Bias in manuals embarrasses FBI

US counterterrorism agents say they stopped teaching that Islam promotes violence after leaks exposed it.

Demonstrating against Islamophobia

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation has said it has discontinued a lecture that taught counterterrorism agents that mainstream Muslims were violent.

The move comes after leaked documents revealed the controversial elements in the FBI’s training manuals.

According to the FBI documents: Most American Muslims are likely to be sympathisers to “terrorist” groups like al-Qaeda. 

Spencer Ackerman, the journalist who broke this story for the website Wired dot com, told Al Jazeera why the FBI teachings are “constitutionally dicey”.

“There is still a real ignorance and to some degree a real fear of Islam that has found a surprising home in the FBI,” he said.

“If they spend their time and resources going after indicators of violent behaviour based on the amount of religiosity a person displays, then first of all they are not going to get actual terrorists, but innocent people.”

Source: Al Jazeera