Since the 9/11 attacks, the FBI has run massive counterterrorism investigations in greater Detroit, sending special agents into mosques and interviewing religious leaders and laypeople. As a result, many immigrant congregations have undergone what can only be described as strategic Americanization campaigns, revamping their boards, replacing older, conservative, Arabic-speaking members with younger, moderate, American-educated professionals, and making a concerted effort to introduce themselves to the larger society through open houses and da`wa (missionary and teaching) events. Self-policing is now the norm. Many imams record their Friday sermons, so that they can defend themselves against accusations of anti-Americanism.

SEED: This is a rich angle for an essay on how state surveillance reshapes the internal governance and self-presentation of religious institutions — the pressure toward moderation as a survival strategy. Builds on: "Repressive prison policies inadvertently expanded Muslim prisoners' religious rights."

Carl W. Ernst, Islamophobia in America_ Th…, loc. 684