Editor's Letter equilibrium -body fi fless lululemon eathletica Fear Homegrown Terror A merica isn't equipped to confront the threat posed by Islamists — the terrorists who have infiltrated Islam and radicalized a brand of it to suit their warped interests. So declares a compelling new report, which packs enough zing to prompt me to take notice. You should, too, especially with the 10th anniversary of 9-11 looming next year; Al Qaida may be down, but it's witless to think it's out. The report's premise is sobering: "Terrorist threats against the United States have fundamentally changed while American counter-terrorism strategies have stagnated!" When I looked to see who pro- Robert Sklar duced the report, titled "Assessing Editor the Terrorist Threat:' I found valida- tion. The 43-pager is the work of the Washington-based Bipartisan Policy Center's National Security Preparedness Group, which Steve Emerson's Investigative Project on Terrorism (IPT) confirmed was a predecessor to the 9-11 Commission and a highly reputable source. In its report summary, the IPT under- scores that Al Qaida has evolved from a hierarchical organization with a clear command and control structure to a more diffuse enemy whose ideology has inspired others globally. So, Osama bin Laden may still be in supreme command from his hideout along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, but Al Qaida has morphed from a loose-knit organization to a multi-strand network. Terror in a radical brand of Islam remains at the core. ing in Colorado, and the attempted Times Square bombing by Pakistani American Faisal Shahzad. Lone wolves represented big packs in each instance. And they acted on our shores. The report incisively observes: "While it is easier to dismiss the threat posed by wannabes who are often snared without difficulty by the authorities, or to discount as aberrations the homicides inflicted by lone gunmen, these incidents show the activities of trained U.S. terrorist operatives who are part of an identifiable organizational command and control structure and are acting on orders from terrorist leaders abroad." Rooting out terrorist leadership is painstaking because the tracks leading to the top are so well covered. Moving Up Further complicating the metastasizing threat caused by radi- calized Americans is the fact that new recruits don't all become just foot soldiers for Al Qaida. Some have become leaders with- in Al Qaida and its affiliates. "A key shift in the threat to the homeland since around the time President Barack Obama took office the report states, "is the increasing 'Americanization of the leadership of Al Qaida and aligned groups and the larger numbers of Americans attaching them- selves to these groups." I'm flummoxed why the democratic ideals we so cherish are such a turnoff that these Americans would resort to vio- lence rather than rebelling through politi- cal channels. The IPT summary of "Assessing The Terrorist Threat" cites Omar Hammami of Somalia-based Al Shabaab and Anwar al-Awlaki of Al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula as examples of Al Qaida opera- tives rising from American soil. Rooting out terrorist leadership is painstaking because the tracks leading to the top are so well covered. A Strong Brew The Sept. 10 report, by Peter Bergen and Bruce Hoffman, con- firms my long-held belief that given our somewhat less-porous borders, the largest threat facing America is homegrown terror. The IPT quotes Hoffman saying more Americans have turned on their country, gone abroad and made "common cause with terrorist groups!' That's chilling. Hoffman goes on, "The array of perpetrators and the nature of their plots against America are remarkable, and there is no single government agency responsible for deterring radicaliza- tion and terrorist recruitment. The terrorists may have found our Achilles heel — we have no way of dealing with this grow- ing problem!' The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has made America more secure. But we're not fighting a conventional enemy. We often have no idea who the enemy is until an attack is unleashed; luckily, many of these attackers have lacked the sophistication to pull off their intended barbarity. Therein lies an essential change, according to the report: With Al Qaida no longer able to duplicate the gravity of 9-11, Al Qaida has focused on smaller attacks that are "almost impossible for the national security and intelligence com- munities to detect and intercept." Examples include the failed Christmas Day Detroit-bound airliner bombing by Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the Fort Hood shooting rampage by U.S. Army Maj. Nidal Hasan, the thwarted New York City subway attack by Afghan-born Najibullah Zazi who was liv- Fighting Back The report urges America to reverse the indifference toward "the terror from within" that has bored its way into the bed- rock. "The American 'melting pot' has not provided a firewall against the radicalization and recruitment of American citi- zens and residents',' the report maintains, "though it has argu- ably lulled us into a sense of complacency that homegrown terrorism couldn't happen in the United States." I can't overstress the report's conclusion: The U.S. govern- ment must designate an agency to press identifying and countering the nurturing of Islamism via terrorist recruitment within our boundaries. The United States "will be far better able to detect and prevent future attacks" when federal, state and local agencies are working together and reaching out to ordinary Americans for their valued input. We as a nation clearly aren't immune to what the report calls "the heady current of radicalization affecting both immigrant and indigenous Muslim communities elsewhere in the West." America really is arguably little different now from Europe "in terms of having a domestic terrorist problem." ❑ equilibrium and lululemon invite you to a free Xten& Barre Class at Somerset Collection taught by Andrea Rogers, Xtend Barre Workout Creator, and lululemon ambassador from Florida Friday, October 15th at the lululemon store 9:00 am equilibrium is a ?dates for Pink studio raising money for The Breast Cancer Research Foundation during the month of October and will donate dollars for each person who attends this free class •enjoy a fabulous free workout - enjoy a light healthy snack after class • help to raise money for Breast Cancer Research join the staff of equilibrium and lululemon and WEAR PINK and BRING YOUR MAT! call 248.723.6500 and use code _MI 6405 Telegraph ■ at Maple & Telegraph buildings G & H O 0 i How concerned are you about w the threat of homegrown terror? I— ca Z z Do you feel our government has 0 O. done enough as a response? visit www.equilibriumstudiacom to schedule your class online twitter: @equilibriumMI facebook: equilibriumpilatesstudio youtube: equilibriumMt 160084 September 30 • 2010 5