H eadlines
AJC, Muflehun Launch Anti-Domestic Terror Training
L OCA L
SASHA ROGELBERG | JE STAFF
THE AMERICAN JEWISH
Committee and Muflehun
completed its first pilot
program of Tackle! Upstander
Training to combat domestic
terrorism in Philadelphia on
Aug. 9.

The training, designed by
AJC and Muflehun, a resource
center that designs programs
to address “complex social
challenges,” takes a communi-
ty-based approach to confronting
antisemitism and anti-Muslim
bigotry on the federal, local and
individual levels. It was funded
in part by a 2020 grant from the
Office for Targeted Violence and
Terrorism Prevention within
the Department of Homeland
Security. The Philadelphia Circle of
Friends, the local affiliate of
the Muslim-Jewish Advisory
Council, hosted 13 leaders from
local governments and commu-
nity organizations for the
online training over two weeks
and a total of eight hours.

Both Muflehun and AJC
are active at MJAC, a coalition
created by the AJC in 2016,
where the training had its
genesis. “The idea that Muslims
and Jews can come together
to take tangible action for our
communities is what motivates
a lot of our domestic Muslim-
Jewish work,” said Ari Gordon,
director of Muslim-Jewish
relations for AJC.

AJC is a far-reaching organi-
zation with 24 offices around
the country. By partnering
with Muflehun, which designs
creative programming to enact
systemic change, the AJC
ensured that Tackle! would have
a national audience with expert
programming. The Circle of
Friends recruited training
participants in Philadelphia
who had the most contact with
those victimized by hate crimes.

According to Michael
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM Michael Fabius, co-chair of the
Circle of Friends, Philadelphia’s
affiliate of the Muslim-Jewish
Advisory Council
Adnan Ansari, executive director
of Muflehun
Fabius, co-chair of the Circle
of Friends alongside Mohamed
Bakry, allyship between
communities targeted by
violence is the only way to
effectively combat bigotry.

“The most important key
is that we in our communities
can’t be isolated because that
will make us all more vulner-
able,” Fabius said.

The training uses a
public health lens to address
extremism and
bigotry, meaning that Tackle! takes a
holistic approach in identifying
the factors that drive domestic
terrorism and the resources
already in place to address
them, such as law enforcement.

However, by recognizing the
limitations of those structures,
the training program aims
to create interventions on a
local level and take preven-
tative measures, so as not to
stress resources limited in their
scope. The localized approach
to the training adapts the
curriculum to the specific
needs of the communities it
aims to serve.

Over the next six months,
AJC and Muflehun have
planned 10 pilot trainings,
hoping to reach 150 people.

“As we’re going to move
forward, we will need to better
understand the resources
available in each location,”
said Adnan Ansari, execu-
tive director of Muflehun.

“Those who are trained in this
program, they will have their
own resources, more informa-
tion, availability and sharing of
resources.” Muflehun and the AJC
designed Tackle! to take a
proactive outlook to addressing
bigotry before it escalates into
domestic terrorism.

“Hate might be a precursor,
but then people take action on
Courtesy of Adnan Ansari
Courtesy of Ballard Spahr
their hate,” Ansari said. “That’s
when more damage happens.”
The training consists of
the Department of Homeland
Securit y
Communit y
Awareness Briefing, which
addresses recruitment tactics to
hate groups; recognizing signs
of violence; and dissenting case
studies to better understand the
progression of extremist ideolo-
gies to violent hate crimes.

According to Gordon,
Philadelphia emerged as
a strong candidate of where
to launch the pilot program
because of the Circle of Friends’
connections to public officials
and civic institutions who
could benefit from the training,
as well as a strong connection
between the area Muslim and
Jewish communities.

“Out of that trust, they are
looking for tangible actions to
take,” Gordon said.

Tackle! was conceived and
funded under President Donald
Trump’s administration and
remains a timely resource. On
June 25, the Biden adminis-
tration published the National
Strategy for Countering
Domestic Terrorism, under-
scoring the importance of
continued action to address
bigotry and violent extremism.

Through the continued
rollout and eventual expansion
of Tackle!, AJC and Muflehun
hope to increase awareness of
antisemitism and anti-Muslim
bigotry and continue to build
connections locally and
nationally. “It’s good for us as Jews; it’s
good for us as Muslims, but it
also contributes to the health of
our democracy,” Gordon said. l
srogelberg@jewishexponent.com; 215-832-0741
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JEWISH EXPONENT
AUGUST 19, 2021
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