March 11, 2011

As Rep. Peter King’s (R-NY) hearing on the “Extent of Radicalization in the American Muslim Community” convened yesterday, one thing was clear, many Americans saw it for what it really was -- an exercise in political theater.

Since King announced late last year he was going to hold hearings, Americans of all backgrounds came together to protect the values we hold dear. From faith leaders to law enforcement to elected officials, Americans have proven that using the gavel in Congress to single out one faith group is both counter-productive and contradicts the U.S. Constitution.

After listening to witness and Congressional testimonies defending the Muslim American community and its contributions, it is heartening to know that much of our society has learned the lesson that collective guilt and blame is not only un-American but will not keep us safe. The Muslim American community has had effective partnerships with law enforcement prior to and since the tragedies of 9/11. Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-CA) and Rep. Laura Richardson (D-CA) were among the Congressional leaders who shared their experiences with the Muslim communities in their districts.

Etched in the annals of American history is the Japanese American experience during World War II of being treated as suspects. Recalling his experience of collective guilt, Rep. Mike Honda (D-CA) <a href=”http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/opinionshop/detail?entry_id=84016#ixzz1GIfNEYl0”>recently reminded America</a> what that picture looked like:

“Now, decades later, something similarly sinister is returning to our country. Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., is organizing congressional hearings on Muslim Americans. These hearings are scheduled to take place within the House Homeland Security Committee. Rep. King's intent seems clear: to cast suspicion upon all Muslim Americans and to stoke the fires of anti-Muslim prejudice and Islamophobia. By framing his hearings as an investigation of the American Muslim community, the implication is that we should be suspicious of our Muslim neighbors, co-workers or classmates solely on the basis of their religion.”

Just as the hearing was closing, dozens of interfaith leaders stood in solidarity in the same House of Congress at a press conference condemning the hearings and reminding us of our better sides. The leaders who came from several different faith backgrounds and congregations said that “violent extremism was a threat to national security, but it was morally wrong to lump all Muslims into the category of violent extremists.” [http://www.isna.net/articles/News-Briefs/Faith-leaders-condemn-hearings.aspx] Rabbis for Human Rights in North America issued an electronic campaign of Rabbi video testimonies, “Stand Together: Rabbis Speak Out Against Islamophobia,” speaking out against the King Hearings. [http://www.rhrna.org/?p=1648]

Opinion pages of major publications were flooded with messages from faith leaders of conscience who spoke out against the scapegoating of Muslim Americans. Rabbi Joshua Levine Grater sent a clear message concerning the hearings on Huffington Post -- “Rep. King: Don’t Stereotype, It’s Un-American.” [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rabbi-joshua-levine-grater/stop-the-stereotype-heari_b_834169.html]

An editorial in USA Today asserted that King’s Islam hearings put fear above fact-finding [http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/editorials/2011-03-10-editorial10_ST_N.htm?csp=Dailybriefing]. The editorial supported the assertion that King was more focused on orchestrating a political circus instead of dealing with and resolving security concerns.

Last weekend, Russell Simmons along with other celebrities, community leaders and academics organized a “Today, I am Muslim, too” rally in Time Square < http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/09/times-square-protest_n_833461.html>. Americans of all backgrounds weathered the rain to send a resounding message that we all stand together. Rather than brushing a generalization on Muslim Americans, many groups and individuals decided to recognize the contributions of Muslim Americans.

Something about these hearings has awakened America’s moral conscience. The false dichotomy of security vs. civil liberties has been broken. People such as LA County Sheriff Lee Baca who is on the front lines keeping our country safe have proven that effective partnerships work and that suspicion of a whole community will undermine our ability to keep us safe. In fact, yesterday, the New York Times released a story <http://video.nytimes.com/video/2011/03/10/us/100000000715940/tc-031011-sheriff.html> on how Baca’s successful engagement of the Muslim American community has lead to significant leads in unfoiling terrorist plots.

We as Muslim Americans salute our fellow Americans who stood in solidarity for our core value --E pluribus unum (from many, we are one). Moderates will unite while political extremists in the U.S. will continue to divide our country. One of the lessons from Japanese internment was that three major factors led to this national tragedy: prejudice, hysteria from a catastrophic event and lack of leadership. We cannot control prejudice and hysteria, but we can continue to build bridges of leadership across the spectrum of American pluralism. Yesterday, while hate-mongers thought Capitol Hill could inject more venom into the American mainstream, leaders from the Japanese, African, Latino, Jewish, Christian and many other American communities stood tall. We stand on their shoulders of leadership in honoring our Constitution and our Creator.