NEW YORK—Hundreds of people from 135 different interfaith, government, and civil liberties organizations stood in solidarity with the Muslim Americans of New York City in Times Square for the “Today I Am a Muslim, Too” rally on Sunday, March 6.
The event was organized in response to chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee Rep. Peter King’s upcoming hearings on the “radicalization of the American Muslim community and homegrown terrorists.”
“Congress and all levels of government have a responsibility to protect all Americans,” said Rabbi Marc Schneier, organizer of the event and president of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding. “And yet, to single out Muslim Americans as the source of homegrown terrorism and not to examine all forms of violence—that is an injustice.”
Schneier added that it was an injustice that the hearings weren’t broadened so as to let other ethnic and religious groups testify for the Muslim Americans.
“Terrorism is real, and some terrorists are Muslim and some are not. When [King] makes it sound like terrorism is a tenet of Islam, that is wrong,” Schneier said.
The first of a series of hearings, titled “The Extent of Radicalization in the American Muslim Community and that Community’s Response,” will begin Thursday, March 10. Countless groups of various faiths have raised objections to singling out the Muslim community on the issue of terrorism.
On Feb.4, the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights sent King a letter, asking him to postpone and revise or cancel the hearings.
The coalition of over 200 organizations nationwide wrote, “Your hearings, as currently proposed, do a disservice to the seriousness of the topic ‘domestic terrorism’ and are likely to contribute to a public backlash against Muslim Americans.”
The coalition also urged King to meet with Muslim Americans, as well as with other civil rights groups leaders in lieu of the hearings.
The event was organized in response to chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee Rep. Peter King’s upcoming hearings on the “radicalization of the American Muslim community and homegrown terrorists.”
“Congress and all levels of government have a responsibility to protect all Americans,” said Rabbi Marc Schneier, organizer of the event and president of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding. “And yet, to single out Muslim Americans as the source of homegrown terrorism and not to examine all forms of violence—that is an injustice.”
Schneier added that it was an injustice that the hearings weren’t broadened so as to let other ethnic and religious groups testify for the Muslim Americans.
“Terrorism is real, and some terrorists are Muslim and some are not. When [King] makes it sound like terrorism is a tenet of Islam, that is wrong,” Schneier said.
The first of a series of hearings, titled “The Extent of Radicalization in the American Muslim Community and that Community’s Response,” will begin Thursday, March 10. Countless groups of various faiths have raised objections to singling out the Muslim community on the issue of terrorism.
On Feb.4, the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights sent King a letter, asking him to postpone and revise or cancel the hearings.
The coalition of over 200 organizations nationwide wrote, “Your hearings, as currently proposed, do a disservice to the seriousness of the topic ‘domestic terrorism’ and are likely to contribute to a public backlash against Muslim Americans.”
The coalition also urged King to meet with Muslim Americans, as well as with other civil rights groups leaders in lieu of the hearings.
Local elected officials have raised concerns about the hearings as well. Councilwoman Helen Diane Foster wrote in a letter addressed to King: “Statements of generalization and accusations toward the Muslim-American community and their houses of worship throughout New York City is a complete disregard to this large population. As elected leaders, we cannot lose sight of productive measures such as seeking cooperative efforts through interfaith dialogue.”
Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), a practicing Muslim, plans to testify at the hearings. He said he stands by his colleague’s decision to investigate radicalization but feels that singling out a minority is “the wrong course of action to take.”
“I believe in engaging the process,” Ellison said. “I think you’ve got to be involved in the conversation; you’ve got to offer an alternative view.”
Speaking on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday morning, King said: “I am starting off with a number of hypotheses and theses that I believe in. Let people watch the hearing and decide then.”
The Homeland Security Committee chair defended the hearings. “We’re talking about a radicalization in this country which is linked to an overseas enemy—this is al-Qaeda—[that] internationally is attempting to recruit within the United States. It’s an international movement with elements here in the United States.”
“We’re talking about al-Qaeda; we’re talking about the affiliates of al-Qaeda who have been radicalizing. And there’s been self-radicalizing going on within the Muslim community, within a very small minority, but it’s there,” King said. “And that’s where the threat is coming from at this time.”
Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), a practicing Muslim, plans to testify at the hearings. He said he stands by his colleague’s decision to investigate radicalization but feels that singling out a minority is “the wrong course of action to take.”
“I believe in engaging the process,” Ellison said. “I think you’ve got to be involved in the conversation; you’ve got to offer an alternative view.”
Speaking on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday morning, King said: “I am starting off with a number of hypotheses and theses that I believe in. Let people watch the hearing and decide then.”
The Homeland Security Committee chair defended the hearings. “We’re talking about a radicalization in this country which is linked to an overseas enemy—this is al-Qaeda—[that] internationally is attempting to recruit within the United States. It’s an international movement with elements here in the United States.”
“We’re talking about al-Qaeda; we’re talking about the affiliates of al-Qaeda who have been radicalizing. And there’s been self-radicalizing going on within the Muslim community, within a very small minority, but it’s there,” King said. “And that’s where the threat is coming from at this time.”
