The United States being the super power is under constant threat of terrorism from various groups. It is with this in mind that a task force was formed to help the department of homeland security in addressing threats that are over five years; to organize the department into workable structures for them to be able to meet the threats and to engage the American public to be prepared for present and future challenges. For the DHS to be able to counter future threats, their strategic and tactics need to be very informed by understanding the nature of the adversaries (Homeland security advisory council, 2007). Recommendation: Establishment of office of Net Assessment (ONA). This office should be able to provide well researched information on future threats and assess preparedness to meet them. Its major role is to produce long term assessments, strategy and acting as a brain trust of creativity and imagination (Homeland security advisory council 2007). The main duties of ONA should be studying already existing threats and then coming up with their evolution in the future. For example, the al-Qaeda group has not only explicitly defined its ideologies and operations agenda as only directed against the American citizens and property but has also demonstrated capability to effectively employ land, air and sea modalities against target venues that range from hotels to the state of the art warships (Chalk, Hoffman, et al 2005). Therefore, it is the responsibility of ONA to calculate how the al-Qaeda group will manipulate these results to cause tremor attacks (Chalk, Hoffman et al, 2005).
It should also be able to review existing United States capabilities to handle cases of terrorism in order to identify the existing gaps or areas of weakness and also come up with ways of filling those gaps in order to cub future threats. Recruiting professionals of all types: The department should place a reviewed emphasis on recruiting professionals of all types with diverse perspectives, world views, skills, languages and cultural backgrounds. The vast cultural differences between Muslim communities and the west should be appreciated and used to the advantages of the state’s security. The DHS should be able to embrace contributions from the Muslim community in order to work for the safety of American citizens. Therefore, for DHS to be able to work effectively, it must recruit diverse people with different cultural backgrounds, languages and unique perspective that can be used to address terrorism. The department should further make sure that, all employees work together as a team. It should work towards understanding Islam as a religion and make sure that the language used in public is clear and straight to the point and therefore does not give a chance to the extremists to interpret it in their own way. Hence, the department must advocate for sheer respect of everybody’s religion and also pass on to the general public. Muslim Outreach program: Islamic centre of Charlotte: It was established in 1993 to serve as a source of encouragement to the Muslim communities and to fulfill the religious and cultural needs of the Muslims living in Charlotte and the surrounding areas. Its main objective is to bring people together to worship Allah (Islamic Center Charlotte, 2009).
Their main theme is drawn from the Koran; “Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom (hikmah) and beautiful preaching and argue with them in ways that are best.” (Surah An-Nahl 16:125). The main goal of the outreach program is to bring together the Muslims and non Muslims to help in paving way for mutual understanding and cooperation (Islamic Center Charlotte, 2009). They have also given a civic duty to the American Muslims to integrate Islam into American co existence and in developing a positive mutual understanding and relationship with the general public. They have tried to fit in with the locals by illustrating Islamic values as taught in the holy book; the Koran such as justice, peace, equality, respect of all human rights and freedom for all. ICC believes that, through these programs, Muslims and Non-Muslims can get to know, appreciate and respect each other. The outreach program was formed to clarify misunderstandings, address various terms of co-existence and build bridges (Islamic Center Charlotte, 2009). It welcomes invitations from various institutions and interfaith communities and opens its doors to individuals or group visits. In order for them to succeed in their quest for unity, the ICC has tried to be open to the general public by incorporating some events like Open House, Campus Dawah, Special Event Booths, Prison Dawah, and Volunteering in various local organizations, Seminars and offering Free Dawah Materials (Islamic Center Charlotte, 2009). They have gone ahead to invite non Muslims to their mosques and offer them reading materials in order for them to be able to understand the Islamic religion (Islamic Center Charlotte, 2009). The outreach has also established a school that offers the normal curriculum to deserving students providing them with an opportunity to receive a comprehensive education without any regard to race, color, nationality or religion (Islamic Center Charlotte, 2009).
Reference
Chalk, P, Hoffman, B, Reville R, Kasupski, A. (2005). Trends in Terrorism: Threats to the United States and the Future of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act. Center for terrorism risk management policy. Web.
Homeland security advisory council. (2007). Report of the future of terrorism task force. From the Department of Homeland Security. Web.
Islamic Center Charlotte. (2009). Guide to Islam. Web.