Question

Note:- MUST Follow instructions exactly, READ the Articles and choose any topic you would like as long as it is Related to the Articles I will provide to you.
You may write on anything you like that is pertinent to the readings in Block 1 which is about Law enforcement and Homeland Security
Remember that you have three readings in this block and that you will need to have at least 2 more suitable references in the block paper
At the end of each block, there will be a major assignment of a paper dealing with the readings from that block, with an additional two references required in the references cited section of the paper. The block papers should take the following form:
Thesis statement (something you wish to say about the subject matter)
Discussion
Conclusion
References cited (the assigned readings plus two more. Use APA style)
These block papers will be a minimum of four full pages long, exclusive of the references cited section. Use 12-point, Times New Roman type, double spaced with a 1-inch margin on all sides. All references must be cited in the text (author, date) and then listed alphabetically in the references cited section using APA style. A minimum of five references is required, but these will include the readings from that block.
There must be at least 5 citations of which 3 must be the readings. Remember to review the APA style before you write the paper. Cite the references in the text, don’t just list them at the end.

Selected topic: Title: The extent of the homegrown terrorism threat in the US and UK today

Answer

Student’s Name:

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Contents

Introduction. 2

The homegrown terrorism threat in the US and UK today. 3

Conclusion. 7

References. 8

Introduction

Today, intelligence experts in the US and UK are increasingly focusing on the threat of attacks that are planned by homegrown terrorists. Homegrown terrorists are individuals who have either been born or brought up in the West. Homegrown terrorists present a particular concern because of the recent increase in the number of Westerners who are gaining membership in militant Islamic movements. The familiarity of the operatives with their target societies also causes worries among intelligence experts in the US and UK.

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Although several studies have been carried out to assess the demographics of today’s homegrown Islamic terrorists, there is a shortage of literature on their social affiliations. Up to this day, no study has examined empirically the process of radicalization among homegrown terrorists. This study analyzes the extent of homegrown terrorism in the US and UK, through close reference to the radicalization process of homegrown terrorists. The study focuses on the measures that the two countries use to identify homegrown terrorist threats, the role played by the radicalization process and the phases through which people undergo before their transformation into homegrown terrorists.

Homegrown terrorism threat in the US and UK today

Before they become homegrown terrorists, people tend to go through a period during which they are transformed and radicalized into extremists. This transformation constitutes the radicalization process. Although there is no clear-cut indication of the transition from one radicalization stage to the other, people seem to follow six main steps before they change into homegrown terrorists (Gartenstein- Ross & Grossman, 2009).

First, people tend to interpret Islam. Secondly, the bank all their trust only on certain religious authorities. Thirdly, they perceive a schism between the West and Islam. Fourthly, their tolerance for perceived theological deviance becomes low. Next, they attempt to impose their religious views on other people. The final stage presents itself through participation and plotting of terrorist activities. All these steps may constitute a viable indicator of the level of the homegrown terrorist threat that exists at a particular time in the US and UK. The main challenge for intelligence experts, though, lies in determining the particular stage in which individual members of the society are, without being accused of racial and religious profiling (Sullivan &Wirtz, 2009).

The first step in the radicalization process can manifest itself externally in many ways. Individuals who interpret Islam from a legalistic perspective adopt a rule-based approach, whereby the Qur’an and Sunnah are the main sources of guidelines. These guidelines govern not only the practice of their faith but also all aspects of their daily lives. The problem is such people are not necessarily radical; their actions simply indicate a conservative approach to their faiths. For a few homegrown terrorists, though, this legalistic outlook of religion is a strong embodiment of their entire radicalization process. In this regard, most of them regard themselves as religious failures, thereby nurturing the belief that the best way to atone for this failure and to get salvation is to undertake jihad.

Demographics of homegrown terrorists in the UK and US are not in alignment with the existing jihad profiles: educated married, and middle-class people. Rather, all the homegrown terrorists who were examined by (Gartenstein- Ross & Grossman, 2009) were generally less educated, unmarried and came from low-level socioeconomic backgrounds. Similarly, both religion and politics play a significant role in the creation of homegrown extremist elements. 

The threat of homegrown terrorism today is also being increased by the view among radicalizing elements that Islam and the West are irreconcilably opposed to each other. Homegrown extremists tend to model their daily lives on the notion they will always be engaged in an existential fight with the West.

The question of identity plays a crucial role in determining the level of terrorist threats, in that many people who end up becoming homegrown terrorists start by undergoing personal agony when trying to determine their real identities. It is during the times of agony that recruiters find it easy to attract them into extremism. Ideological arguments appeal to such people, who are then quickly transitioned from the stage of religious extremism to that of engagement in terrorist activities.

Intelligence experts in the US and UK are increasingly exploiting the relationship between the imperviousness of people’s rational thinking in terms of intolerance and the possibility that such people will engage in jihadist activities in the future (Jenkins,2010). For many homegrown terrorists, it is clear that the sense of belonging that is generated through religious conviction is highly comforting. It is comforting for them to think that their jihadist activities constitute a noble, divine mission. This is the sense in which religion becomes the main frontier in threat assessment. The way in which terrorists understand religion shapes their outlook of the world, which is reflected in the way they behave and appear.

