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Follow on Google News | Restore the Fourth and Partners Call on the FBI to Dismantle "Don't be a Puppet" WebsiteFBI's Interactive 'Anti-Extremism' Website Stigmatizes Youth of Color and Deters Expression of First Amendment Protected Views
"Don't Be a Puppet" is an interactive website that, according the FBI, aims to "open the eyes of teens to the devastating reality and deceptive messaging of violent extremism and to help strengthen their resistance to radicalization and possible recruitment. However, instead of effectively preventing extremist violence, the website "perpetuates profiling and negative stereotypes that Arabs, Sikhs, South Asians, Muslims and those perceived to be Muslim are prone to engage in extremist violence and encourages the policing of thoughts, ideas, and beliefs." The video game advises students to report acquaintances or friends who may be "traveling to places that sound suspicious." Moreover, by deputizing teachers to look for "warning signs" in the classroom, the program risks undermining trust between students and instructors as well as hinders the "free exchange of speech, ideas, and debate on controversial topics because students are afraid of being labeled suspect and being reported to the police." As Georgetown University Law Professor Arjun S. Sethi explains: "Teachers in classrooms should not become an extension of law enforcement. The program is based on flawed theories of radicalization, namely that individuals radicalize in the exact same way and it's entirely discernible. But it's not, and the FBI is basically asking teachers and students to suss these things out." The website's messaging is particularly troublesome given the chilling rise of Islamophobia in American schools. According to a California State University analysis, "hate crimes against Muslim Americans and mosques across the United States have tripled in the wake of the terrorist attacks in Paris and San Bernardino." In light of this intensifying climate of fear and suspicion, Restore the Fourth asks that Federal law enforcement not exacerbate religious and ethnic discrimination by perpetuating negative stereotypes of Arab and Muslim Americans. In addition to taking down the "Don't Be a Puppet" website, Restore the Fourth urges the FBI to take into consideration the recommendations of a May 2015 9/11 Review Commission report that found that the FBI's Countering Violent Extremism Office's "current limited budget and fundamental law enforcement and intelligence responsibilities do not make it an appropriate vehicle for the social and prevention role in the CVE mission...such initiatives are best undertaken by other government agencies." Accordingly, Restore the Fourth asks that the FBI instead invest in evidence-based investigations that protect public safety and don't unjustly stigmatize communities of color. Visit http://restorethe4th.com/ Contact Alex Marthews, National Chair, Restore the Fourth chair@restorethefourth.com ***@restorethefourth.com End
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