At the end of October, Michael Downing, commanding officer of the LAPD's counter-terrorism/criminal intelligence bureau, read a statement before the US Senate committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. (Downing's complete statement can be found at http://hsgac.senate.gov/_files/103007Downing.pdf).

Although often critical, let me profess only admiration in this instance: Downing's comments are a model of urbane cultural sensitivity and democratic idealism of Americans, even as they reluctantly confront the savage radicalism of whoopin', hollerin' Muslims on the war path. For example, although every example of alleged terrorism cited by Downing involved Muslims, and although every proactive measure he advocated specifically targeted Muslims, he nonetheless resisted the term "Islamic terrorism" in order to demonstrate "sensitivity to terminology that offends and/or isolates communities." He suggested "Ideologically Based Violent Extremism" instead. He's that open-minded.

In these changing times, as Downing knows, open-minded can't mean weak. That's why he equates local law enforcement with "First Preventers of terrorism." The guys who used to give you baseball cards and jaywalking tickets are now on the frontlines day and night, preventing terrorism in a neighborhood near you. It's that kind of world, sadly. When there's a warehouse fire in London, as occurred on November 12, who doesn't immediately understand it to be an act of terrorism? What else would a strange fire in an abandoned building lead a rational person to suppose? I was so grateful when NPR reported that, in this case, terrorism wasn't suspected at all, thus alleviating my anxiety. Reuters was less clear: it concluded its report of the fire with the non sequitur "that in July 2005 suicide bombers killed 52 people on London's transport system," thus leaving in doubt whether the fire was another attack. That's bad journalism. If it weren't for NPR, we wouldn't know the fire was not caused by Muslim terrorists, so we couldn't fully appreciate what a good job the First Preventers are doing.

First Preventers are not just the eyes and ears of the community; in their "fight against violent ideological extremism" they also must play the role of educator. As educators, they need to adapt to their sociopolitical milieu. Downing was very clear on this point: "While the tactics terrorists employ are learned behaviors that migrate across national boundaries--through groups, training camps and the Internet--the underlying motivations are unique to the host countries. Consequently, the remedies ... are often contextually bounded and dependent on the depth, strength, national allegiance and identity of the native Muslim community." The point is: not all Muslims are alike. The one who wants to blow you up here is very different from the one who wants to blow you up somewhere else, and those differences are important. Racist stereotypes are not only politically incorrect--they're just not helpful.

Instead, according to Downing, you've got to do what worked so well with gangs. You need to attack on two fronts. On the one hand, you should enter Muslim communities and "observe, learn, engage and, most importantly, listen." "One of our goals," said the Commanding First Preventer, "is to be viewed as trusted friends by Muslim communities in our city." On the other hand, as "outreach to the non-Muslim community," Downing has set up "Terrorism Liaison Officers (TLOs) ... as the principal points of contact for terrorism information and intelligence." These are the guys to run to when you come across a radicalized, jihadist Islamo-fascist standing in line at the grocery store. Moreover, TLOs are also available to help educate other officers "about Islam and the cultural sensitivities they should be aware of." If they can teach officers, why not the rest of us? Although Downing didn't mention this possibility, imagine how communities would be strengthened if TLOs were loaned out to conduct after-work trainings on how to be sensitive to Muslims. After all, "approaching Muslims with respect and integrity is a large-piece of the counter-narrative that law enforcement can write for itself." Who better than a Terrorism Liaison Officer to demonstrate the right approach?

Psychological insight is required too. If we want to understand why Muslims are so hostile to Americans and freedom, we need to understand their deeper motivations. While much of this comes down to scores of naked virgins in heaven, some of it, according to Downing, is more angst-driven. "Faith in holy causes," he noted, quoting Eric Hoffer's book The True Believer, "is to a considerable extent a substitute for the lost faith in ourselves." Unlike the more sophisticated Christians and Jews, Muslims turn to faith to cover up feelings of inadequacy.

Even if the Muslim predisposition to terrorism is in part due to their psychology, it doesn't completely excuse them: we can't afford the mistake of being too open-minded. The onus isn't just on us to become more understanding; Muslims have their part too. Ultimately, it's up to "Muslim communities to responsibly partner with law enforcement to protect American values." It's the only "long-term solution to this radicalization problem." A carrot and stick approach is advisable; in addition to cajoling and being receptive to Muslims--treating them as if they're part of our community--we also need to make sure "to create a shared sense of threat." Muslims often forget we're not the only ones under attack; they are too. Just because all the "indiscriminate, mass violence we are seeing around the world," is caused by Muslims, especially in Iraq, this doesn't mean Muslims themselves are safe. And the more threatened Muslims feel, the better we'll be.

Downing concluded his admirable address by describing a new initiative undertaken in collaboration with an unnamed academic institution. Together, they're mapping all the Muslims in L.A. Through this approach, they "hope to identify communities, within the larger Muslim community, which may be susceptible to violent ideologically-based extremism." Knowing where they are is half the battle. If all our efforts to reach out to Muslims and treat them as if they're part of our society fail, if they reject us because of their feelings of inadequacy, irrational hatred, or blood-lust, as a last alternative we can always wall them off. A Muslim ghetto isn't a desirable option, but it is an option. Before you object, remember what happened to the London warehouse. It burned down. Take this as a warning where too much tolerance leads.

But I'm optimistic it won't come to that. Downing's given us a thorough protocol which, if implemented in its entirety, ought to avoid such awful eventualities. Let me finish with his commendable, final words. His warning against half-measures, tokenism and jingoistic exclusion is particularly moving:

"Without a community mapping blueprint and methodical community engagement strategy, our outreach efforts will be sporadic. Our counter-narrative will be empty of meaning, leaving us talking about, rather than talking with, this community."

How ironic, if our efforts to engage and map Muslims seemed empty of meaning! Or were misconstrued to mean something else, something frightening and malevolent.