The term ‘homegrown terrorism’ has entered the news agenda, yet again.
We’ve addressed this subject many times on WHYS. To give you an idea of how frequently it comes up, in 2010 alone, we’ve done stories on this here, here, here and here.
What’s turned our attention to the topic again? Two stories on different sides of the globe.
The first is down in Australia. ‘Terrorism has become a persistent and permanent feature of Australia’s security environment’ according to the country’s Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd. He’s unveiled his proposed legislation on how do deal with the enemy within.
This Australian blogger blames immigration and political for Australia’s terrorism problem.
Thanks to political correctness Australia is, and will forever more, be a target for terrorists … Thank you very much to all the goody two shoes, politically correct, left wing morons and anyone who listened to them. You are responsible for this! You should hang your heads in shame.
Over on the other side of the world in the US, Afghan-born Colorado raised, Najibullah Zazi, pleaded guilty to a bomb plot.
This comes off the back of recent comments by the United State’s Homeland Security Secretary, Janet Napolitano, who says that homegrown terror is as big a concern as international terrorists.
‘This past year has seen a spike in the number of American citizens and residents arrested for planning or carrying out terrorist acts’.
That’s the opinion of US Homeland Security top boss, Michael Chertoff, who’s views can be found here on the Daily Beast blog.
Some of the online chatter is on how to tackle alienated individuals who buy into an alternative ideology, who wish to harm the societies in which they were born or brought up in.
James Kirchick argues there’s little that can be done to prevent homegrown terrrorism. And says you simply have to carry on with the policies of the last 9 years.
‘Ultimately, there is little more that the United States can do to prevent homegrown terrorism, other than maintain the counter-terrorism policies enacted by the Bush administration in the aftermath of 9/11, policies that proved so successful in preventing another terrorist attack on American soil. ‘
Is he right? Are there better ways to deal with homegrown terrorism? How do you fight the enemy within? Can homegrown terror even be defeated?
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BBC World Have Your Say 
You end the “diversity” thing and you insist on a melting pot. If everyone integrates, people are better off and more moderate. By having islands of people not integrating (diversity), you get problems like that we have.
i think the fight really depends on the motivation which drives the terror. different groups/individuals have different motives, which in turn requires a different approach on how to deal with it.
Here in Austin, you may have heard, we had a recent attack of terrorism: a man burned his family’s house then flew a plane into an IRS building, where mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, sons and daughters in my community work. How could it have been prevented? The right wing needs to show some leadership and stop inciting people to hatred. People like Rush Limbaugh have no business using public airwaves and many politicians are no better.
Have you read Joe Stack’s suicide/homocide note?
Some right wing criticsms of gov’t did no doubt feed his rather encompassing hatred, but if you read his manifesto, he was upset; that Health Care reform hadn’t yet passed, that Churches were tax exempt, and did close by extolling socialism while denigrating capitalism. He was wound up a few turns by something other than the “right wing.”
By listening to the people who were “homegrown”. I now feel totally unrepresented in my own country as much of our government is now in Brusselles. It seems the only purpose of “Britain” is to supply The EU with money and politicians with a gravy train.
The way to do it is through intelligence, in my opinion.
Ombudsman, helpdesks and counseling for people in trouble, that sort of thing. Usually these kind of things could have been prevented, kinda like all those school shootings, if someone had helped those kids, listened to them, they wouldn’t have done it.
Oh, and keep a close eye on people who go on “holiday” to the most dangerous areas of Pakistan, for the duration of a typical Al-Qaida training.
That depends on the level of terrosism involved..In pakistan for instance,a terror stikes and a few minutes later,business as usual.How can u explain that?
homegrown terrorism is a baby grown by the west because they are allowing a large number of young radicals to immigrate to the west.
How can you give visa to potential terrorists in the name of liberalism and not be blown up by them?
Now with Barrack Obama the problem is more serious and the muslims are flocking in their large numbers to the USA.
And the fiery language of the Mullahs and Ahmadjinejad”s outburst against the west, more trouble is waylaying the west.
It is despicable that people settle in a country and find their children growing up and getting involved in terrorism. Each and every area should appoint a person, working with the local police, to check up on the residents in the area. This could help in weeding out these brainwashed terrorists.
In several ways:
Don’t give into others trying to exploit your fears re: “terrorism”.
Not all dark-skinned people who may also speak Arabic (many of whom are U.S. citizens) are terrorists.
Define the word “terrorism”. Under many current govt. regulations, criticizing the wars in Iraq an Afghanistan could be considered “supporting terrorists”.
