"How We Train Our Cops to Fear Islam"

[Pete]

In 1998 I got to know Bob Craig, formerly of CORDS in Vietnam, as well as his brother. Bob had been an Infantry officer doing intel work in the 3rd Infantry Division during WW II. After Bob's death his brother showed me the following papers. The context of the specific incidents is incomplete, but it gives the impression that during Vietnam there was a lot of manipulation and "putting your best foot forward" in dealing with the news media.

DEPUTY FOR CORDS TO COMUSMACV

TO: COL. JAMES HERBERT
PSA, LONG AN PROVINCE

I doubt if attached was what Mr. Craig intended, but it's a good example of the sort of press treatment we don't need.

I am not familiar with whether Mr. Craig has had any experience elsewhere in Vietnam, but both his draft Long An Pilot Pacification Program and this article seem to suggest he is generalizing about matters far beyond his camp.

/s/
R. W. KOMER

DATE: 11 JUNE 1968

DEPUTY FOR CORDS TO COMUSMACV

TO: MR. ROBERT CRAIG
ACTING PROVINCE SENIOR ADVISOR
ADVISORY TEAM 86
APO 96314

THRU: DEPCORDS III CTZ

SUBJECT: NBC Interview

What say? I hope you showed Liz Trotta some better places than this!

/s/
R. W. Komer

Inclosure
Radio TV Defense Dialog

DATE: 8 SEP 1968

[davidbfpo]

In the UK it is clear that much of the educational / training input on the Muslim faith to senior LE has usually been from certain groups, who can be described as minority, sectarian and "extremism entrepreneurs". At lower levels there is evidence that a wider range of views have been used and it is clear that some Salafist groups have successfully offered their viewpoint.

There is an officially recognised, if not supported, Muslim Police Association, which includes in its objectives an educational role and their speakers will state which part of the Muslim faith they follow when giving talks. Website:http://www.namp-uk.com/

Part of the problem here is that some Muslims who are prepared to talk to LE hold strong views, e.g. Palestine, which can if cited in Q&A lead to acrimony. Or hold political positions, even as an elected city councillor for a non-mainstream party and so cause worries about how an audience might respond.

Choosing a speaker from one local mosque and not others can cause its own problems. Local LE, especially those working in CT need to have empathy with Islam and identifying who can help will take time. Credibility and trust are essential.

Going back to 'The Troubles' I cannot recall a single example of an input from all the political parties, let alone the IRA's political arms. No-one IMHO would have found that acceptable within LE. Nor has there been any input from any of the current political extremes and radical groups on climate change for example. On the extreme right LE, including the Special Branch, have historically relied on a couple of institutions for training input, who are hostile to the extreme right and a tiny number of academics.

[davidbfpo]

Some good points made here, even if a prelude to a review by a think tank and cites the head of the USMA CTC, Lt.Col. Sawyer:

You've got a lot of individuals who are not academically qualified to be instructing in these venues, and more importantly they are speaking with authority, which empowers the audience with knowledge that is not necessarily accurate," said Sawyer, adding that these short courses tend to stereotype Muslims in a way that just isn't helpful as officials redouble their efforts to fight homegrown terrorism and radical Islam.

Link:http://www.npr.org/2011/03/09/134374...error-training

[bourbon]

even if a prelude to a review by a think tank

The aforementioned think tank report:

Manufacturing the Muslim Menace: Private Firms, Public Servants, & the Threat to Rights and Security, by Thomas Cincotta. Political Research Associates, 2011. (PDF)

Note: Political Research Associates is a progressive think tank of the Noam Chomsky stripe, and is dedicated to the study of right-wing groups. While I have read some interesting work by PRA’s head, the organization is not an impartial observer. I would say it is similar to the Southern Poverty Law Center, only without the shameless greed and intelligence gathering.

[bourbon]

Do the trainers have to be US citizens for the DHS funded programs?

It might be worth bringing over some retired cops with CT backgrounds from the UK or France to work the lecture circuit; former Special Branch or DST types.

[Sergeant T]

Finally got around to reading the Stalcup & Craze piece. The whole thing had the feel of clues in search of a mystery. Guess this is what passes for journalism these days.

I had the benefit of an excellent course while I was in patrol entitled Understanding Islamic Militant Terrorism and Prevention Strategies. (Kroll presented the class under contact.) IMHO it was very well done. The instructors took great pains to delineate between Whabbism and the rest of Islam. Also explained in detail the Sunni/Shiite differences, kunyas, etc. They compared and contrasted AQ with other terror organizations and talked about their grand strategy. None of it had that “how to spot the sleeper cell at your local 7-Eleven” feel. Very well rounded package.

On the whole I think it's better to bring in outside subject matter experts on something like this. The catch is to not leave them alone as instructors. (This is true if the topic is Islam or traffic law.) If they're not law enforcement having a certified law enforcement instructor ride along seems like a simple, logical solution. The other option, having cops stretch themselves into cultural/academic unknowns in order to generate a syllabus, usually produces moderately piss poor results. Some of the terrorism courses I took immediately after 9/11 were less than well done. One was a week long laundry list of all the possible ways AQ might try to kill us while the instructor pushed this piece of crap book like some revival tent preacher. On the topic at hand I think no matter who does the teaching someone else is going to have a problem with it. If it's law enforcement teaching their own then “the community” will say they're not being culturally sensitive. If it's an outside group law enforcement will say they're being forced to bow at an alter of “cultural awareness”.

[Jedburgh]

Danger Room, 14 September 2001: FBI Teaches Agents: ‘Mainstream’ Muslims Are ‘Violent, Radical’

The FBI is teaching its counterterrorism agents that “main stream” [sic] American Muslims are likely to be terrorist sympathizers; that the Prophet Mohammed was a “cult leader”; and that the Islamic practice of giving charity is no more than a “funding mechanism for combat.”

At the Bureau’s training ground in Quantico, Virginia, agents are shown a chart contending that the more “devout” a Muslim, the more likely he is to be “violent.” Those destructive tendencies cannot be reversed, an FBI instructional presentation adds: “Any war against non-believers is justified” under Muslim law; a “moderating process cannot happen if the Koran continues to be regarded as the unalterable word of Allah.”

These are excerpts from dozens of pages of recent FBI training material on Islam that Danger Room has acquired. In them, the Constitutionally protected religious faith of millions of Americans is portrayed as an indicator of terrorist activity.

The piece cites one particular FBI analyst as being the source of many such briefs. I know the guy, and, to put it quite mildly his approach could be the source of Robert McFadden's critical quote: “Teaching counterterrorism operatives about obscure aspects of Islam, without context, without objectivity, and without covering other non-religious drivers of dangerous behavior is no way to stop actual terrorists.” McFadden is correct - yet this guy is not only putting out products to agents, he is training and mentoring other analysts. A sad situation.