Slate - Muslim McCarthyism: Peter King's Broad-brush Indictment Of The "Muslim Community"

[Turborama]

By William Saletan | Posted Wednesday, March 9, 2011, at 8:47 AM ET

=snip=

These sweeping allegations—particularly the claim that law enforcement agents "throughout the country" are getting little or "no cooperation from Muslim leaders and imams"—don't jibe with http://sanford.duke.edu/centers/tcths/about/news_release20110202.php">a study issued last month by a consortium of North Carolina university researchers. The study found that in cases where Muslim-American terrorist suspects were brought to the attention of U.S. officials, "http://sanford.duke.edu/centers/tcths/about/documents/Kurzman_Muslim-American_Terrorism_Since_911_An_Accounting.pdf">the largest single source of initial information (48 of 120 cases) involved tips from the Muslim-American community."

Last Sunday on CNN's State of the Union, Candy Crowley cited the North Carolina study and asked King, "Doesn't that tell you there is cooperation there?" King replied: "http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1103/06/sotu.01.html">No. I'm aware of a number of cases in New York where the community has not been cooperative." King cited a guy who "went to two mosques in Suffolk County in Long Island, said he wanted to engage in jihad. They said we don't do it, but never told the police. And then he went off to Afghanistan. So there's just one example. I can give others." But King has never named more than three or four such cases. In his March 6 profile, New York's Robert Kolker reported that King "http://nymag.com/news/politics/peter-king-2011-3/">refuses to name the sources who claim Muslims are uncooperative," claiming that "they're always off the record with him."

Monday on Fox News, King said his upcoming hearings would feature an American Muslim who "feels very strongly that the current Muslim leadership is not doing its job." A day later, King told the same network that when Muslims come forward to report suspicions of dangerous extremism, "they do not get the cooperation from the imams and from their leaders." He brushed off the North Carolina study, accusing its authors of "leaving out any number of terrorist financing cases which there was no support from the Muslim community on."

Through this phrase—the "Muslim community"—King has casually substituted unnamed Muslim "leaders" for Muslim citizens as representatives of American Islam. Yesterday on MSNBC, Eugene Robinson of the Washington Post told King, "You have alleged that the Muslim American community has not been forthcoming in helping law enforcement officials deal with radicalization." King replied: "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHzMLtc7oGY">I talk to cops and counterterrorism people on the ground all the time, and they get virtually no cooperation." Robinson accused King of assuming "that the Muslim American community, a religious minority in this country, is somehow abetting and aiding and giving shelter to this process of radicalization, when that is clearly not the truth." King shot back: "It is the truth."

Full article: http://www.slate.com/id/2287708/

Lots of follow up links within these websites which debunk King's politically motivated Islamophobic fearmongering...

http://www.cair.com/AmericanMuslims/AntiTerrorism.aspx">The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) Has Consistently And Persistently Condemned Terrorism

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=4217266">Top Muslim clerics issue Fatwa denouncing terror attacks on Canada and U.S

http://www.muhajabah.com/otherscondemn.php">Muslims Condemn Terrorist Attacks

http://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/muslim_voices_against_extremism_and_terrorism_2">Muslim Voices Against Terrorism and Extremism


The rhetoric against Muslim Americans -- namely, that they are a suspect community, or worse, enemies of the state; their religion is uncivilized and anti-American; they are deceitful; and they aim to destroy our culture and our constitution -- are replicas of attacks against other religious minorities in the past as well as current attacks against ethnic and racial minorities.
http://www.pjalliance.org/article.aspx?ID=632&CID=5

The Peter King Hearings: Giving Anti-Muslim Rhetoric the Congressional Stamp of Approval

On March 10, Congressman Peter King will hold congressional hearings unfairly targeting the American Muslim community.

Whether for political gain or public notoriety, anti-Muslim rhetoric and bigotry has become acceptable in political and civic discourse. These hearings are the worst example – because they legitimize anti-Muslim rhetoric by giving them a congressional stamp of approval.

