American Muslims are being targeted as potential threats to homegrown terror. But is the threat real?

Photo courtesy of the Express Tribune

U.S. Rep. Peter King’s hearings play to fears that Al Qaeda is fomenting homegrown terrorism in the United States. How much do Americans really fear the threat of domestic Muslim terrorism?

No one has a monopoly on homegrown terrorism. Since 9/11, we’ve seen terrorism by white supremacists, anti-government/tax extremists, Christian extremists, Jewish extremists and more. (Click here for a listing of 29 terrorist groups and notable acts of domestic terrorism.)

But the possibility of homegrown Muslim terrorism seems to strike a special anxiety in the hearts of many Americans.

How concerned are you that people who have become U.S. citizens will attempt to commit terrorist acts here? Rasmussen Reports asked this question in a national survey conducted earlier this month. About a third (33 percent) say they are very concerned, with an additional third (31 percent) saying they are somewhat concerned. That’s about two of every three Americans.

About four of 10 Americans (39 percent) say the government does not focus enough on the potential threat from domestic Islamic terrorism. About the same say the focus is about right.

More than half (57 percent) say that American Muslims do not speak out enough against potential terrorists attacks in the United States. About one-third say they are unsure one way or the other.

At the same time, two-thirds (63 percent) say American Muslims are not treated unfairly because of their religion and ethnicity.

But 53 percent say they are very or somewhat concerned that efforts to identify and arrest domestic terrorists will end up violating the civil rights of some U.S. citizens. (43 percent are not very concerned or not at all concerned, the poll finds.)

So is there really a trend in domestic terrorism involving Muslim Americans?

King says he sees a growing threat. However, research doesn’t support that claim. Since “9/11”—161 Muslim Americans have been suspects or perpetrators, according to a new report by The Triangle Center on Terrorism and Homeland Security.

This Center is a consortium between Duke University, the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, and RTI International. There is no clear trend.

There were 24 suspects or perpetrators in 2003, but only 2 in 2008. The spike occurred in 2009, with 47—a large number due primarily to a group of Somali-Americans. But the figure dropped to 20 in 2010, the report says.

Who accounts for more plots — Muslim Americans or other Americans?

Data on post-9/11 terrorism in the United Stated, compiled by the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPPC), shows that the majority of terrorist plots in the U.S. are not perpetrated by Muslims.

Using data from the Congressional Research Service, the Heritage Foundation and the Southern Poverty Law Center, they count 80 plots of domestic terrorism by non-Muslims. Violent extremism appears to be on the rise, but this trend occurs across ideologies and includes many different domestic groups.

The Council concludes that Al Qaeda “does not appear to be making new ideological gains into the Muslim American community. Instead, the data is pointing toward greater numbers of longstanding ideological extremists turning to violence.”

How do you read these data?
Do this information make you less or more worried?
Are you more or less supportive of King’s hearings?

Dr. Wayne E. Baker is a sociologist on the faculty of the University of Michigan Ross School of Business. Baker blogs daily at Our Values and can be reached at ourvaluesproject@gmail.com.