HANDLING NOTICE: RECIPIENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FBI INTELLIGENCE BULLETINS CONTAIN SENSITIVE TERRORISM AND COUNTERTERRORISM INFORMATION MEANT FOR USE PRIMARILY WITHIN THE LAW ENFORCEMENT AND HOMELAND SECURITY COMMUNITIES. SUCH BULLETINS SHALL NOT BE RELEASED IN EITHER WRITTEN OR ORAL FORM TO THE MEDIA, THE GENERAL PUBLIC, OR OTHER PERSONNEL WHO DO NOT HAVE A VALID NEED-TO-KNOW WITHOUT PRIOR APPROVAL FROM AN AUTHORIZED FBI OFFICIAL. PREPARED BY THE FBIS DIRECTORATE OF INTELLIGENCE, COUNTERTERRORISM ANALYSIS SECTION AND SENIOR INTELLIGENCE OFFICER COUNCIL.

THREAT OVERVIEW

THE FBI ASSESSES THAT MULTIPLE ONGOING CONTROVERSIES IMPACTING US MUSLIM COMMUNITIES MAY SERVE TO POLARIZE PUBLIC OPINION AND FUEL ISLAMIC EXTREMIST RHETORIC, BOTH IN THE SHORT- AND LONG-TERM. THE FBI CURRENTLY HAS NO SPECIFIC CREDIBLE INFORMATION THAT INTERNATIONAL TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS ARE PLANNING ACTION AGAINST THE UNITED STATES BECAUSE OF THESE EVENTS, ALTHOUGH THE POTENTIAL IMPACT OF THESE CONTROVERSIES NECESSITATES CONTINUED VIGILANCE FROM STATE, LOCAL, TRIBAL, AND PRIVATE SECURITY ENTITIES. MULTIPLE CONTROVERSIES GENERATING HEATED RHETORIC OVER THE PAST FEW WEEKS, OPEN SOURCE REPORTING HAS DRAWN ATTENTION TO SEVERAL CONTROVERSIAL EVENTS IMPACTING MUSLIM COMMUNITIES IN THE UNITED STATES. WHILE EACH BEGAN AS A SEEMINGLY LOCAL DISPUTE, ALL ARE NOW RAISING NATIONAL-LEVEL QUESTIONS REGARDING CONSTITUTIONALLY PROTECTED FREEDOMS AND ISLAMS ROLE IN AMERICA. THE PLANNED BURNING OF QURANS BY A NONDENOMINATIONAL CHURCH IN GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA IN RECOGNITION OF THE NINTH ANNIVERSARY OF 11 SEPTEMBER CONTINUES TO ATTRACT ATTENTION. THE CHURCHS LEADER HAS STATED HE DOES NOT THINK THIS EVENT IF IT OCCURS WILL PRECIPITATE VIOLENCE AGAINST HIM OR HIS FOLLOWERS, DESPITE NUMEROUS DEATH THREATS, WARNINGS FROM OTHERS IN THE LOCAL COMMUNITY, INTERNATIONAL MUSLIM COMMUNITY PROTESTS, AND PROTESTS FROM FOREIGN GOVERNMENTS.

THE PLANNED ISLAMIC CENTER IN NEW YORK CITY ALSO KNOWN AS THE PARK51 PROJECT HAS RAISED CONCERNS FOR SOME GIVEN ITS CLOSE PROXIMITY TO GROUND ZERO. SOME OF THE MORE ARDENT OPPONENTS OF THE CENTER EQUATE THE ISSUE OF THE 9/11 ATTACKS WITH ISLAM IN GENERAL, AND HAVE SUGGESTED THE CENTER EITHER BE MOVED TO A DIFFERENT LOCATION AWAY FROM GROUND ZERO, OR NOT BE BUILT AT ALL. A RECENT POLL SHOWED THAT WHILE A MAJORITY OF NEW YORKERS RECOGNIZED THE RIGHT FOR THE MOSQUE TO BE BUILT, A MAJORITY ALSO OPPOSE ITS CONSTRUCTION, AND 71% WANT THE BACKERS TO VOLUNTARILY BUILD SOMEWHERE ELSE. IN TEMECULA, CALIFORNIA, PROTESTS AGAINST THE PLANNED CONSTRUCTION OF A MOSQUE HAVE LED TO PUBLIC PROTESTS AND OTHER EXPRESSIONS OF OPPOSITION, WHILE IN MURFREESBORO, TENNESSEE, OPPONENTS VOICED SIMILAR ANTAGONISM AFTER THE LOCAL MUSLIM COMMUNITY PROPOSED CONSTRUCTING AN ISLAMIC CENTER, CULMINATING IN THE ATTEMPTED BURNING OF THE PROPOSED SITE. CONNECTIONS BETWEEN ISLAMIC CONTROVERSIES AND TERRORIST ACTIVITIES IN EUROPE IN THE PAST, SIMILAR CONTROVERSIES IN EUROPE SURROUNDING THE 2004 DUTCH FILM SUBMISSION, THE 2005 AND 2007 MOHAMMED CARTOONS, AND THE 2008 DUTCH FILM FITNA SPARKED PUBLIC DEBATES AND NEGATIVE RHETORIC, AS WELL AS VIOLENCE.