Peter King has chosen to ignore the fact that those who engage in violence motivated by extremist beliefs in America today hail from myriad racial, ethnic, religious and political backgrounds. Less than two weeks ago, the Southern Poverty Law Center released a http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x592019">report on the explosive growth of right-wing anti-government and anti-hate groups. Yet the Peter King hearings are focused on scapegoating one community. America will be less safe as a result.

In the meantime, American Muslims are doing their part to keep us safe by regularly reporting criminal activity to law enforcement. In fact, law enforcement officials from the national to state to local levels have spotlighted the critical role that American Muslims play to defend democracy and security.

WhatUnites.Us calls on all Americans to focus on what unites us and to call out the hateful rhetoric and actions that divide us. Here’s what you can do to support the campaign:

* http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/5779/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=5901">Contact your member of congress and ask them to take a stand against hearings like this that not only divide us, but make us less safe.
* Email this page to your friends.
* Share this page with your friends on Facebook
* RT: @UniteWithUs: BREAKING: Peter King seeks to divide Americans. Tell Congress to reject anti-Muslim rhetoric. BITLY LINK #UnitesUs

From: http://whatunites.us/news/peter-king-hearings-giving-anti-muslim-rhetoric-congressional-stamp-approval

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2011798,00.html">Islamophobia: Does America Have a Muslim Problem?

[Lucky 13]

1. In other news, Peter King PRAISED President Obama yesterday for his executive order...

... extending the Bush policy on indefinite detentions.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=439&topic_id=586690&mesg_id=586690
Republican lawmakers praised the president’s order on Guantanamo, and claiming that the new executive order vindicated the much-maligned President George W. Bush. Rep. Peter T. King (R-N.Y.), chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, stated,

"I commend the Obama Administration for issuing this Executive Order," the Post reported. "The bottom line is that it affirms the Bush Administration policy that our government has the right to detain dangerous terrorists until the cessation of hostilities."

http://www.huliq.com/10473/obama-flip-flops-guantanamo-bay-trials-will-resume

[Hugabear]

2. They could very well be creating the terrorists that they're trying to find

The way that the far-right is going after Muslims in this country, there's a decent chance that they'll actually wind up creating the very problem they're supposedly looking for.

Of course, we all know this isn't about trying to root out terrorists. This is simply Islam-bashing, their goal is to make America Muslim-free.

[Turborama]

4. I've thought for a long time that they are trying to provoke something happening on Obama's watch

So they can say, "SEE!!1!! He couldn't keep us safe."

BTW Have you read this letter yet? Needless to say, it was ignored...


February 1, 2011

The Honorable John Boehner
Office of the Speaker
H-232 The Capitol
Washington, DC 20515

The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
Minority Leader
235 Cannon HOB
Washington, DC 20515

Dear Speaker Boehner and Leader Pelosi:

The undersigned community organizations and groups concerned about civil and human
rights and national security strongly object to the hearings on violent extremism recently
announced by the Chair of the Committee on Homeland Security, Congressman Peter King.
Chairman King has characterized the hearings, tentatively scheduled for February 2011, as
focusing exclusively on the “radicalization of the American Muslim community and homegrown
terrorism.” If Chairman King proceeds with these hearings, please urge him to address all
forms of violence motivated by extremist beliefs and to do so in a full, fair, and objective way.

Today, American Muslims reflect every race and ethnicity that comprise our nation’s rich
heritage. In fact, Muslims have been an integral part of America since its founding when the
first slave ships arrived on its shores. Muslims serve our nation as teachers, business owners,
factory workers, cab drivers, doctors, lawyers, law enforcement, firefighters, members of
Congress, and members of the armed forces. Their research and innovation adds to the progress
of our nation in science, business, medicine, and technology. They contribute to every aspect of
our nation’s economy and society. The essence of our country is e pluribus unum: out of many,
practicing their faith freely and contributing each in their own way, comes a strong, unified one.

The hearings planned by Chairman King, however, are inconsistent with this vision of
America. Singling out a group of Americans for government scrutiny based on their faith is
divisive and wrong. These hearings will inevitably examine activities protected by the First
Amendment, an affront to fundamental freedoms upon which our country was founded. It
harkens back to hearings held in the 1950s by then-U.S. Senator Joe McCarthy. That dark
chapter in our history taught us that Congress has a solemn duty to wield its investigatory power
responsibly.

