Interfaith Groups Call on Rep. King to Stop Anti-Muslim Hate

McCarthy had his “communists” and Long Island Congressman Peter King has his “radical muslims,” or as his subconscious would likely put it, “all them non-white brown people.” His proposed panel before the House Committee on Homeland Security under the guise of stopping of terrorism, “Radicalization of Muslim-Americans,” is nothing more than unbridled bigotry packaged nicely with official stamps of approval and quiet whispers of nodded agreement from the nation’s most virulent racists. This certainly isn’t King’s first attempt to spread fear of Muslim-Americans.

And, most ironically (and dangerously), it threatens to do the opposite of what it says it’s doing — those hearings will not make us a safer country or stop terrorism. They will alienate our greatest allies in the fight against radical/violent religiosity. Has Mr. King forgotten that it was a Muslim-American who thwarted a bomb attack in Times Square? That it’s Muslim-Americans who consistently work with the government to identify and weed out extremists within their communities (48 out of 120 times in fact)?

No doubt it would be useful to identify potential future-terrorists, but that’s as complicated a matter as having guessed a disturbed teenager in Tucson would obtain a firearm legally and open fire at a supermarket meet-and-greet. Mr. King would do well to turn his stereotyping of an overwhelmingly peaceful community into a complex analysis of all extremism that threatens our country … including anti-Muslim violence that has been on a rise.

And that’s exactly what an inter-faith group in Long Island was calling for when it held a peace vigil asking that the committee broaden its perspective. Groups like The Interfaith Alliance, Pax Christi, and Long Island Alliance for Peaceful Alternatives rallied on despite hateful shouts from opposition groups saying things like, “head back to the sand.”

And, despite rain, hundreds of protesters from diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds attended a “Today I am a Muslim too” rally in Times Square on Sunday.

Join people of good will all over the country who are standing up against racism and bigotry and tell the House Committee on Homeland Security to provide a space for inclusive dialogue, rather than inciting fear of Muslim-Americans and promoting Islamaphobia.

Photo Credit: Viktor Nagornyy