Some Seattle Muslims are upset about a training course for local law enforcement, saying it could promote stereotypes and ethnic and religious profiling, reports the Seattle Times. The program, called “The Threat of Islamic Jihadists to the World” and conducted by a Miami-based company, is being held his week. It is billed as providing insight into the formative phases of Islam, the religion’s different branches, radical Islam. and how to respond to terrorist acts.
Arsalan Bukhari of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), said the program appears to be linking an entire religion to terrorism. “Most police officers don’t have a basic grounding in Islam, so before you teach them about Islam, how can you teach them about radical Islam?” he asked. Solomon Bradman of Security Solutions International, which is conducting the program, said, “I can’t take the responsibility of my course linking their religion to terrorism. I think their religion got linked to terrorism a long time ago.” The two-day program covers history of Islam to provide an “understanding of the terror mind-set and reasons for global jihad,” he said. It’s not intended to be an all-inclusive course on Islam.
Link: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004433567_muslim23m.html