Many other countries hunt down and assassinate “terrorists”. Now, Obama says this is ok for the States as well.
I oppose the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. If I go abroad, will I be targeted and killed for my beliefs? Right now, I have no gurantee that that wouldn’t happen.
We are in Afghanistan to build a pipeline the Taliban don’t want. We have to become energy independent somehow, someway. We support people who cause a lot of mayhem around the world. We need to be honest in our business dealings and only do things that mutually benefit others. We need to address the greed factor and shun people trying to control the world. Using a different banking system that could undercut the current players would help. The monied elite are few, we are many. We need a new vision for a more loving, kinder, gentler world. Greed from both sides, East and West is unsustainable.
I agree with steve (for once) as far as he went anyway. With both political parties, we have been trying to create a government that ‘protects’ diversity by setting the differences in law. Between both parties there is no aspect of our lives that is safe. They both incur huge debt, they both raise taxes, they both blame the other. This guy addressed all that. We need the government to release a lot of control, and reduce spending. In the three topics shown today, most people agree, are cases of the government trying to establish unrealistic control. People need to work together, not hide in the letter of some new law.
I think also think it’s – ‘intelligence’ (@ Jamie) …
– both academic and sensory – and too much of the wrong kind of ‘Freedom’ with not enough of the right kind of ‘Discipline’ .
Each new terror stands on the back of it’s predecessor but if you try and go to the root, its all the basic stuff we seemed to have lost or that has been corroded away from our society. It should start with Education (the individual), discipline (the family) and correction and protection (the state). (and you can take those anyway you like)
I think it’s also the ‘free’ intelligence we get from the Internet / and Freedom of the press or Media to print / say anything it wants without any controls, or thinking of the consequences. Since these two have evolved All Terrorism – homegrown and World-wide has excelled.
The way not to do it is to appease the communities that support it or to search out underlying motives for those who engage in it.
What’s needed is to apply the law equally across the board – e.g. those who incite to murder & who demonstrate threateningly against free speech must be prosecuted with the full force of the law and given meaningful sentences if guilty.
Similarly, countries like the UK need to drop health & safety / human rights when it comes to terrorism – a terrorist seeking the murder of innocents has forfeited his rights.Some spine is also required to tackle piracy ….
Ok, much as been made of this topic but what has been done? Nothing or seeming so, yet people are very concerned. Why as nothing been done? Any(PC) ideas anyone?
End the suicidal concept of “multikulti trumps all” which spreads like a cancer throughout Europe.
Good idea,great idea in fact .However logic, as we know, has no place in the now discredited deluded thinking behind multiculturalism.
The best way to check the home-grown terrorism is by way of sustained and up-dated electronic monitoring/scrutiny of the links and acquaintances (including mobile, computer and other communications) of all the immigrants, with or without citizenship).
@ Clamdip –
People constantly causing “mayhem” around the world are terrorists. They are closet dictators who are having a tantrum at someone else’s expense.
Subhash,
you know there is also somthing called personal freedom…..i know we have past 1984 along time ago, but the idea of big brother watching everybody is still not trhe most appealing one. any idea how many million immigrants you would like to eavsdrop on?
By foreign terrorism of course.
CabeUK,
And who’s expense might that be , pray tell?
CabeUK,
Spooks live in closets in government office buildings where they can disperse their contagion upon the unsuspecting public.
Even if we get rid of all the “foreign-inspired” home-grown terrorism, there is still the “home-inspired” homegrown terrorism like Timothy McVeighs, Eric Rudolphs, KKK, November 17s and ETA and IRA etc.
How do we deal with people who have a gripe against a fundamental aspect of civilised society (such as racial equality). I guess you have to target the leaders who give them their motivation and ensure they are not preaching hatred and violence against civilised society.
Home grown terrorism is an outcome of a corrupt system. If governments weren’t so corrupt then terrorists would have nothing to fight against. When people have bought into a belief system then realize its a scam to control people,
some will fight against it. How can the vast majority of Americans be terrorists when they are angry with their government? Terrorism is a label the government gives to its citizen’s when their lies don’t work anymore.
Clamdip,
what? the vast majority of americans are terrorists? how do you come up with such confuse statements? i live in the states and can tell you first hand the very very very vast amount of americans are not terrorists. they might be disgrnteled, but only a tiny tiny minority anywhere on thsi planet commits act of terror because they are disgrunteled.
