An FBI online tool designed to prevent kids from joining radical extremists has drawn the ire of Muslims.
The tool called "Don't Be A Puppet," designed as a series of games, was previewed by Muslim, Arab and other religious and civil rights leaders who all raised objections, according to the New York Times.
"The FBI is developing a website designed to provide awareness about the dangers of violent extremist predators on the Internet with input from students, educators and community leaders," according to the FBI.
The programme was developed for teachers and students with the aim of training them to prevent the young from joining violent extremist groups.
Those who previewed it complained that it focused solely on Islamic extremism, which they said, is not a factor in school shooting and attacks in the US.
Arjun Sethi, professor at Georgetown University Law Center and director at The Sikh Coalition, said "Teachers in classrooms should not become an extension of law enforcement."
"The programme is based on flawed theories of radicalisation, namely that individuals radicalise in the exact same way and it's entirely discernible. But it's not, and the FBI is basically asking teachers and students to suss these things out," he said.
He added, "The greatest threat facing American schoolchildren today is gun violence. It's not Muslim extremism."
In the programme, players are given tips on how to identify people who are falling prey to violent extremism.
"If this is shown to middle and high-school students, it's going to result in bullying of these children," said the policy director of the Arab American Anti-Discrimination Committee. "While we welcome efforts to promote the safety and security of our nation, tools like this that improperly characterise American Muslims as a suspect community with its targeted focus and stereotypical depictions stigmatise Muslim students (or those perceived as such) and can actually exasperate the problem by leading to bullying, bias and religious profiling of students," reported WND.
It said the programme "can lead to bullying, bias, misperception, as well as racial and religious profiling of students."
The FBI conducted meetings last summer to present the online programme.
"They wanted teachers in social studies, civics and government classes to show this to their students. But the website will be accessible by anyone," said Hoda Hawa, the director of policy and advocacy for the Muslim Public Affairs Council.