The requirement for Western societies is to disrupt this emotional feeling of accomplishment upon engagement in terrorist activities. Some people have questioned the ability of the UK and the US to address the grievances that homegrown terrorists express. One aspect that is often easily ignored is the sense of appeal that comes with illicit radical behavior. This appeal is responsible for attracting many young Muslims into various extremist groups. The general feeling is that this state of affairs can best be countered through local policing measures with an aim of lessening tension between law enforcement agencies and Muslims. This engagement appears to also have the potential to create a better understanding of the radicalization process.

The level of civic engagement is conventionally viewed as an indication of the threat levels as far as homegrown terrorism is concerned. This is because, rationally speaking, this countermeasure appears to the best course of action both in the short-term and long-term consideration. Indeed, intelligence experts in the US pay close attention to the level of success of such initiatives in assessing terrorist threats. They also consider the tone that is used when such sensitive issues are being addressed. The way in which the perception of Muslims as an isolated and marginalized community in the Western world is targeted also points to the threat levels that prevail at any given time.

Since there is no rule of thumb in the radicalization process, the best that authorities in these two countries can do is to put in place urgent efforts to understand the nature and level of radicalism within the Muslim community. It is only through such an understanding that the level of terrorism threat can be ascertained fairly accurately. In the UK, the counter-radicalization programs that are in place strive to understand the role of religion in shaping communities’ perceptions positively. One such form of training is targeted overseas-based imams who are always looked to on a daily basis for guidance on religious and personal issues.

The issues of radicalization and recruitment into terrorist activities have a treacherous history. People who are suspicious or opposed to Islam always welcome any study that indicates a relationship between faith and violence. However, defenders of faith tend to stand up swiftly to denounce any consequent inquiry, terming it an act of discrimination. On the same note, civil libertarians also tend to shoot on suspicion towards such studies. Yet it is difficult to encounter such diverse reactions whenever the religious connection to homegrown terrorism is being analyzed.

In recent times, security agencies and authorities in the US and UK have been at pain trying to moderate opposing views relating to the religious connection to home-grown terrorism. The various countermeasures adopted in order to reduce the terrorist threat have not gone on without criticism. For instance, a careful study of radicalization that was carried out by the New York Police Department promptly raised concerns relating to domestic intelligence collection (Gartenstein- Ross & Grossman, 2009). The resulting proposal for the creation of a national commission to monitor radicalization and recruitment into terrorist activities triggered paroxysms of protest within the civil liberties community. Critics argue that such inquiries would inexorably be equivalent to the Gestapo or the Spanish Inquisition. Moreover, they add, they would reproduce a contemporary equivalent of the witch-hunts that were rampant during the 1950s.

As a result of these reactions, authorities have tended to warn that although it is easy to understand suspicion given the recent revelations of rampant abuses in the name of anti-terrorism war, critics and protestors and critics end up encouraging the very behavior that they keep warning against. Their actions, the authorities, contribute, rather ironically, to an increase in homegrown terrorism. The critics, by their acts of opposition to countermeasures against paramilitary attacks, encourage the notion that to think about something is just like creating guilt of imagined possibilities (Tallen, 2008).

Authorities in the US and UK feel that to think about and understand the radicalization and recruitment into homegrown terrorism is not tantamount to creating a sense of guilt among certain religious groups, or Muslims for that matter. Rather, it is a bold step towards threat assessment, particularly in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks (Gartenstein-Ross, 2010).

Conclusion

The journey to radicalization is often a long one and it may take some time before authorities can establish a consistent trend on how individuals leading ordinary lives and with no criminal history end up becoming suicide terrorists. The administrations in London and Washington have a key role to play in thwarting homegrown terrorism, themselves being the leading nations in the war against global terrorism.

Despite these countermeasures, there are no clear indications that the threat of homegrown terrorism will not continue to grow. Most of the conditions that facilitate the emergence of homegrown terrorists continue to exist. In a world where resources are limited, law enforcement and intelligence agencies ought to develop a better understanding of this threat and measures of countering it. There is a need for a comprehensive law enforcement model that is based on prevention and gathering of intelligence on the threats posed by homegrown terrorists.

References

Gartenstein- Ross, D. & Grossman, L. (2009) Homegrown terrorists in the US and UK: An empirical examination of the radicalization process, London: FDD Press.

Tallen, B. (2008) Paramilitary Terrorism: A Neglected Threat, Homeland Security Affairs, 4(2), 1-13.

Sullivan, J. &Wirtz, J. (2009) Global Metropolitan Policing: An Emerging Trend in Intelligence Sharing, Homeland Security Affairs, 5(2), 1-7.

Gartenstein-Ross, D. (2010) The Homegrown Terror Threat, inFocusQuarterly, 5(2), 16-21.

Jenkins, B. (2010) Would-be warriors: incidents of jihadist terrorist radicalization in the United States since September 11, 2001, London: Rand Corporation.