Hi Clamdip
..@ Clamdip “CabeUK, Spooks live in closets in government office buildings where they can disperse their contagion upon the unsuspecting public”…
Ok I get what you are talking about. But they are all terrorists in the end..
this is how do we combat it ??
Hi CabeUK,
Fight not with Clamdip the delicious!
Why aren’t Bernie Madoff and his partners in crime considered economic terrorists? Why not Goldman Sachs?
You have to get rid of corruption and career politicians and change the banking industry and introduce term limits. Provide technology, education and markets. It’s cause for concern when there is a huge population of poor, underserved who
can’t have what they see others have on t.v. People are tired of being manipulated. Anymore, they’ll just take what others might have. They’re restless.
It’s very dangerous for society when the natives are restless.
Jens,
Its a rhetorical question. It doesn’t men that the vast majority of Americans are terrorists. It means that the government starts to label people as terrorists who don’t agree with their corrupt policies.
P.S. No offense but I think tou mean disgruntled.
how long does moderation take?
Hi Clamdip –
– You are talking about All our Governments!! haa (:)) – and people like Joe Stack ? (plane into building because he had a beef ?) – as opposed to ‘homegrown’ foreign terrorists like al Quida being manufactured in the USA/ UK etc ?
– It’s the BBC’s fault for mixing up the two on this Topic – but those are organic to every society and we’ll always have them ? (no matter who we vote for!)
….For foreign terrorism manufactured on our home turf? Possibly stricter
immigration – refusing entrance to anyone remotely suspect. Stricter on handouts (no dole etc).. Not allowing separate ‘Faith’ schools to practice behind closed doors = No fundamentalist intrepretations of the Quoran should be taught in Muslim schools, (sorry but its at the root of it) and wider integration and monitoring of foreign nationals. Opening up all our different cultures to scrutiny. You want to live here – then do as we do as re: laws etc. Who knows if that’s the right thing… – but it would be a start!
Clearly my views were hard to digest. It was graphic, blunt and shocking, but shocking because it is fact. However you chose not to print it. Home truths are often painful, and we here in the UK have IMO our heads in the sand over this Islamist business.
May I recommend Kenan Malik’s book “From Fatwah to Jihad” and the legacy of the Rushdie affair which has had world wide consequences concerning free speech, in short it is still published but it’s turned out to be a Pyrrhic victory in that speaking out is not dangerous. This book is of course about the UK but its analysis can be extrapolated and maybe a lesson can be learned for America.
The book is written from the perspective of a very intelligent British intellectual, a man of Pakistani decent. Mr Malik speaks of the dark side of multiculturalism and gives a very clear account of the process that has led to Britain being, as the poet and political activist Wole Soyinka has labelled “a cesspool for jihadists”.
Modern liberal democracy and its dependence on the social contract is a very delicate thing. If we don’t speak up about what is happening the price IMO will be religious fascism a la Iran.
correction:
Wring “…it’s turned out to be a Pyrrhic victory in that speaking out is not dangerous.”
That should read speaking out is NOW dangerous speak .
If you print my comment please be sure to print this correction too. Thank you.
Terror needs to be redefined. Why do people have to use terror to make their point if they have other avenues to express their dissent? Of course, now dictatorships especially in Africa are using the terrorism excuse to suffocate their opposition. The choice to employ terror tactics is normally made by apparently weaker parties in a negotiation where they go for a Lose/Lose Option and yet given a platform they would go for a Win/Win solution on the other side of the negotiation matrix. One may then ask again whether, terror is not self invited upon those who unjustifiably oppress or “terrorize” others by another name. For instance, why is it predominantly the US, UK and its allies the target of international terrorism? Is it their so-called democratic principles or is ti their interference in the affairs of other states and more? Let us think about it…
Jeff in Kampala
We in the UK have not oppress our home grown terrorists. We have in fact given them opportunities that are undreamed of in the Muslim countries from which their families originated, predominantly Pakistan and Bangladesh. Here in the UK they have freedom of speach, a democratic system of law, free education, free National health, subsidised social housing, none of which they can benefit from back in the ‘Homeland’. Why do you think most of the so called ‘third world’ wants to get to the UK?
IMO These particular UK home grown terrorists are failed petulant youths with an “I’m a victim complex” and with a fear of freedom, especially with regard to their women, rather than a desire to embrace it for which they will need to gain maturity.
Again to make the point Wole Soyinka made, a black Nigerian poet and political activist, in his Reith Lectures 2004 (or was it 2003?) Blacks have been badly treated, Jews have been badly treated and female continue to be badly treated (in particular in Muslim countries) but none of those groups have decided to blow random people up.