Recent acts of violence committed by young extremists who were radicalized while living in the United States have raised concerns over the threat of home-grown terrorism. Groups like the Islamic State have developed sophisticated ways of reaching potential recruits online by appealing to their frustrations and disillusionment. The public backlash against Muslims that has grown over the past year only further isolates young Muslims, raising the possibility for radicalization. To counter these videos and advertisements, the FBI created Don’t Be a Puppet Web site, an online role-playing exercise to encourage users to recognize and reject the road to radicalization. The government has also created an outreach program that sends elderly Americans from communities that have experienced marginalization in the past to speak with young Muslims about how to manage these frustrations. One local Countering Violent Extremism group is working with young men to look out for others who have explored the dark message of Islamic extremism. “They’re genuinely good kids and everything, but they may be a little lost in life,” Muhammed explains. These are kids who want to be with women and get married, but  “the only way to get married is to have a career. And the only way to have a career is to go to college or go get some kind of a skill. For them, that looks like an awfully tall mountain to climb.” Muhammed says Islamic State propaganda offers an easier path, but “that’s just a bunch of fantasy.” Muslim religious and community leaders are also taking action by speaking openly about the dangers and encouraging cooperation with the government. “If you see someone that is going to do harm to our country or you hear about it, we absolutely must tell law enforcement. That is our Islamic duty,” said Rizwan Jaka, board president at the All Dulles Area Muslim Society in Northern Virginia. But some Muslim Americans worry that the increased focus on Muslim youth and their potential to radicalize may make them feel more alienated and caution against treating an entire religious community like suspects.

Islamic State — or ISIS (Islamic State in Iraq and Syria) is a militant movement that has conquered territory in western Iraq and eastern Syria and follows an Islamic fundamentalist doctrine radicalization — a process by which an individual or group comes to adopt increasingly extreme political, social or religious ideals and aspirations Islamic extremism — a warped, extreme form of Islam that opposes democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs propaganda — ideas or statements that are often false or exaggerated which are spread in order to help a cause or a political leader