In the course of justifying the focus of the hearings, Chairman King has made broad and
unsubstantiated assertions about the American Muslim community. For example, he continues
to perpetuate the myth that 80% of mosques in America are run by extremists, implying that
they are hotbeds of extremism. To the contrary, experts have concluded that mosque attendance
is a significant factor in the prevention of extremism. In addition, during a recent interview,
Chairman King made a statement insinuating that American Muslims are not American:

“When a war begins, we’re all Americans. But in this case, this is not the
situation. And whether it’s pressure, whether it’s cultural tradition, whatever, the
fact is the Muslim community does not cooperate anywhere near to the extent that
it should. The irony is that we’re living in two different worlds.”

If Chairman King is suggesting that American Muslims are somehow less American –
simply by virtue of their faith – then that is an affront to all Americans.

Providing a public, government platform for these erroneous and offensive views has
consequences. The American public takes cues from government officials. These hearings will
almost certainly increase widespread suspicion and mistrust of the American Muslim community
and stoke anti-Muslim sentiment. During 2010, we saw an increase in anti-Muslim hatred in
public discourse, as well as hate crimes and violence targeting American Muslims, and those
perceived to be Muslim, including vandalism and arson of mosques, physical attacks, bullying of
children in schools, and attempted murder. No American should live in fear for his or her safety,
and Congress should not help create a climate where it is acceptable to target a particular faith
community for discrimination, harassment, and violence.

Furthermore, a hearing that demonizes the American Muslim community will not go
unnoticed by Muslims around the world and will contribute to perceptions of how the U.S.
government treats Muslims. Equal treatment and respect for all faiths are among our nation’s
greatest strengths and are essential to a free and just society.

Our nation faces serious threats, both foreign and domestic. Violence motivated by
extremist beliefs is not committed by members of one racial, religious, or political group. The
Committee on Homeland Security should focus on keeping us safe, rather than engaging in fearmongering
and divisive rhetoric that only weakens the fabric of our nation and distracts us from
actual threats.

We strongly urge you to object to the hearings in their current form. If Chairman King
wishes to address violent extremism, then we hope you will ensure that he examines violence
motivated by extremist beliefs, in all its forms, in a full, fair and objective way. The hearings
should proceed from a clear understanding that individuals are responsible for their actions, not
entire communities.

Thank you for your attention to the issues raised in this letter. We look forward to
hearing from you.

Sincerely,

American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee
American Pakistan Foundation
Amnesty International USA
Arab American Institute
Arab Community Center for Economic and Social
Services
Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty
Center for Constitutional Rights
Council on American-Islamic Relations
EMERGE-USA
Human Rights First
Indian Muslim Relief & Charities
Interfaith Alliance
Islamic Medical Association of North America
Islamic Networks Group
Islamic Society of North America
Japanese American Citizens League
Muslim Advocates
Muslim Public Affairs Council
National Network for Arab American Communities
Open Society Institute
Pakistani American Public Affairs Committee
Sikh Coalition
South Asian Americans Leading Together
Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding
Unitarian Universalist Service Committee
Association of American Muslim Lawyers
American Muslim Law Enforcement Officers Association
Arab American Association of New York
Asian Law Caucus
Bay Area Association of Muslim Lawyers
Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago
DRUM - Desis Rising Up and Moving
Florida Muslim Bar Association
The Freedom and Justice Foundation
Georgia Association of Muslim Lawyers
Houston Shifa Services Foundation
Inner-City Muslim Action Network
Islamic Shura Council of Southern California
Majlis Ash-Shura of Metropolitan New York
Michigan Muslim Bar Association
Muslim Alliance of Indiana
Muslim Bar Association of Chicago
Muslim Bar Association of New York
Muslim Bar Association of Southern California
Muslim Consultative Network
Network of Arab American Professionals - NY
New England Muslim Bar Association
New Jersey Muslim Bar Association
Northern California Islamic Council
Ohio Muslim Bar Association
Somali Community Services - San Jose, CA

Source (PDF): http://www.muslimadvocates.org/Coalition%20Ltr%20re%20King%20hearings,%202-1-11.pdf

[Scurrilous]

3. K & R

:thumbsup:

[Turborama]

5. Peter King's crusade on Muslims in America

Peter King's crusade on Muslims in America

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

The revolutions that have engulfed the Middle East this year have been resolutely about freedom, not religion or political ideology. So it's ironic that an American, Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., is determined to stuff Muslims into an extremist box here at home.

