Muslim surveillance thrived under the Obama administration

Evidence

Instead of pushing back against preemptive prosecution and the racist practice of targeting Muslims before they actually do anything, Obama strengthened it. Giving credence to existing radicalization programs in the law enforcement community, he unveiled his “counter-radicalization” strategy in 2011. In the opening statement of his strategy document, Obama argued that “most recently, al-Qa’ida and its affiliates have attempted to recruit and radicalize people here in the United States, as we have seen in several plots and attacks, including the deadly attack two years ago on our service members at Fort Hood.” After spending much time in 2009 emphasizing the threat of terrorists inside US borders, as discussed in chapter 9, Obama put forward a plan to police “homegrown terrorism” by eliciting the help of the Muslim community. Yet liberal Islamophobia does not target all Muslims. It acknowledges that there are “good Muslims”—those who cooperate with the goals of empire. Thus, Obama stated that Muslims are “best positioned to take the lead because they know their communities best.” Heaping praise on Muslim Americans who have worked with the law enforcement community, he called for more such work. The document solicits the support of teachers, coaches, and community members, who are to be turned into a McCarthy-type informant system. — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 582 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Correspondingly, conservative Islamophobia gave way to liberal Islamophobia. This did not, however, change the realities of people’s lives in the “Muslim world,” which in some ways got worse under Obama. This is true, too, of the domestic environment for Muslims in the United States, a topic I turn to in the next chapter. — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 436 (#expands, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Surveillance publicity backfired and US foreign policy itself fueled NOI growth; Obama’s mosque visit aimed to enlist Muslims as CVE policing informants. — Khaled A. Beydoun, American Islamophobia_ Understanding…, 322; Obama’s presidency mutated and advanced rather than ended the war on terror — Khaled A. Beydoun, American Islamophobia_ Understanding…, 329 (+14 more)

Related

• Obama’s counter-radicalization strategy turned Muslim communities into informants (similarity 0.90)
• Anti-Muslim racialization is bipartisan and flourished under the Obama administration (similarity 0.90)
• Obama’s counter-radicalization strategy deputized citizens to surveil their own communities (similarity 0.89)
• Both Bush and Obama demanded Muslims police their own communities (similarity 0.88)
• Obama’s counter-radicalization strategy deputized teachers and community members as informants (similarity 0.88)
• Obama’s mosque visit aimed to enlist Muslims as CVE policing informants. (similarity 0.85)
• Obama’s counter-radicalization strategy deputized ordinary citizens as informants (similarity 0.84)
• Obama’s surveillance state mainstreamed Islamophobia that enabled Trump’s victory (similarity 0.82)
• CVE shifted counterterrorism focus from foreign groups to homegrown Muslims. (similarity 0.82)
• Obama formally implemented CVE policing as his signature Islamophobic policy in 2011 (similarity 0.82)
• Obama’s rhetoric masked drone strikes and mosque surveillance. (similarity 0.82)
• Surveillance publicity backfired and US foreign policy itself fueled NOI growth (similarity 0.82)
• Obama’s liberalism and right-wing Muslim-baiting both served US imperial hegemony (similarity 0.82)
• Obama revived the al-Qaeda threat despite its near-extinction to salvage failing counterinsurgency (similarity 0.82)
• Terrorism declined while mass shootings rose, yet only Muslims faced surveillance (similarity 0.81)

Broader Connections

• Obama’s counter-radicalization strategy turned Muslim communities into informants #corroborates (0.70) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 582
• Liberal Islamophobia under Obama worsened conditions for Muslims at home and abroad #expands (0.65) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 436
• Even Muslims who cooperated with the FBI were placed under surveillance #corroborates (0.60) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 586
• Anti-Muslim racialization is bipartisan and flourished under the Obama administration #expands (0.60)
• Homegrown terrorism panic let Obama continue Bush-era war policies #corroborates (0.55) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 499
• Muslim Americans voted overwhelmingly for Obama yet gained no relief #corroborates (0.50) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 577