Yesterday began Rep. Peter King's House committee hearing on the "Radicalization of American Muslims." If you have not heard of this, NPR has a short introduction on the issue that should give you both sides:
As controversial as these hearings are, Politico points out that they are not the first. (See here)
I've come out strongly against the hearings because it singles out Muslims as enemies of the state as well as the only community that has had to deal with terrorists instigation. Furthermore, it has launched an extremely important debate about WHAT exactly constitutes terrorism when the media picked up that Rep. King supports the IRA in their fight against England. Although a comedian, John Stewart started his show the other night on the issue. He makes several good points:
(Just so you know, the IRA has killed an American before, if you are one of those who believes that is the only criteria for terrorism)
My opposition to the hearings also comes from who were invited to speak to Congress. Put aside the unfair concentration of Muslims. Put aside the hypocrisy of Peter King. Put aside the horrible message such probes send. All these ignored, the hearings themselves don't have experts on the topic. As the Representative from Michigan Hansen Clarke pointed out: "... in our effort to battle terrorism, we must base our decision on this panel on reliable intelligence," he said. "Religion — faith and God — is not the issue." Yes, it is always good to have members of a community speak to give personal stories, however expert numbers and analysis are needed. Mostly to counter King's ridiculous statement that 85% of all Muslim Mosques in the U.S. are radicalized. He has been called out several times by analysts to provide ONE study or statistic to back him up, but all he has is the "conversations" he has had with people. These generalization, by people in power, is what drives McCarthy-Style persecution.
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| Historic NBA player Kareem Abul Jabar is Muslim |
Now, I am in no way denying that there isn't some radicalization within the Muslim community. However, as the NPR piece showed, many are questioning the usefulness of the hearings. Will they really shed any new light on the subject? How far will we move forward with these hearings? Congress needs to have a broader hearing on all radicalization (which would include Muslims) in the country. Congress also needs to investigate groups like "God's Army", a radical Christian organization who has posted military training videos on its website (I would post up a link, but I'm afraid someone will find it on Bentley's network and start asking questions...).
You are reading my blog so I'm assuming you want to read my take on it. If not through these hearings, then how can we best fight home grown terrorism. I believe, based on my research and sociological study, the best way to counter terrorism in this country is to decrease the alienation most American Muslims feel in this country. In order to do that, we must do many things: First, although their are many programs, we need to see an increase of outreach programs by Muslim communities to non Muslims. Don't get me wrong, there are HUNDREDS of programs like this all over the country, however, there are only so many people these programs can reach with such a small population. What needs to be done is an expansion of these programs and initiatives to areas where Muslims aren't so concentrated like in Tennessee and the "Bible Belt" where even the proposal for a mosque breeds protests the next day. In areas where Brigitte Gabrial draws huge crowds on her anti-Islam stance by telling them that the USA is being taken over and over run by invaders.
As the NYTimes article explains:
Despite this, there is a growing crowd with tehse sentiments (read the article I attached about her movement).Getting to know Muslims humanizes the accusations and fights ignorance at its base. I will be starting a flier Muslim Awareness campaign at my university to address Muslim stereotypes and would suggest any of my readers to also do so."She presents a portrait of Islam so thoroughly bent on destruction and domination that it is unrecognizable to those who study or practice the religion. She has found a receptive audience among Americans who are legitimately worried about the spread of terrorism."
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| Rapper Lupe Fiasco is Muslim |
At the end of the day, holding hearings in order to generalize an entire population will NOT make the population feel more "at home" in the U.S. You can't solve Muslim feelings of alienation in the United States by holding hearings with a chair who believes that they don't cooperate with the police (Note: Records show 50% of all counter terrorism operations in the U.S. were done with the cooperation of Muslims in the U.S.)
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