From The Hill:
Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump echoed rival Ted Cruz on Tuesday in calling for patrols of Muslim neighborhoods in the U.S., and said the country must begin torturing terror suspects to get information out of them.
I think this document is of some relevance to the debate regarding this proposed public policy.
Source: National Archives.
Here is some implementing language that either Mr. Trump or Senator Cruz can use.
Is there a single example of a Muslim raised in the USA being a suicide bomber?
I don’t think so.
Of course, from the point of view of the victims of radical Islamic terrorism, I don’t think that it makes a difference to the deceased and injured victims of terrorism whether or not the terrorist died in the attack.
Cherry picking. One need only go back as far as November 2015, when Pres. Obama, Democrat, excluded certain Africans from entering the US:
Sec. 2. I hereby find that the unrestricted immigrant and nonimmigrant entry into the United States of aliens determined to meet one or more of the criteria in subsection 1(a) of this order would be detrimental to the interests of the United States, and I hereby suspend entry into the United States, as immigrants or nonimmigrants, of such persons. Such persons shall be treated as persons covered by section 1 of Proclamation 8693 of July 24, 2011 (Suspension of Entry of Aliens Subject to United Nations Security Council Travel Bans and International Emergency Economic Powers Act Sanctions).
https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2015/11/23/executive-order-blocking-property-certain-persons-contributing-situation
Don: Gee, do you see a difference between restricting entry of individuals from a certain country, and restricting entry wholesale on the basis of religion? (And by the way, as I recall Mr. Trump did not make a distinction between US citizens and non-US citizens for entry/re-entry.
Incidentally, the largest charter school operations in many states are run by followers of Fethullah Gulen, a secretive Islamic cleric now living in the US. After strenuously denying any connection between Gulen and the Gulen Schools, Gulen himself admitted the connection in a NYT OpEd a year or so ago:
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/04/opinion/fethullah-gulen-turkeys-eroding-democracy.html?_r=0
He is apparently worried about a possible extradition request from Turkey. After previously being allied with the Turkish president, as they jointly worked to make Turkey more of an Islamic state, they had a falling out, and the Turkish government has been arresting and persecuting Gulen’s followers.
However, it’s interesting to read accounts of what happened to Gulen’s critics in Turkey, when he was allied with the ruling Turkish party in prior years. A NYT article from 2012:
Turkey Feels Sway of Reclusive Cleric in the U.S. (April, 2012)
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/25/world/middleeast/turkey-feels-sway-of-fethullah-gulen-a-reclusive-cleric.html?pagewanted=1
In any case, the Gulen Schools have brought over thousands of Islamic trained male teachers to the US, on H1B visas, to serve as teachers in US charter schools.
What could possibly go wrong? How hard would it be for ISIS members to infiltrate these schools?
ABC New Program on Radical Islam Vs. Radical Right in the UK:
Part One:
http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/video/hate-door-english-defense-leagues-war-radical-islam-23356839?nwltr=icymi_nightline_headline
Part Two:
http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/video/britains-face-hate-edl-founders-shocking-decision-23356867?nwltr=icymi_nightline_xtra_link
What could go wrong, indeed.
That paragon of right-wing politics, Thomas L. Friedman, opines: “That all sounds great on paper, until a terrorist attack like the one Tuesday in Brussels comes to our shores. Does the president have this right?”
Actually, he has some constructive things to say… just not that favorable for President Obama. http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/23/opinion/does-obama-have-this-right.html?rref=collection%2Fcolumn%2Fthomas-l-friedman&action=click&contentCollection=opinion®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=collection
Now if Friedman is worried, perhaps there is something to Trumps concerns… but not necessarily his tactics.
Politicians and most people have a way of attaching labels to other people and affiliations. I think, when it comes to Muslims, there are three basic categories: MINOs, PMBs, and MFs. The MINOs and PMs constitute the vast bulk of Islam; the MFs are a very small, but actively visible minority. It’s like bees: all bees can sting, but your visceral reaction to bees is caused by the bee that stings you.
MINOs? You know what that means. PMs? Why that’s Peaceful Muslims. MFs? Does that really need an explanation?
Unfortunately, our reaction to Islam and Muslims in general is triggered by those damn MFs. Politicians only play to that.
Okay, Muslim Fanatics. What did you think I meant?
In order to become a domestic terrorist you have to first become alienated (feeling you are not a part of the society you live in), second you have to become radicalized (thinking that your problems and anger can be “solved” by taking radical actions against that society). What Trumph and Cruz are proposing would drastically increase the number of alienated muslims in the US. That would leave a much larger pool available for radicalization (self- or externally- radicalized). The end result is as predictable as it is tragic.
The sad truth is that these proposals are going to help the both the terrorists, and the right wing morons that came up with them. The terrorists will have many more recruits and fewer muslims trying to stop them. The right wingers will get much more support from scared voters who are clueless to abstract concepts such as alienation and radicalization.
DeDude, seriously? The open arms French and Belgians and Germans have been the problem? It couldn’t be that radical Islamic preachers are the problem? It couldn’t be that it is easier to lash out at someone else rather than fix the basic flaws in your character and philosophy? It couldn’t be that no amount of social generosity fixes some people?
It’s hard to feel “part of the society” when you view the society as evil and corrupt and kuffir?
Throughout the history of the world, it was the obligation of the immigrant to fit it. Yes, it was a struggle, but cultures expected it unless, of course, you were a conqueror. Perhaps certain immigrants don’t want to fit in because that is not their goal. The Europeans are beginning to see the result of the policy that says, “All we have to do is show them how enlightened and generous we are and they will naturally strive to be like us.”
Its always “them there other people’s” own fault. Them and their substandard character, culture and philosophy, just need to change and then all will be honky dory. The good righteous white people have done nothing wrong and should be expected no efforts and no cost to solve the problem. In the mean time we shall spend absurd amounts of money on police, prisons and military to subdue “those people”, because that has proven itself so much more cost effective. You are a caricature of the classic right winger, running away from responsibility and blaming others for the problems caused by right wing racism and xenophobia. In the mean time the military industrial complex is laughing all the way to the bank as they milk you for all they can (but at least that money is not handed over to them there “other kinds of people”, right?).