A recent article in the basically useless Daily Mail reported that 66 “ISIS operatives” have been arrested within American borders on suspicion of terrorist activities. The Drudge Report was of course quick to mention that some purported Syrian refugees had been arrested. Thanks, Drudge. But the real surprise here is that most of those arrested, if the Daily Mail can be believed, were actually American citizens, some of them former US military men. Among the suspected terrorists were quite a few young black men.

Whether these numbers are entirely accurate, I found one part of the story particularly interesting: the intersection between foreign jihadists and the domestic disenfranchised. Many black people in America already believe that becoming Muslim is getting back to their roots. But when you add to that the recent escalation of racial tensions, especially the perception that the “white” government is opposed to the black population, you have a recipe for destruction.

Think about it. Young black men in the US feel more and more like the civil government is against them. And they see over and over again just how much Islamic terrorists have been a thorn in the civil government’s side. And Islam is apparently their ancestral religion. What does that add up to? The possibility that a good number of young black men join ISIS within our borders.

Am I trying to stir up even more racial tension by this? No. I’m desperately trying to point out that resolving our racial tension and investing in peace, both foreign and domestic, is of the utmost importance for the survival of our country.

We have to stop acting like having the most powerful military and the most well-equipped police force is good enough. ISIS needed 8 people to bring Paris to its knees. Eight! You don’t think they can find eight people in each major American city that are angry enough with our civil government and hopeless enough of their own prospects that they would join the Islamic cause? They’re there. I’m telling you.

The solution to this is not escalating the battle. It is humbling ourselves, investing time and energy into our neighborhoods, and operating with courageous compassion rather than combative cowardice.