As part of the Washington Post’s “Under Suspicion” series’ examination of the lives of American Muslims since the September 11th attacks, Eli Saslow has profiled Abdirizak Bihi, whose story is another example of just how complicated those lives and our perceptions of them can be.
The Somali-American man is the founder, director and sole employee of a community-based counterterrorism program in Minneapolis. He has testified at the controversial Capitol Hill hearings on Muslim radicalization, and the FBI and the Justice Department rely on his help during investigations of terrorist threats.
Meanwhile, he struggles to gain financial support from the politicians who endorse his efforts, and operates with little funding from an area where least 25 young men, including his 17-year-old nephew, have disappeared to fight for al-Shabab in the past three years:
Many mosques, elected officials and even law enforcement agencies have hesitated to address the radicalization of a small percentage of U.S. Muslims, because the topic itself is so divisive. The focus on homegrown jihad is considered either the next front in the war on terrorism or an Islamophobic witch hunt sure to create more ill will.
Tags: Abdirizak Bihi, counterterrorism, Minnesota, Muslim activist, radicalism, radicalization, U.S. Muslims
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