One of the biggest threats of CVE is that it asserts that mental health drives violent extremism, despite the fact that individuals with psychiatric disability labels are 10 times more likely to be victims of violence than the general public.

Fusing mental health practices with national security is problematic for many reasons, but especially because:

• It is ineffective in preventing violence;

• It relies on indicators that are vague, racialized, and have no scientific backing.

• It creates a culture of suspicion.

Furthermore, CVE and other government programs that use these same tactics recruit therapists, teachers, and other community members as the eyes and ears of the domestic “War on Terror.”

THE “WAR ON TERROR” AND MENTAL HEALTH CARE

The “War on Terror” framework disproportionately targets and criminalizes Muslims, and those who are perceived to be Muslim, in the name of national security.

Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) is one of these anti-terrorism initiatives. CVE encourages mental health practitioners to identify clients as vulnerable to “violent extremism” and report them to law enforcement. This process turns trusted community members into informants and uses fear of violence as a pretext to intensify the relationship between the mental health sector and law enforcement.

RECOGNIZING CVE In Illinois, CVE programs include:Behavioral Threat Assessments in public schools, Countering Targeted Violence Against our Communities (CTVAC), and Communities Acting to Refer and Engage (CARE).

CVE practitioners often rename and rebrand their programs to mask their intentions. It’s important to identify potential CVE programs that might go by a different name.

Some red flags to look for if you are asked to participate in an anti-terrorism program include

The program or training promotes partnerships with law enforcement;

It relies on indicator checklists with no scientific basis;

It identifies deviation from the norm as potential sign of distress;

It transforms spaces like therapy offices or classrooms into national security sites.

CVE-funded researchers agree that “it is entirely possible that mental illness is no more likely and no more causally linked to violent extremism than it is to any other types of violence.”

Despite this agreement, these researchers still support faulty indicators that include:

• Feelings of hopelessness,

• Isolating behavior,• Substance use,• Group affiliation,• Us vs them mentality.

Because the roots of political violence are misunderstood, political dissent is now also being used as an indicator.

“Hello, my name is _____ and I am calling to request that you immediately

suspend all research on violent extremism and terrorist radicalization. This research supports the criminalization of Arab and Muslim youth, many

of whom belong to our UIC community.”

HOW YOU CAN SUPPORT US:If you are a teacher or mental health provider:

Ask questions and refuse to partner with CVE programs.

Be aware that some CVE funded programs use activist language such as “bystander-gatekeeper training” to encourage community participation

Get your workplace to formally agree to not participate in CVE.

Pass binding and/or non-binding resolutions within conferences and professional networks, such as the American Psychological Association, that prevent the proliferation of CVE and collaborations with law enforcement.

Call UIC Chancellor Amiridis (312) 413-3350 to demand UIC return CVE grant money and end CVE research. UIC faculty already contribute to CVE programming, as well as receive federal funds to expand their work.

Call Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) (202) 224-2152 and request he immediately withdraws support from the proposed Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act and refuse to support other antiterrorism programs that historically have criminalized Muslim, Arab, Somali, and South Asian communities.

“Hello, my name is _____ and I am calling to request that you immediately

withdraw support from the Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act. This Act is based on flawed and disproven science that is dangerous for Muslim

communities and communities of color.”

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Contact us at stopcve@gmail.com to host an event where we can strategize how to end

CVE in Chicago

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