Statement of Muslim Advocates on the King Hearing

Thursday, March 10, 2011

The following statement was issued by Muslim Advocates on Thursday, March 10, at the conclusion of a hearing by the House Homeland Security Committee on The Extent of Radicalization in the American Muslim Community and that Community's Response.

Our country is safe and secure when Americans come together as one people, one nation. Unfortunately, it is clear from today's hearing that Rep. King plans to use the congressional stamp of approval on the politics of fear, creating a hostile environment that actually divides us and makes us less safe. Instead of focusing on those who break the law, he is focusing on an entire faith and its adherents.

The arrest this week of a white supremacist in the Martin Luther King Day Parade bombing case in Spokane, WA, is a reminder that hate groups in America are at an all-time high and that the domestic threat from these groups is growing. As U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder just stated yesterday, effective law enforcement means focusing on individuals, not entire communities, who engage in criminal activity. By following this rule, we can ensure that our country is not only safer, but also upholds the fundamental American values we cherish.

That is what is so exciting about a new campaign, www.WhatUnites.Us. It brings together Americans from all walks of life, including Christian clergy, law enforcement, and civic and civil rights leaders, around American values of freedom, truth and fairness to push back against anti-Muslim rhetoric, hate and bigotry by public figures--including elected officials, --that divides us and compromises our safety. We launched this campaign because of the politics of fear.

Today, we are asking for public officials to bring Americans together and not simply focus on the next election. A sense of the Congress resolution authored by Reps. Conyers (D-MI), Clarke (D-MI), and Carson (D-IN) does just that."

Download a PDF version of the statement


Watch a video of Representative Keith Ellison, (D-MN) testify at the hearings about Mohamed Salman Hamdani, an American Muslim EMT who died saving the lives of others in the World Trade Center during the 9-11 attacks.