But doing anything other than assuming the loyalty of Muslims in the military would be “Islamophobic.” It would be better for hundreds or thousands die in a jihad attack by one of these Muslims in the military than for military officials to commit an act of “Islamophobia.” Death (other peoples’) before political incorrectness! “FBI Tracking 100 Suspected Extremists In Military,” by Dina Temple-Raston for NPR, June 25 (thanks to Holly):
The FBI has conducted more than 100 investigations into suspected Islamic extremists within the military, NPR has learned. About a dozen of those cases are considered serious.
That probably means that the other 88 and more include Muslims in the military who said or wrote something pro-jihad or anti-American, but who don’t seem to be planning an attack or communicating with “dangerous individuals” right now. What they might do tomorrow is anybody’s guess.
Officials define that as a case requiring a formal investigation to gather information against suspects who appear to have demonstrated a strong intent to attack military targets. This is the first time the figures have been publicly disclosed.
The FBI and Department of Defense call these cases “insider threats.” They include not just active and reserve military personnel but also individuals who have access to military facilities such as contractors and close family members with dependent ID cards.
Officials would not provide details about the cases and the FBI would not confirm the numbers, but they did say that cases seen as serious could include, among others things, suspects who seem to be planning an attack or were in touch with “dangerous individuals” who were goading them to attack.
Details Revealed At Closed Congressional Hearing
The FBI and the Department of Defense declined to discuss the figures on the record, but three sources with direct knowledge confirmed that the numbers were revealed in a closed session of a House-Senate committee hearing in December. The FBI also declined to say whether it has compiled more up-to-date figures since that time.
Why is it only coming out now?
“I was surprised and struck by the numbers; they were larger than I expected,” Sen. Joseph Lieberman, an independent from Connecticut and chairman of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security, told NPR. He stopped short of confirming the numbers….
The FBI compiled its tally of Islamic extremist cases in the military late last year for a joint hearing that Lieberman co-chaired. The hearing was looking at possible threats to military communities inside the United States, and the number of cases was revealed at that time….
“This number speaks not only to the reality that there is a problem of violent Islamic extremists in the military, but also that the Department of Defense and the FBI since the Nidal Hassan case are working much more closely together,” said Lieberman.
Officials stressed that the FBI and the Department of Defense track all kinds of extremism within the military community from white supremacists to neo-Nazis, not just Islamic extremists.
Yes, of course. Mustn’t appear “Islamophobic.” After all, the KKK has tried to pull off so many terror attacks in the U.S. military lately.
But the Fort Hood shooting inspired new reporting procedures aimed at catching plots before they unfold. Since 2001, law enforcement officials have foiled and prosecuted more than 30 plots or attacks against military targets within the United States.
A Conviction Last Month
Just last month, an AWOL Muslim soldier named Naser Abdo was convicted of plotting to attack Fort Hood. Officers found components for an explosive device in Abdo’s hotel room not far from the base.
Abdo told the judge that the plot was supposed to exact some “justice” for the people of Afghanistan and Iraq. In an audio recording played during the trial, Abdo said his Islamic faith was part of the reason he planned the attack….
But remember: unless you pretend that he didn’t say that or didn’t mean it, or that he is yet another Misunderstander of Islam, you’re a greasy Islamophobe.