Recent actions in Europe have highlighted the ability of Muslim diasporas to conduct terrorist attacks against their adopted homeland. With an estimated 2.6 million Muslim diaspora in the United States and millions more seeking refuge from current conflicts, there is concern with Islamic extremists utilizing diaspora to conduct future attacks on the United States homeland. The purpose of this thesis is to determine if the Muslim diaspora in the United States are vulnerable to exploitation by Islamic extremists. A qualitative research approach is applied utilizing comparative case study methodology to evaluate select factors of governance, economics, religion, armed conflict, and United States involvement in the homeland of four Islamic extremists who have recently planned or conducted acts of terrorism against the United States.

Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. The opinions and conclusions expressed herein are those of the student-authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College or any other governmental agency. (References to these studies should include the foregoing statement.)