CVE policing, the signature structural Islamophobic program implemented and enforced by the Obama administration, shifted the focus of the war on terror from foreign terrorist organizations to “homegrown radicals,” in line with DHS’s belief that Al Qaeda, and more potently, ISIS, was inspiring “homegrown radicalization.” CVE policing extended the Islamophobic presumption that an expression of Muslim identity, whether through religious practice or observance, physical markers, or even political activity (perceived as Muslim-related), is indicative of radicalization and deserving of suspicion and investigation. This story is not Ahmed’s alone, but a common tale of Muslim youth, men, and women throughout the country.

XREF: Connects to broader critical discussions of the Obama-era countering violent extremism program and its Islamophobic framing of Muslim identity.

Khaled A. Beydoun, American Islamophobia_ Unde…, loc. 363