10 February 7 • 2019 jn views continued from page 8 to Islamist extremism — and, even then, the perpetrator had ties to white supremacy. In 2018, the U.S. was spared the mass murders by Islamist extremists we’ ve seen in recent years. To be clear, there were Islamist- inspired terrorist plots and people arrested on charges such as providing support to such individuals. And we have seen real challenges from this type of violence abroad. However, it is a reminder about the unfairness of peddling anti-Muslim bias or making hysterical claims about faith-based extremists grounded in fiction rather than fact. And yet these statistics communi- cate a clear message that the U.S. must pay more attention to dangers posed by domestic right-wing extremism — without neglecting the genuine need to prevent all forms of extremist violence. There are more than a dozen active right-wing extremist movements in the U.S. that are violent, such as white supremacists, anti-government sovereign citizens and militias, and anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant extremists. The fact is right-wing extremists collectively have been responsible for more than 70 percent of the 427 extremist-related killings over the past 10 years, far outnumbering those committed by left-wing extremists or domestic Islamist extremists — even with the sharp rise of Islamist- extremist killings in the past five years. These murder statistics send us a clear message: Right-wing extremist violence needs to be addressed. It will not go away on its own. Indeed, as the ADL ’ s Center on Extremism has documented, the white supremacist movement is growing. The Pittsburgh synagogue shooting in October was a reminder of what can happen when anti-Semitism, a key ingredi- ent of white supremacist bile, is left unchecked. If we want a safe society for Jews and all Americans, we must address this problem. Extremist, right-wing violence is a problem that can be addressed. Congress should ensure that the exec- utive branch is tracking and focusing on domestic terrorism through leg- islation like the Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act. The federal govern- ment should collect data on domestic terrorism and provide for training for law enforcement on best practices. Hate crimes laws can also be improved. Five states still don’ t even have a hate crimes law on their books. Many other states have significant gaps or weaknesses in their laws. We also need to address our broken hate crimes reporting system because it is woeful. Hate crimes are significant- ly underreported to the FBI because of victims not coming forward or by law enforcement agencies failing to report hate crimes. This, too, must be addressed. We can and must do more to count- er this growing threat of extremism. We can promote anti-bias and civic education programs. We can promote programs within communities to counter extremist propaganda and recruiting. We can help educate the technology sector about the need to combat hate and extremism on its platforms. We can’ t solve extremism. But there is so much more we should do to make sure the people who died at the hands of extremists in 2018 — and those who died before them — did not perish in vain. We can do better. ■ Jonathan A. Greenblatt is CEO and National Director of the Anti-Defamation League. A White Lives Matter rally in Austin, Texas, in 2017 commentary ( 2 4 8 ) 2 6 6 - 8 8 2 2 FREE VEIN SCREENING Beverly Hills/ Birmingham 32804 Pierce Street Beverly Hills, MI 48025 w w w . a l l u r e m e d i c a l . c o m 6900 Orchard Lake Road, Ste 215 (Located in the Beaumont building) START YOUR JOURNEY . HEAL YOUR LEGS. To book, call by February 14th Varicose veins may result in painful leg symptoms. Allure Medical can heal your legs with a non-invasive treatment with no downtime. Treatments are covered by most insurance plans, including Medicare. OTHER SYMPTOMS MAY INCLUDE: Ulcers Itching Swelling Numbness Bulging Veins Heaviness BULGING DISCOLORATION SWELLING ULCERS We believe in curing the problem or disease, not just managing its symptoms. Dr. Charles Mok, Allure Medical Founder