WASHINGTON — President Obama on Wednesday will outline his administration’s efforts to counter what he calls “violent extremism” in a speech to law enforcement, community and religious leaders gathered to discuss how to prevent groups like the Islamic State from recruiting disaffected young people to their ranks.
The White House said the plans were a vital nonmilitary way to counter extremism of all kinds, a task that has taken on greater urgency after the terrorist attacks in Paris and Copenhagen.
The sessions on Wednesday — part of a three-day meeting here — will focus on government-backed community pilot programs in Minneapolis, St. Paul, Los Angeles and Boston in which law enforcement and civic and religious leaders have worked together to challenge extremist influences.
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The White House said the programs it was highlighting were meant to be run by the communities themselves and not the federal government.
Although the nation’s top federal law enforcement agencies will be involved, officials said, the program is an opportunity for communities to devise their own strategies.
