Clinton highlights Minnesota program in anti-terrorism speech

Hillary Clinton outlined her counterterrorism strategy in Minneapolis Tuesday, including a plan to help Muslim-American communities in their efforts to counter radicalization.

The Democratic presidential candidate highlighted a program in Minneapolis that focuses on young Somali-Americans.

Just hours ahead of a Republican presidential debate, Clinton assailed GOP candidates' proposals to defeat ISIS. In a speech before several hundred supporters at the University of Minnesota's McNamara Alumni Center, Clinton called out Republicans for what she called "bluster and bigotry" and divisive rhetoric against Muslim-Americans.

She mentioned only one of the candidates by name.

"Donald Trump's proposal to ban all Muslims from entering the United States has rightly sparked outrage across our country and around the world," she said. "Even some of the other Republican candidates are saying he's gone too far. But the truth is, many of those same candidates have also said disgraceful things about Muslims."

Clinton's plan includes disrupting plots before they can be carried out; stopping would-be jihadists from training overseas and foreign fighters from coming to the U.S.; and empowering Muslim-American communities in the fight against radicalization.

Authorities say 22 young Somali-American men traveled from Minnesota to the Horn of Africa to fight with the terrorist group al-Shabab from 2007 to 2012. And since late 2013 about a dozen Minnesotans have gone to Syria to join jihadist groups. Last week a 20-year-old Eagan man was charged with providing material support to ISIS.

Clinton said Muslim-Americans are key to stopping terrorist recruitment.

"These Americans may be our first, last, and best defense against homegrown radicalization and terrorism. They are the most likely to recognize the insidious effects of radicalization before it's too late, intervene to help set a young person straight," she said.

Clinton says the Building Community Resilience pilot program in the Twin Cities needs more financial support. Its aim is to reduce the isolation and alienation of young people through mentoring, career programs, and a leadership institute.

Before her speech Tuesday Clinton met with Somali-American and Muslim leaders, including Hamdy El-Sawaf, an imam at the Islamic Community Center of Minnesota. El-Sawaf says it was refreshing to hear a presidential candidate say that Muslims are integral to the fight against extremism.

"We will be more than happy to help and coordinate and cooperate in order to make sure that our community is safe," he said.

A Pew Research poll out this week shows Republicans still hold a commanding advantage over Democrats on fighting terrorism. Forty-six percent of the public says the GOP can better handle the threat in the U.S., while just 34 percent favor Democrats.

However, Carleton College political science professor Steven Schier says Republicans risk over-playing their hand with anti-Muslim rhetoric.

"Secretary Clinton was attempting to label Republicans with those Trump remarks by mentioning Trump by name and discussing at length why he's wrong," he said.

But Schier says how well Clinton's anti-terror approach will play in a general election has yet to be determined.

Visits to Minnesota from presidential candidates have been relatively rare in recent years, but there'll be another this week. Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas is expected to rally his supporters in St. Paul Thursday.