THE IMPACT OF THESE CONTROVERSIES IS STILL RESONATING AROUND THE WORLD, AND IN SOME CASES HAS LED TO TERRORIST PLOTTING, INCLUDING BY US CITIZENS. MOHAMMED BOUYERI, A DUTCH-MOROCCAN CITIZEN WITH ALLEGED TERRORIST TIES, ASSASSINATED SUBMISSION DIRECTOR THEO VAN GOGH IN NOVEMBER 2004 AND LEFT A WRITTEN DEATH THREAT ON HIS BODY AGAINST THE SCREEN WRITER, AYAAN HIRSI ALI. IN 2005, DANISH NEWSPAPER JYLLANDS-POSTEN PUBLISHED 12 CARTOONS DEPICTING THE PROPHET MOHAMMED, INCLUDING ONE FEATURING A BOMB DRAWN BY KURT WESTERGAARD. IN RESPONSE, MANY MUSLIM COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE GLOBE PROTESTED, AND SOME PROTESTS TURNED VIOLENT, LEADING TO MULTIPLE DEATHS. JYLLANDS-POSTEN AND CARTOONIST KURT WESTERGAARD CONTINUE TO BE TARGETED BY INTERNATIONAL TERRORISTS. IN JANUARY, AN ARMED MEMBER OF AL-SHABAAB ATTACKED WESTERGAARD AND, IN MARCH, USPER DAVID HEADLEY PLED GUILTY TO MULTIPLE CHARGES, INCLUDING PLANNING AN ATTACK ON JYLLANDS-POSTEN. THE 2007 PUBLICATION OF A CARTOON OF MOHAMMED DRAWN BY LARS VILKS IN A NUMBER OF SWEDISH NEWSPAPERS LED TO PROTESTS AND CONDEMNATION FROM THE MUSLIM WORLD. VILKS RECEIVED NUMEROUS DEATH THREATS, AND IN MARCH USPER COLLEEN LAROSE WAS CHARGED FOR HER INVOLVEMENT IN A TERRORIST ASSASSINATION PLOT TARGETING VILKS. IN 2008, DUTCH POLITICIAN GEERT WILDERS CREATED THE SHORT FILM FITNA, DEPICTING ISLAM AS AN INHERENTLY VIOLENT RELIGION. WHILE THE PROTESTS AGAINST THE FILM WERE NOT AS EXTENSIVE AS EXPECTED, MUSLIM COMMUNITIES CONDEMNED THE FILM, AL-QAIDA ISSUED A FATWA AGAINST WILDERS, AND SOME SOUTHEAST ASIAN COUNTRIES BANNED THE FILM.

IMPLICATIONS

WE ASSESS THE RECENT CONTROVERSIES AND THEIR CONTINUING MEDIA COVERAGE WILL LIKELY HAVE A RANGE OF IMPACTS. THESE COULD INCLUDE HINDERING OUTREACH AND ENGAGEMENT EFFORTS WITH MUSLIM COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY, GENERATING HATE CRIMES AGAINST MUSLIMS, OR EVEN BE USED AS PROPAGANDA TOOLS BY EXTREMISTS. SOME MEDIA COMMENTATORS HAVE NOTED THE CURRENT CLIMATE INSIDE THE UNITED STATES FEEDS INTO THE US VERSUS THEM NARRATIVE THAT AL-QAIDA AND OTHER AFFILIATED EXTREMIST GROUPS CULTIVATE. INTERVIEWS OF ARRESTED VIOLENT MUSLIM EXTREMISTS REVEAL THE MEDIAS NEGATIVE PORTRAYAL OF MUSLIMS IS ONE OF THE FACTORS THAT CAN INITIATE THE PROCESS OF RADICALIZATION. RELIGIOUS LEADERS AND COUNTERTERRORISM EXPERTS HAVE OBSERVED THAT THESE RECENT EVENTS AND THE NATIONAL ATTENTION THEY HAVE RECEIVED, PARTICULARLY AS THEY ARE TAKING PLACE DURING THE MUSLIM CELEBRATION OF RAMADAN, CAN SERVE TO ISOLATE AMERICAN MUSLIM YOUTHS AND POSSIBLY DRIVE THEM TOWARD EXTREMISM. OUTLOOK THE FBI ANTICIPATES THE MEDIA COVERAGE AND DEBATE OVER ISLAMS ROLE IN AMERICA WILL CONTINUE, AND THE OUTCOME OF THESE CURRENT CONTROVERSIES WILL STRONGLY INFLUENCE THE NATIONAL DIALOGUE.

DESPITE A LACK OF SPECIFIC CREDIBLE THREAT INFORMATION, THE FBI URGES STATE, LOCAL, TRIBAL, AND PRIVATE SECURITY ENTITIES TO REMAIN VIGILANT AND REPORT ANY SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY WITHIN THEIR COMMUNITIES THAT MAY INDICATE VIOLENT REACTIONS TO THESE CURRENT NATIONAL CONTROVERSIES. REPORTING NOTICE FBI ENCOURAGES RECIPIENTS OF THIS DOCUMENT TO REPORT INFORMATION CONCERNING SUSPICIOUS OR CRIMINAL ACTIVITY TO THE LOCAL FBI JOINT TERRORISM TASK FORCE. THE FBI REGIONAL PHONE NUMBERS CAN BE FOUND ONLINE AT HTTP://WWW.FBI.GOV/CONTACT/FO/FO.HTM.

ADMINISTRATIVE NOTE: LAW ENFORCEMENT RESPONSE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS INTELLIGENCE BULLETIN IS FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY. NO PORTION OF THIS BULLETIN SHOULD BE RELEASED TO THE MEDIA OR THE GENERAL PUBLIC OR OVER NONSECURE INTERNET SERVERS. RELEASE OF THIS MATERIAL COULD ADVERSELY AFFECT OR JEOPARDIZE INVESTIGATIVE ACTIVITIES. FOR COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS RELATED TO THE CONTENT OR DISSEMINATION OF THIS DOCUMENT, PLEASE CONTACT THE FBI COUNTERTERRORISM ANALYSIS SECTION AT (571) 280-5253 OR THE FBIS SENIOR INTELLIGENCE OFFICER FOR COUNTERTERRORISM AT 202-324-7054. END OF MESSAGE. 1283905447302