Sociology 201 Minority Relations

In 2011, the Obama Administration initiated a Countering Violent Extremism program (CVE) purportedly aimed at tackling the underlying causes that may contribute to terrorism domestically and abroad.2 According to the White House, "CVE efforts address the root causes of extremism through community engagement"3 and [t]he underlying premise of the approach to countering violent extremism in the United States is that (1) communities provide the solution to violent extremism; and (2) CVE efforts are best pursued at the local level, tailored to local dynamics, where local officials continue to build relationships within their communities through established community policing and community outreach mechanisms.4 In January 2017, the Trump Administration announced that it would change the name of the program to "Countering Islamic Extremism" to reflect his Administration's intentions to focus exclusively on terrorism committed by individuals claiming to be Muslim, while excluding terrorism committed by others including white supremacists.5 Notwithstanding the outcry surrounding the Trump Administration's renaming of the program by civil rights advocates, CVE has always been focused on Muslim communities in the United States. [...]this Article addresses four fundamental flaws with CVE: 1) CVE programs securitize Muslim communities and validate terrorists' narratives that America is at war with Islam; 2) CVE programs are unnecessary to prevent domestic terrorism; 3) CVE programs are a waste of government resources; and 4) government funds for community development and resilience should be funded and administered by social service agencies without law enforcement control. CVE programs put the civil liberties of innocent Americans at risk,...