U.S. counterterrorism efforts must focus on "marginal" Muslim youth

Yemen authorities continue their manhunt for over 400 Al-Qaeda members. Abyan Governor Ahmed Al-Maisari said yesterday that 14 Al-Qaeda members turned themselves in after they were advised by local government and sheiks to do so. Among the group were 5 Al-Qaeda leaders, including Jamal Nuairan.

Off the battlefield, Yemenes social dignitaries, sheiks and mosque rectors in the districts of Lawder and Modya talk to Al-Qaeda insurgents, urging them to hand themselves in to authorities. They are then sent to the political security prison in Aden while a thorough investigation is completed. If any illegal act was committed, that member is turned over to justice. Those with good-will are released, but must go through rehabilitation. It sounds similar to our parole system, where released prisoners are assigned a parole officer, who keeps close tabs on them and helps them find employment and to connect back into mainstream society.

This Yemen approach defies the looming American approach of zero tolerance, where all Muslims are mistrusted. DECLASSIFIED SECRETS-2 believes zero tolerance = zero intelligence. We can learn from Yemen’s approach. Radicalized Muslim Americans preach openly in the streets of NYC about the need for Sharia law to be established in the U.S. They praise the destruction and deaths of 9/11 and taunt moderate Muslims entering NYC’s Islamic Cultural Center while the Imam Shamsi Ali preaches tolerance inside. He's despised by other radical Islamists, such as the group called Islamic Thinkers Society, who call Shamsi Ali "the FBI's mouthpiece."

Five years ago, as a member of the Association For Intelligence Officers (AFIO), I listened to Charles “Charlie” Allen, a celebrated CIA counterintelligence officer, speak in Tyson Corners, Va. Allen warned about the growing radicalization of Muslim youth in America. I call them “marginal Muslims” in that they are young, impressionable and can swing either way: assimilate into American society and still practice their Muslim faith vs. becoming followers of radical Islam.

It’s time we robustly influence the marginal Muslim youth in America. We have the tools to do it! Watch the video. (Click HERE to go to the article listing "Our Picks" in books about Muslim youth).  Marginal and malleable Muslim youth in America and Europe should be our major focus in our war with radical Islam. NYC’s Muslim imam Shamsi Ali stated that the Internet is full of anti-American radical Islamic sites and more tolerant Muslim sites must be created and placed permanently online. I'm for creating government grants for moderate Muslim leaders to do just that. 

Robert Morton, M.Ed., Ed.S. is a member of the Association for Intelligence Officers (AFIO) and writes about the U.S. Intelligence Community on his DECLASSIFIED SECRETS-2 site.

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