‘The Declining Terrorist Threat’ – one year later

“Judging from news reports and the portrayal of villains in our popular entertainment, Americans are bedeviled by fantasies about terrorism. They seem to believe that terrorism is the greatest threat to the United States and that it is becoming more widespread and lethal. They are likely to think that the United States is the most popular target of terrorists. And they almost certainly have the impression that extremist Islamic groups cause most terrorism.

“None of these beliefs are based in fact.”

Those are the words of Larry C. Johnson, a former State Department counterterrorism specialist, in his op-ed published a year ago today in the New York Times. Since September 11, Johnson has appeared frequently on television as an expert on Islamist terrorism.

“There are bureaucracies in the military and intelligence agencies that are desperate to find an enemy to justify budget growth,” Johnson wrote. “I hope for a world where facts, not fiction, determine our policy. . . . terrorism is not the biggest security challenge confronting the United States, and it should not be portrayed that way.”

The Fight Against Terrorism from an Islamic Perspective – a discussion with Shaykh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani, Chairman of the Islamic Supreme Council of America, will be held at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., on Friday, July 12, at 1:00 p.m. For more, contact [email protected] .