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Was Charleston Church Shooting “Terrorism”? We Discuss With NYU’s Faiza Patel

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[audio https://www.peterbcollins.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Patel.mp3]

NYU School of Law’s Faiza Patel talks about her recent commentary about the use of the term “terrorism” in cases like the Charleston church shooting, and the exceptional, sometimes illegal rules and practices in such cases.Patel is Co-Director of the Liberty and National Security Program at the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU, and she is a contributor to their Just Security blog.  Her commentary is here, and the article referenced about Wadid Said is here.

Patel makes some important points: while 5 times more Americans have been killed by white, right-wing extremists since 9/11, almost any crime involving an Arab or Muslim is reflexively labelled “terrorism”.

We also discuss how the label leads to legal standards and prosecutorial tools that aren’t permitted in standard criminal prosecutions–and how many “domestic terrorism” cases involve paid FBI informants and elements of entrapment.  We reference the recent comments of Said, regarding the “willful, ongoing effort by the government to blur the line between peaceful activism and terrorism”.

Near the end, she describes her work, and invites listeners to visit the Just Security blog and sign up for their daily email alerts.