At first glance, the assault on Mahmoud Khalil and other pro-Palestine organizers may seem like a terrifying rupture—something unprecedented. But to those who have studied the U.S. government’s response to dissent, particularly in Arab and Muslim communities, it is chillingly familiar. This is not a new phenomenon. It is the resurrection of the post-9/11 “War on Terror” playbook, this time aimed not at a constructed foreign enemy, but at the growing, domestic movement for Palestinian liberation.
In fact, the playbook and narrative are strikingly similar. When former President George W. Bush declared the “War on Terror,” his administration ushered in a new era of expanded executive power at the expense of civil liberties, adopting a “detain first, ask questions later” approach. Early in his presidency, Bush authorized the President’s Surveillance Program in secret, directing the National Security Agency to engage in warrantless electronic surveillance of U.S. citizens—including phone tapping and internet data mining—targeting primarily Arab and Muslim communities. Congress subsequently passed the Patriot Act, dramatically expanding government surveillance powers and paving the way for heightened, unchecked criminalization and further erosion of civil liberties. …..more
