This interactive adult-learning experience will familiarize attendees with the history of the Middle East and the culture of regional peoples with special focus in Islam as a religion and as a way of life. According to Pew Research Center, Muslims are projected to be the fastest-growing major religious group in coming decades. Acknowledging a general lack of awareness among security professionals; information and knowledge will enable law enforcement to develop strategies that bridge the gap between misunderstanding and beneficial engagement with the Middle East community. The course will provide knowledge and skills in order that attendees can effectively handle victims, witnesses, suspects, source operations, prosecution, corrections, probation & parole, analysis, and community liaison with persons from the Middle East. Additionally, this course explores the U.S. intelligence community, intelligence sharing environment, and mechanisms to defeat domestic and global terrorism. 

Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

1. Describe the key geopolitical and national security challenges in the Middle East region
2. Identify the key security issues for each of the nations covered in class
3. Describe the key global security trends that affect the United States
4. Identify key emerging domestic and global trends of terrorism
5. Explain the Arab Spring
6. Explain the origins of the Muslim Brotherhood
7. Explain the key cultural elements of pre-Islamic history
8. Explain the importance of the demise of the Ottoman Empire after WWI
9. Explain the importance of British and French colonization on the Middle East today
10. Discuss how independence from colonial rule in the late 1940's shaped today's Middle East
11. Discuss the nature of tribalism and its shaping function of the Middle East today
12. Explain how Raiding differs from War
13. Explain the difference between a house, clan, tribe, and tribal confederation
14. Compare and contrast tribal societies and tribal cultural norms with democracies
15. Explain how the life of Mohammed shaped Islam
16. Explain the history and differences between the Meccan and Medinan periods in the Quran
17. Explain the significance in Islam of the date 622AD
18. Discuss Oral Traditions as a way of passing information by word of mouth through the generations
19. Discuss the political legacy of the Islamic Empires
20. Identify the 3 holy books of Islam
21. Describe the key difference between Sunni and Shia Islam
22. Explain the definition of the Arabic words Dhimmitude, Jizya, Taqiyya, Kafir, and Ummah
23. Explain how Shariah Law is derived from what three sources
24. Compare and contrast Shariah Law with Talmudic and Biblical Law
25. Discuss the concept of Jihad in Islam
26. Discuss the five pillars of belief in Islam
27. Discuss what Ramadan signifies for a Muslim
28. Discuss the key elements of The Hajj
29. Explain the importance of a name in the Arab culture
30. Explain the key discriminators as it pertains to Arab naming conventions
31. Identify what an "honorific" name is
32. Identify the five general categories of Arabic naming conventions
33. Discuss interview and interrogation strategies relating to Muslim militants
34. Explain the "rapport based" approach to interview and interrogation
35. Discuss Linear vs. Associative thinking and why it matters during interview and interrogation
36. Discuss what makes Islam so appealing to prisoners in correctional facilities
37. Discuss the key recommendations for preventing prison radicalization
38. Explain the key alternative financing mechanisms used to earn, move, and store terrorist funding
39. Explain the workings of a Hawala
40. Explain how Narco-Terrorism profits satisfy two distinct objectives
41. Identify the observable precursor activities of a terrorist attack
42. Identify “Violent Extremist Mobilization Indicators” as defined by The National Counterterrorism Center
43. Explain what “see something – say something” means
44. Identify the four types of insider threat employees
45. Discuss personality risk factors that may lead to an insider threat
46. Identify the types of Law Enforcement information that an adversary would find valuable
47. Identify the steps of the intelligence cycle
48. Define intelligence collection
49. Define intelligence and analysis as it pertains to the street officer
50. Discuss the formal Information Sharing Environment as developed by the U.S. intelligence community
51. Compare and contrast racial profiling with behavior profiling
52. Identify and explain the role of the Terrorist Screening Center
53. Identify the 3 Terrorist Screening Center Handling Categories

Prerequisites: None

Course Length: 3 days / 24 hours

Who May Attend: Law Enforcement, Prosecutors, Corrections, Military (Intel only)