When CAIR backs a counter-terror strategy it should be throwing up red flags within the law enforcement community.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 3, 2011 /USNewswire/ — A prominent national Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization today offered its support for the “objective and holistic” approach taken in the Obama administration’s newly-announced national strategy to counter violent extremism.

The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) welcomed the fact that the strategy on “Empowering Local Partners to Prevent Violent Extremism in the United States” focuses on community-based solutions and addresses all sources of violent extremism.

“American Muslims support objective and holistic efforts to ensure that all of our nation’s citizens are safe from violent extremists. Programs that build trust between law enforcement authorities and the communities they serve are crucial to this effort. American Muslims are natural enemies of violent extremists and have a vested interest in preventing any attempts by such predatory individuals to recruit members of our community.

From yesterday:

WASHINGTON (AP) — Local communities, not Washington, are best suited to counter violent extremism, according to a new national strategy the Obama administration took more than a year to produce.

The strategy pointedly does not focus on threats from Muslim extremism.

When it comes to stopping violent attacks that kill innocent people, the federal government is not in a good position to step in where radical ideas evolve into violence, according to an unclassified draft of the strategy obtained by The Associated Press in advance of its official release, expected Wednesday.