Rep. Peter King plans to
grill Muslims
American
Muslims were hoping that the anti-Islam and anti-Muslim bigotry movements will
be rolled back with time. However, no such end is coming in the near future,
particularly, with the Republicans taking control of the House of
Representative. Alarmingly, Rep. Peter King, incoming Republican chairman of the House Committee
on Homeland Security, has announced a witch hunt targeting the Muslim
community.
In an op-ed published in Newsday, Long Island Rep. Peter King, said that as part of his duties, he intends to hold hearings on topics including the "radicalization of the American Muslim community and homegrown terrorism." "As chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, I will do all I can to break down the wall of political correctness and drive the public debate on Islamic radicalization," he wrote. (9)
Interestingly, King, an Irish-American, was involved in the Northern Ireland peace process. His stand on terrorism itself is less than consistent. He was a prosecutor when four men, including Brooklynite George Harrison, were arrested for running 2,500 guns and a million rounds of ammunition to the IRA in Belfast. We didn't see him talking about the radicalization of Irish-Americans and calling for hearings, did we?
According to Joanna Molloy of New York Daily News, Rep. Pete King's proposal to hold hearings on the "radicalization" of American Muslims is something straight out of the Bad Ideas Department. Make that the Worst Ideas Department. Just substitute the word "movie" for "Muslim" and you've got McCarthyism. As in Sen. Joe, who called in actors from Lucille Ball to Judy Holliday simply because they had had naughty liberal thoughts. McCarthy found nothing on Holliday, but ruined her life and scores of others in Hollywood. (10)
Remember that King spent much of the summer leading the opposition to the so-called Ground Zero mosque. He also labeled the project's Imam, Feisal Abdul Rauf, a "radical" - even though Rauf was picked by the Bush administration to help the State Department promote American values and spread the gospel of democracy in the Middle East.
King has a long history of extremist rhetoric and baseless allegations against American Muslims, including claiming that most mosques nationwide are run by "radicals." In 2004, he claimed 80 to 85 percent of American mosques are controlled by the "Islamic fundamentalists."
Conclusion
As I was giving final touches to this article another serious incident of hate crime was reported in Idaho. In Twins Fall, Idaho, John C. Larsen, was arrested on Wednesday (12/23) for threatening a Muslim woman while she was shopping at a Walmart. Larsen approached the woman, who wore a headscarf and was with her two children, and asked if she was Muslim. When the woman said she was, Larsen told her he spent 2 1/2 years in Iraq and "my friends were killed by you, I was blown up by you," according to court records. The assailant also shouted that the woman "didn't belong here in the U.S." and claimed he had killed Muslims and planned to kill more. He also told the Muslim woman that he had a concealed weapon. A loaded weapon was later found in his car. Her ordeal is part of a pattern of hatred across the nation toward Muslims living in American society. The 42-year-old man was arraigned Thursday (12/24) on a charge of felony malicious harassment. (11)
It
will not be too much to say, in the words of Stephen Lendman, "it's the wrong
time to be Muslim in America,
Washington's
target of choice to hype fear and enlist public support for imperial
lawlessness, no matter the cost in reckless spending and loss of personal
freedoms. Increasingly, everyone is now vulnerable for speaking out, voicing
dissent, and supporting equity and justify for unpopular victims." (12)
References
(1) Alabama restaurant sign says: No Muslims Inside
An Alabama electronics
store put a sign reading "BBQ PORK RESTURANT IS SAFEST NO MUSLIMS INSIDE.
Electronic Repair Company owner Chuck Biddinger, who put up the sign last week,
told local television station ABC 33/40 that while it was meant as a
lighthearted joke, it was true. "Muslims do not eat pork," he told
the television station. "It's a known fact that Muslims have tried to
commit crimes in this country." The Daily News quoted him as saying that he
wasn't worried about people's feelings. "For the local area, if I offend a
few Muslims, there will be a lot of people who support it," he said. (The
Daily News -" December 10, 2010)
(2) Nebrasca
councilman places a sign on his property reading:
"Never Trust a Man Named Mohamed"
Dakota City (Nebrasca) councilman Bob Lane placed a
sign on his property reading "Never Trust a Man Named Mohamed." The
sign led several residents to lodge complaints at City Hall. Lane removed the
Mohamed sign after it had been up for more than a week. "It is freedom of
speech. Whenever we have a problem in the nation, the first name, the middle
name or the last name is often Mohamed," said Lane, a multi-term
councilman who was re-elected this year. (Sioux
City Journal -" December 21, 2010)
(3) Ohio : Muslim woman reports attack near mosque
In Columbus, Ohio, the FBI
has begun a civil-rights investigation after 20-year-old Somali native, Saida
J. Said reported that she was harassed and pepper-sprayed outside a West Side mosque on December 20. The attacker told her 'All
you Muslims go back to where you came from.'" The incident was caught on
the mosque's surveillance camera. (The
Columbus
Dispatch -" December 22, 2010)
(4) Ohio mosque received anti-Muslim e-mail
The Clifton, Ohio Mosque on
December 11 received the following email: "You should know that you are
not wanted in Cincinnati.
We don't want you here. Mohammad is a joke. Go back to your desert. Beware. We
may just declare Jihad on you."
(5) New York Imam called 'camel jockey,' 'terrorist'
during attack
On Dec 9, the New York chapter of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NY) today called on the Manhattan District
Attorney's office to prosecute an alleged bias-motivated attack on an imam, or
Muslim religious leader, as a hate crime. The incident began on the A-train
early yesterday morning near Canal
Street. One of two suspects arrested allegedly
used racial and religious slurs, including calling the imam a "camel
jockey" and shouting, "F*ck all you Muslims. All of you are
terrorists," during the verbal and physical assault. (CAIR)
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