Sen. Joe Lieberman recently asked U.S. security officials if the government is making efforts to counter the radical jihadist ideology, domestically and internationally.
Frank Salvato reports on their responses, which are not likely to make you sleep better in your bed tonight:
FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III responded that the FBI has no counter-ideology response other than its “outreach” to Muslim-American communities so they “understand the FBI … it would not be our responsibility, for any religion, to engage in the war of ideas.”
Retired Vice Admiral Scott Redd, head of the National Counterterrorism Center … said one of the “four pillars” of the U.S. war strategy is the “war of ideas,” but he noted that there is no “[U.S.] home office” for that effort …
Retired Vice Admiral Mike McConnell, Director of National Intelligence, said the intelligence community does not engage in any battle of ideas against domestically located terrorists or their support nexus unless there is a foreign connection.
Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said nothing is being done domestically to battle Islamist extremist ideas. The DHS Incident Management Team, he said, is focused on civil rights or civil liberties — not fighting terrorists’ ideology. (Family Security Matters)
Salvato shows how little is being done to counter indoctrination by madrassas, mosques, media, and Islamic “civil rights organizations.” (Family Security Matters) He should also take a look at the flourishing of extremist ideas on campuses and how remiss academics are in clarifying the jihadists’ ideology.