Control of terrorism is most effective at the grassroots

Palm Beach Gardens

The Christmas day terrorist has shaken the confidence of the public in airline safety and aroused worldwide attention.

As of January 4, air passengers originating from or passing through terror-suspect countries will be subjected to special measures of security checks. The new security rules will cause anger in the Muslim world. Of the listed 14 terror suspect countries 13 are Muslim majority societies.

Was the security failure in passenger screening or in the lack of connection between the West and the Muslim community, where the terrorist finds shelter? There are limitless questions to ask in the search for a better level of preparedness against terrorism.

There is a relevant silver lining in the story. The role the family played in this scary near-miss airline episode illustrates the importance of the local community’s early response to nascent terrorist threats.

Months before the attack, the father of the terrorist spotted danger in his son’s politics and reported his covert activities to the US embassy in Nigeria. Terrorists enjoy anonymity; blending-in with the crowd means survival. The father broke the local community norms by treating his son for what he is, a terrorist.

The family of the terrorist is against terror and in solidarity for peace with the rest of the world. As we think of new solutions against terrorism let us not unwittingly discourage the local Muslim community in being a partner in the search for peace.

In an imperfect world, Americans seem to demand perfect immunity from terrorist attacks.

Is this realistic?

First, terrorism can not be completely or unilaterally eradicated. Terrorism thrives in a political vacuum and in failed states, where America is often viewed as a villain. There will always be an ample supply of terrorists as long as widespread autocracy and obscene inequality characterize the developing world, and as long as the “third world” is two-thirds of the world population.

Acts of terrorism should be processed with improved technology, better international coordination, patience, understanding of human behavior, correct reading of local sentiments, support of human empowerment, and wise foreign policies.

The second reality is that America can not afford to alienate the silent majority in the Muslim world. Today, Americans constitute about five percent of the world’s population, whereas Muslims are about 20 percent. In the coming decades, demography, among other things, will increasingly remind the West that there is no better way to deal with Islam than to be culturally extra-sensitive and developmentally empowering.

Talk of profiling of Muslims in airports is in the mainstream now. Pseudo scientific arguments associate Islam with terror. Even liberals indulge in overgeneralization.

Terrorism analysts ignore the relevance of the misguided war in Iraq, the surging war in Afghanistan, the overstretched foreign military presence, Palestine, fading peace, and mounting inter-religious hatred. The emphasis in analysis is shifting from the socio-political to the technical, from the complex to the simple, and from the relative to the absolute.

The third reality is that engaging Islam on the battlefield is the problem, not the solution. The US cannot reform political regimes, but it is in a position to engage Muslims with jobs, industrial building, cultural exchange, education, and interfaith dialogue.

The best line of defense against the terrorist is alienating him from his own people. To alienate the terrorist from his community, America must refocus engagement with the Muslim world through human investment abroad.

There are many ways in which security could be technically, socially and organizationally improved without creating a battle of wills between Muslims and America.

Panic over the near-miss, profiling Muslims, and the media’s repetitive replay of terror is a symphony of great music to the ears of the terrorist and another step away from the silent Muslim majority.

There are no short-term fixes to terrorism. There is no zero risk in a crowded and flat world. In the collective combat of terrorism, the Muslim street is our first line of defense.