President Donald Trump plans to primarily target Islamic extremism and ignore other violent ideologies that are greater threats to Americans, such as white nationalism.
The US president will transform the "Countering Violent Extremism" program from one that targets all violent ideologies, to one that specifically targets extremist Islam, five sources briefed on the matter told Reuters. The name will be changed to either "Countering Islamic Extremism" or "Countering Radical Islamic Extremism."
This decision comes despite the fact that white supremacists, anti-government fanatics and Christian fundamentalists killed more Americans than self-proclaimed jihadists between the end of 2001 and mid 2015. It also comes on the heels of Trump's ban on immigrants and refugees from several Muslim majority countries, making it clear he plans to target the Muslim community.
Trump only wants to target Islam
Throughout his presidential campaign, Trump criticized President Barack Obama for refusing to use the term "radical Islam". He said this made Obama weak in the fight against ISIS. Obama argued the term falsely connects all Islam with extremists.
Following the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 on the US, the American government began a surveillance program of the American Muslim community, specifically targeting mosque. It was later scrapped as it was found to be completely ineffective at combatting terrorism.
Trump has called to reimplement these programs, even though experts have said they do not work and go against the US constitution. His disregard for other program
The US has suffered several attacks by individuals claiming to be associated with groups such as ISIS in the last couple years. However, it has also seen a spike in hate crimes against minority groups, many perpetrated by white supremacists or white nationalists.
Hate crimes against Muslims and other minorities have increased
In 2015, hate crimes against Muslims spiked by 67 percent in the US, and anti-Jewish hate crime increased by 9 percent, according to official data released by the FBI. Overall, hate crimes increased by 6.8 percent, with 5,850 incidents reported in 2015 compared to 5,470 in 2014.
Since Trump's election, activists have noted an increase in hate-motivated attacks on minority groups. Mosques have been vandalized and burned, hijabs have been torn off women's heads and individuals from many minority communities have been attacked and even killed.
Daryl Johnson, a former counter-terrorism analyst for the U.S. government, told MSNBC in 2015 that more resources should be put towards targeting white terrorist groups. He said as minority groups continue to grow and become more visible, these groups are reacting.
"Even as it resonates in minority communities, the movement could inspire more whites to move to the fringe and maybe those on the fringe will be pushed over the edge," he said.
Trump has surrounded himself by several notable white supremacists, including his chief advisor Stephen Bannon. Many now call Bannon the "de facto US president," arguing that he is pulling the strings of Trump's administration.
Bannon has argued previously for a holy war against Islam. This man's pivotal role in Trump's rise to power raises serious concerns for Muslims as well as other minority groups.