British officials reportedly are contemplating a definition of what makes a Muslim extremist. A Guardian story reports the label could apply to those who advocate for Shari'ah, or Islamic law and who also desire the caliphate, or the idea of an international Islamic state. In addition:
"• They believe in jihad, or armed resistance, anywhere in the world. This would include armed resistance by Palestinians against the Israeli military.
• They argue that Islam bans homosexuality and that it is a sin against Allah.
• They fail to condemn the killing of British soldiers in Iraq or Afghanistan."
The story anticipates an uproar that would result from labeling "the vast majority of British Muslims as extremists." Nothing similar is likely to happen here. Given what leaders of U.S.-based Islamist groups have already said publicly (here, here, here, here and here for starters), such a proposal would ensnare nearly all the major U.S. Muslim advocacy groups. Some already carry similar labels based upon real evidence presented in court. See the last page of this one.
One former FBI agent is telling Homeland Security workers that Muslim Brotherhood affiliated groups in the U.S. are slowly introducing Shari'ah into the United States. John Guondolo recently retired from the FBI after working in counterterrorism at the Washington Field Office.
In recent remarks in Tennessee, Guondolo called the effort "political subversion, this is an insurgency in the United States." He singled out the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) as an example, calling the group a Hamas front. FBI officials last year told CAIR it was cutting off outreach efforts with the group until it answered questions about Hamas ties among its founders.