RIGHT SPEAK: How Multiculturalism Helps Breed Homegrown Terrorism

John Roca/NY Post/Polaris

People who embrace extremist behavior such as terrorist acts demonstrate convincing evidence of a failure to assimilate into the culture in which they reside.

The deliberate and brutal slayings of innocent people in New York City is still fresh and raw for those directly affected. We are family, friends, loved ones, co-workers, and neighbors of the victims, and we weep and grieve with them (and, yes, we pray for them) as they try to understand what has happened, and why.

One explanation for the rise in terrorist behavior in the United States is the insidious and significantly difficult-to-pinpoint problem of failure to assimilate into an adopted culture. It’s a phenomenon clearly present in Western Europe and apparently emerging from the shadows in the United States. By growing evidence, promoting “multiculturalism” is a major culprit. We certainly don’t discount the influence of ISIS’ ubiquitous propaganda, but to be compelling there must be a willing mind.

LINK: the 7/7 London Bombings

The New York Times ran an article back in 2011, “Assimilation’s Failure, Terrorism’s Rise,” addressing this very problem. In it, author Kenan Malik persuasively argues for re-examining the effects of institutional multiculturalism. Recounting the events of the July 7, 2007 terror attacks in London planned and carried out by British citizens, Malik identifies the uncomfortable reality when he points out, “The real question is not how people like Mohammad Sidique Khan, the leader of the 7/7 bombers, came to be radicalized, but why so many young men, who by all accounts are intelligent, articulate and integrated, come to find this violent, reactionary ideology so attractive.”

He adds, “To answer it, we need to look not at extremist preachers or university lecturers, but also at public policy, and in particular the failed policy of multiculturalism.” Even though Malik’s arguments center on Britain’s experience with multicultural policies and assimilation failures as the driving force behind homegrown terrorism, there are some striking similarities between what Britain has witnessed and what we are seeing today in the United States.