Statement on Peace Catalyst's 2016 Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) Grant
In 2016 Peace Catalyst received a grant of $95,000 from the Department of Homeland Security under their Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) program. Peace Catalyst implemented the CVE grant with the intent to challenge negative narratives directed against the Muslim community and create resilient communities that supported Muslim minorities in the United States.
There are two competing streams of thought about CVE. The first is a more holistic version that says we need to address grievances and generate goodwill in a way that reduces violence. The second is security-driven and relies more on police powers to reduce violence, including undue and unjustified surveillance activities. Though we would subscribe to the first approach, the term “CVE” has become synonymous with the second, more coercive approach to preventing violence.
Peace Catalyst’s affiliation with the broader CVE paradigm, particularly when implementing our program under a security-driven governmental funding stream, had significant unintended consequences. Before the program began, we had some Muslim partners tell us that association with CVE in any form was an issue for them. While some Muslim partners continued to participate, others refused. We also had Peace Catalyst staff refuse to participate as an act of solidarity. Our failure became painfully clear as additional program teams in 25% of the cities which initially agreed to launch the program decided to stop participating due to discomfort with CVE.
We learned that our Muslim partners backed away from CVE because:
CVE has disproportionately and negatively impacted the Muslim community, particularly foreign-born Muslims and Muslims of color, while ignoring the threat posed by white supremacy.
Some CVE practices are built upon questionable research that claims one can predict violent behavior based on a specific set of indicators. CVE has diminished trust and therefore the effectiveness of social workers, therapists, clergy, and educators by asking them to identify people they perceive as a threat.
Faulty assumptions embedded in some governmental CVE initiatives have infringed upon civil liberties such as freedom of religion, free speech, and the right to assemble. CVE has suppressed political engagement because Muslims fear being targeted for surveillance.
When we received the grant, we were aware that some of these things were happening. However, we reasoned that support of these transgressions was not our intent. Our purpose was intended to help our Muslim friends by mitigating the violence they were experiencing. We justified our affiliation with CVE for the good we thought would be accomplished. We did not realize the breadth and depth of hurt, trauma, and suspicion associated with CVE, and we regret that we have caused further harm by our participation.
Moving forward, we will:
Seek counsel from our Muslim partners who are more attuned to the issues surrounding CVE.
Create a decision-making matrix to analyze future funding sources and prevent similar harm.
Decline funding opportunities that our partners and we deem to be harmful.
We realize that these steps come too late to reverse the harm caused by our participation in the Department of Homeland Security’s CVE program. Our commitment is to do better in the future in building supportive and authentic relationships that model genuine solidarity with our Muslim partners.
To build peace across lines of difference, we need our Muslim friends as supportive partners. As they have energy and desire, we long to be reliable allies in making our world a better place.
We ask for forgiveness for our insensitivity and this breach of trust. We wish to reaffirm that we stand in solidarity with the Muslim community. May we all find the wisdom and courage to work together for the mutual thriving of all.
Martin Brooks
President
Peace Catalyst International