The White House yesterday
released the President's plan for
Empowering Local Partners to Prevent Violent Extremism in the United States (
full text). The report sets out a community-based approach that includes greater support and information sharing with local officials. In his introduction to the report, President Obama says:
As we approach the 10th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, we remember that al-Qa'ida tried to spark a conflict between faiths and divide us as Americans. But they failed.
Addressing the threat of extremist propaganda, the report says:
we must counter al-Qa’ida’s propaganda that the United States is somehow at war with Islam.... Al-Qa’ida and its supporters spread messages of hate, twist facts, and distort religious principles to weave together a false narrative that Muslims must attack Americans everywhere because the United States is waging a global war against Islam. While al-Qa’ida claims to be the vanguard of Islam, the overwhelming majority of its victims are Muslim.
We will challenge this propaganda through our words and deeds, defined by the very ideals of who we are as Americans. As the President has stated repeatedly, the United States is not, and never will be, at war with Islam. Islam is part of America, a country that cherishes the active participation of all its citizens, regardless of background and belief. We live what al-Qa’ida violently rejects—religious freedom and pluralism....
The report also emphasizes that : "Strong religious beliefs should never be confused with violent extremism."
