Domestic Radicalization / Radicalization Hearings

Effective homeland security and counterterrorism actions taken by the U.S. following the attacks of 9/11 have made it more difficult for al-Qaeda to launch an attack on the U.S. homeland from overseas, forcing the terrorist organization and its affiliates to shift their strategy to recruiting and radicalizing those already legally in the U.S., including Muslim American citizens.      

As a result, the terrorist threat facing our homeland no longer emanates exclusively from al-Qaeda operatives coordinating attacks across the globe, but today includes individuals radicalized within the Muslim American community to engage in terrorist attacks.  Prominent examples of such domestic radicalization include Najibullah Zazi, who plotted to blow up the New York City subway system, and Faisal Shahzad, who attempted to detonate a car bomb in Times Square.  In addition, the emergence of influential, English-speaking al-Qaeda leaders such as Adam Gadahn and the radical cleric Anwar al-Awlaki had allowed al-Qaeda to successfully target Muslim Americans in its recruitment and radicalization efforts.

In the 112^th Congress, Chairman Peter T. King (R-NY) convened a series of hearings to examine the threat of radicalization within the Muslim-American community: 

• March 10, 2011 -- “The Extent of Radicalization in the American Muslim Community and that Community's Response”
• June 15, 2011 – “The Threat of Muslim-American Radicalization in U.S. Prisons”
• July 27, 2011 -- “Al Shabaab: Recruitment and Radicalization within the Muslim American Community and the Threat to the Homeland”
• December 7, 2011 -- “Homegrown Terrorism: The Threat to Military Communities Inside the United States”
• June 20, 2012 -- "The American Muslim Response to Hearings on Radicalization within their Community"