King is the chairman of the House of Representatives' Homeland Security Committee. He is also, to a degree that defies logic, adamantly convinced that the country is under threat from the Muslim community in the United States. Not the minuscule percentage of U.S. Muslims who might be swayed by radical ideology. Not Islamic terrorist cells that may have come from abroad. No, King has a pitchfork out for "Muslims," all of them. He has no interest in examining homegrown terrorism, as the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs has done since 2006 - successfully and without fanning the flames of hatred.

"The threat is coming from the Muslim community," King told the New York Times. "The radicalization attempts are directed at the Muslim community. Why should I investigate other communities?"

It's ironic that King was a staunch supporter of the Irish Republican Army in the 1980s. But we doubt he'd see the irony, since King isn't interested in working with the facts on terrorism. Facts have an inconvenient way of undermining his dangerous assumptions.

Continues: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/03/09/EDJU1I6LB7.DTL

[Turborama]

6. USA Today - Our view: King's Islam hearings put fear above fact-finding

Updated 2h 52m ago

Peter King is a tough-talking congressman who, befitting his New York roots, doesn't have much use for subtlety. He lets fly bluntly with what he believes, and he believes intensely that radicalization of American Muslims is a rising threat that the Muslim community is doing too little to stop. So no wonder his hearings on the issue, beginning today, are drawing fire before the first witness is called. King isn't just on a fact-finding mission. He's trying to set off alarms.

But his pugnacious approach is triggering all the wrong ones, intensifying the very danger he wants to contain.

On one point — but only one — King is undeniably right: A threat exists. Who would argue otherwise? Since Sept. 11, 2001, 161 Muslim Americans have been implicated in terrorist acts at home or abroad. Just the last year has seen a Connecticut businessman charged with trying to set off a bomb near Times Square; a teenager arrested in a plot to bomb a Christmas tree lighting ceremony in Portland, Ore.; and a Pakistani-born Virginia man accused of planning to attack Washington-area subway stations.

Disturbing, surely. But to draw sweeping conclusions from those facts alone yields little of value. Much more is already known about the nature of the threat.

Full article including very important video: http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/editorials/2011-03-10-editorial10_ST_N.htm

[Turborama]

7. Shiite and Sunni Muslims protest against terrorism in Washington, D.C. (PIC)

Shiite and Sunni Muslims protest against terrorism in Washington, D.C., denouncing countries like Saudi Arabia
for sponsoring fundamentalist groups in Iraq and Afghanistan. Sunni and Shia Islam are the two major
denominations of Islam, and members hold different religious beliefs, practices, traditions and customs.
Relations between the two have been marked by both cooperation and conflict, often with deadly violence.
(Karim Ben Khelifa)

From: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41856532/displaymode/1247?beginSlide=6

[Turborama]

8. This is too important to be ignored. This demonizing of American Muslims is extremely worrisome

Paraphrasing kpete's http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x594005">successful OP, the house hearings on radical Islam are ‘sinister’.

Maybe I don't have the same name recognition for my warnings to be taken as seriously here? :shrug:

Sometimes I seriously wonder why I bother.

[Turborama]

9. House hearings worry US Muslims (Video)

Peter King, a senior Republican congressman in the US, is launching a hearing into what he describes as a rise in violent extremism in the country.

King, who is the chairman of the Homeland Security Committee in the House of Representatives, will focus on whether or not American Muslims have become "radicalised".

Demonstrations have been held by both Muslim and non-Muslim Americans, decrying King's hearings as a repeat of the infamous "witchhunt" hearings held by senator Joe McCarthy decades ago.

The King hearings will begin on March 9.

Al Jazeera English's Kristin Saloomey reports from New York: http://english.aljazeera.net/video/americas/2011/03/201139192531769495.html