VIEJO Sameer Mohiuddin grew more con- fused by the second as pan- elists speaking at his South- ern California mosque trumpeted a new national initiative to prevent violent extremism. Mohiuddin, 39, is an American citizen, longtime Californian and a vice pres- ident at a technology com- pany. His wife was born and raised in Orange County, and they have three chil- dren. Why, he wondered, do his family and others like his even figure into the conversation? "Day in and day out we're trying to build a commu- nity, saying you're part and parcel of the American fab- ric. You are an American cit- izen. I raise my girls and say they have the same rights as others," Mohiuddin said. "The fact is, when you're go- ing to come present a pro- gram and say it's specially geared to prevent growing extremism in the Muslim community, you're by de- fault saying my community is more predisposed to ex- tremism. It sets people off." Communityoutreach Mohiuddin's confusion typifies what many Mus- lims in Southern Califor- nia and across the United States have felt since the Obama administration last fall announced a program called Countering Violent Extremism — billing it as a community-driven ini- tiative to tackle terrorism and militant recruitment by preventing radicaliza- tion from taking root — and said it was being tested in Los Angeles, Boston and Minneapolis. Local law enforcement officials have been doing such outreach for years. But now that federal officials are putting their stamp on it, the program is creating suspicion among Ameri- can Muslims and others who fear it is profiling dis- guised as prevention and worry it could compromise civil liberties and religious freedoms. The effort divides Mus- lim leaders who, on one side, argue that more must be done to fight extremism in their community and that this program is a his- toric opportunity for input. On the other side are those who fear the program is just another veiled way for law enforcement to target their community. Skeptics remember the New York Police Depart- ment's surveillance of Mus- lims, uncovered by The As- sociated Press in an inves- tigation in 2011, and an FBI informant's description of how he was taught to ingra- tiate himself to the South- ern California religious community in the mid- 2000s to secretly gather contact information and record conversations. It's in Los Angeles, with one of the nation's larg- est Muslim populations, where leaders face the big- gest challenge with buy-in on CVE, as bureaucrats call it, and where the program's success or failure will likely be decided. Walking fine line Officials offered details in February at a White House summit at which President Barack Obama declared Muslims need to fight a misconception that groups like the Islamic State speak for them, even as senior administration officials insisted they were not focusing exclusively on the threat from the Islamic State group, which has re- cruited from many walks of life. Some 20,000 fighters have joined that group and other extremists in their campaigns in Iraq and Syria, including at least 3,400 from Western na- tions, according to U.S. intelligence agencies. As many as 150 are estimated to be Americans, though not all succeeded in reach- ing the war zone. U.S. officials have long eyed the threat of home- grown extremists such as Timothy McVeigh, who 20 years ago bombed the Okla- homa City federal building and killed 168 people. But the rise of the Islamic State group has taken front and center in the past year. Countering Violent Ex- tremism is led by U.S. at- torneys' offices, the Depart- ment of Homeland Security, the FBI, local law enforce- ment agencies and, criti- cally, local faith and com- munity groups. It is furthest ahead in Los Angeles and Minneap- olis; Boston is still forming its strategy. It takes many forms, including town halls like the one Mohiuddin at- tended recently in Mission Viejo, academic offerings and mentorship programs, online videos, and cartoons for children. Social media efforts to combat the Is- lamic State group's success in that medium are key; by some accounts, its followers have sent tens of thousands of tweets per day. COUNTERING VIOLENT EXTREMISM WhereUSseesterrorprevention, some Muslims see profiling CHRISTINECOTTER—THEASSOCIATEDPRESS Tanzila Ahmed, le , Voter Engagement Manager for the Civic Engagement Project, and Haroon Manjlai, Public Affairs Coordinator, Council on American-Islamic Relations of Los Angeles, participate in a discussion on American Muslims and civic engagement from the local to the national level, at the Islamic Center of San Gabriel Valley in Rowland Heights. ANDY CLAYTON-KING — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS United States Attorney Andrew Luger, right, and FBI special agent Richard Thornton explain the criminal complaint charging six Minnesota men with terrorism at a news conference in Minneapolis on Monday. By Amy Forliti The Associated Press ST. PAUL, MINN. When Guled Ali Omar made up his mind to join the Is- lamic State, he wasn't eas- ily deterred. The Minnesota man emptied his bank accounts last May and planned to fly to Syria via San Diego, but his family confronted him and he set his plans aside. In November, he tried to board a flight in Minne- apolis, but was stopped by the FBI. Even while under inves- tigation, authorities say, Omar and five other men kept trying to make their way to Syria, coming up with a plot to secure false passports. Omar is among six Minnesota men charged with terrorism-related of- fenses in a criminal com- plaint unsealed Monday. They are the latest West- erners accused of trav- eling or attempting to travel to Syria to join the Islamic State, which has carried out a host of at- tacks including behead- ing Americans. Authorities described the men as friends in Minnesota's Somali com- munity who recruited and inspired each other and met secretly to plan their travels. They are charged with conspiracy to pro- vide material support and attempting to provide ma- terial support to a foreign terrorist organization. "What is remarkable about this case is that nothing stopped these de- fendants from pursuing their goal," U.S. Attorney for Minnesota Andy Luger said Monday. "They never stopped plotting another way to get to Syria to join ISIL." The Minneapolis area is home to the largest concentration of Somali immigrants in the U.S. Since 2007, more than 22 young Somali men have also traveled from Minne- sota to Somalia to join the militant group al-Shabab, which is also listed by the U.S. State Department as fomenting terrorism. Au- thorities have said a hand- ful of Minnesota residents have traveled to Syria to fight with militants in the past year, and at least one has died. 6 from Minnesota charged with attempting to join Islamic State TERRORISM Ifyou'relivingwithA-Fib, this seminar will be music to your ears. Learn about new treatment options, including the Hybrid Maze procedure, a revolutionary treatment for Atrial Fibrillation. Join Us for a Free Seminar Register Today 6:00p.m.registration 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. seminar RSVP to 877.596.0644 Spaceislimited. Light dinner and refreshments served. www.adventistheart.org/arrhythmia Arrhythmia center Ifyouexperiencearacingheartorpalpitations,chestdiscomfort, light headedness, shortness of breath and fatigue, or you've been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, we have good news. Here, you'll learn about the latest treatment options for A-Fib, including the revolutionary Hybrid Maze, a new minimally invasive procedure through small incisions on the sides of the chest. Patients benefit from better outcomes, a shorter hospital stay and quicker recovery. Gan Dunnington, MD | Cardiothoracic Surgery Dr. Gan Dunnington is an emergingleader in cardiothoracic surgery. He comes to us from Stanford University Medical Center. He is one of few surgeons on the West Coast who performs the minimally invasive Hybrid Maze procedure. Presenters Include: Gan Dunnington, MD, Cardiothoracic Surgery Monica Divakaruni, MD, Interventional Cardiology Peter Chang-Sing, MD, Cardiac Electrophysiology A D V E N T I S T H E A R T I N S T I T U T E Red Lion Hotel 1830 Hilltop Drive Redding, CA 96002 April 28, 2015 | NEWS | REDBLUFFDAILYNEWS.COM TUESDAY, APRIL 21, 2015 4 B