Hearing of the Committee on Homeland Security - "Homegrown Terrorism: The Threat to Military Communities Inside the United States"

Statement

Congresswoman Richardson(CA-37) Offers Statement During Special Joint Hearing of the House and Senate Committees on Homeland Security

In a special Joint Hearing of the House and Senate Committees on Homeland Security today on "Homegrown Terrorism: The Threat to Military Communities Inside the United States", Rep. Richardson offered the following statement:

Congresswoman Laura Richardson (CA-37)

Committee on Homeland Security

HEARING:

"Homegrown Terrorism: The Threat to Military Communities Inside the United States"

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

9:30 a.m.

210 House Visitor Center, The Capitol

Thank you Chairman King, Chairman Lieberman, Ranking Member Thompson and Ranking Member Collins for convening this hearing today on homegrown terrorism and the threat it poses to military communities inside the United States. While I believe the threat of radicalization in any form needs to be appropriately addressed in order to ensure the security of this nation, I strongly believe the scope of these hearings should not solely center on fighting one particular radical ideology.

While recognizing that terrorism remains a transnational threat that poses risks to U.S. global interests both internationally and domestically, we must broaden our scope to include all forms of terrorism, not just efforts to detect, deter, and defeat Al Qaeda. Focusing only on Islamic radicalization is a problem because it ignores some of the most dangerous forms of terrorism that have tainted this nation's history that had nothing to do with jihad extremists. Let us not forget Timothy McVeigh or Ted Kaczynski, the Unabomber, two individuals who proved that terrorism crosses many spectrums and ideologies. By focusing on only one group of Americans and completely ignoring other groups, this committee is dangerously impeding law enforcement's efforts and unnecessarily endangering our military communities' security.

One way for us to counter the threat of homegrown terrorism is to recognize the threat that radicalization poses to our military communities. "Radicalization" describes the process of acquiring and holding extremist beliefs. Extreme beliefs come in different shapes and forms, not simply jihadist beliefs. While radicalization is in fact considered protected speech in this country, it is when this speech moves from the form of a simple belief to violent action that it becomes an act of terrorism. However, the shift from belief to violence is so particular, that there is no one single warning sign that would red flag such a move and thus make policing and prevention easier and more accurate.

While cases like U.S. Army Major Nidal Hasan's violent actions at Fort Hood, Private First Class Naser Jason Abdo's plot to emulate Hasan, and Carlos Bledsoe's attack on a military recruiting center in Little Rock demonstrate that it is important to develop a clear strategy to protect our military from terrorism here at home, we must remain cognizant of the message we are sending to the international community with these hearings. By focusing these hearings on the Islamic faith and Muslim communities, we are sending a message to Muslim-Americans and the rest of the world that America has an anti-Muslim attitude which in turn has the real probability of igniting anti-American sentiment at home and abroad.

Attorney General Eric Holder has stated publicly, "Members of the American Muslim community have been--and continue to be--strong partners in fighting this emerging threat [of terrorism]. They have regularly denounced terrorist acts and those who carry them out. And they have provided critical assistance to law enforcement in helping to disrupt terrorist plots and combat radicalization." Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca said "Muslim Americans in the county of Los Angeles have been overwhelmingly astounded by terrorist attacks -- like everyone else -- and overwhelmingly concerned about a non-repeat performance of that kind - and are willing to get involved and help."

Although there is considerable support among public officials for community engagement, some experts warn of significant challenges in the development of programs that foster substantive relationships. A study of policing in Arab American communities sponsored by the National Institute of Justice, highlighted four key obstacles hindering outreach between U.S. Arabs (Christian and Muslim) and law enforcement: "Distrust between Arab communities and law enforcement, lack of cultural awareness among law enforcement officers, language barriers, and concerns about immigration status and fears of deportation."

Terrorism expert Marc Sageman cautions that engagement can be a sign of government focus on Muslim communities when instead it should be stressed that Muslims are Americans just like everyone else. Outreach may be most effective when U.S. Muslim communities initiate it and community-government contact revolves around countering the extremist messages popular among homegrown violent jihadists.

We must stop adding fuel to the fire of fear and distrust, and rather foster the relationship between law enforcement and the Muslim-American community. We must forge a trusted partnership with the Muslim-American community so that its members feel comfortable to step forward with crucial information that would assist law enforcement in its efforts to prevent crimes of terrorism.

Another important caveat we must not ignore is the fiscal impact of counter-terrorism efforts. The recent U.S. counterterrorism successes are in fact reducing the level of terrorist threats to the nation emanating from core Al Qaeda. However, we must not ignore the long-term fiscal implications of United States counterterrorism policies and responses. In June 2011, John Brennan, the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, spoke of Osama bin Laden's often stated objective of pursuing global acts of terrorism against the nation interests with the desire to "bleed [the U.S.] financially by drawing us into long, costly wars that also inflame anti-American sentiment."

As the representative of the 37th district of California, I understand the importance of recognizing and countering radicalization efforts in our communities. My Congressional district includes the nation's largest ports, contains oil refineries, and is home to a number of gas treatment and petrochemical facilities that present a target rich environment for those seeking to do us harm. Thus the need to protect against terrorism stemming from radicalization is of the highest concern to me and my district. However, we need to examine domestic extremists of all kinds in order to ensure our nation and military communities are protected.

As the Ranking Member of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Communications, I am interested in hearing from our witnesses on how the Department of Defense has implemented the suggestions of the Independent Review conducted after the shooting at Fort Hood. I am particularly interested in hearing about the improvements made to the emergency alert systems on our military bases.

Again, I thank Chairman King and Chairman Lieberman for convening this hearing today. I look forward to hearing from our distinguished panel of witnesses on these issues. I yield back my time.

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