Thursday, March 10, 2011

Rep. Ellison's testimony during Congressman Peter King's hearing to investigate those who worship differently than he does, was very moving. Update!

Congressman Keith Ellison (MN-05)
Testimony Before The House Homeland Security Committee
The Extent of Radicalization in the American Muslim Community and that Community's Response

March 10, 2011

Thank you Chairman King for allowing me to testify today. Though the Chairman and I sometimes disagree, including on the premise of this hearing, I appreciate his willingness to engage in this dialogue. I also thank Ranking Member Bennie Thompson for his commitment to homeland security and civil rights for all. It's a challenge to protect both security and liberty, but Congressman Thompson strikes the right balance.

I would like to introduce Talat Hamdani, who is with us today. She is the brave mother of Mohammed Salman Hamdani, a first responder who died trying to rescue fellow Americans on 9/11.

I will make three points today. First, violent extremism is a serious concern to all Americans, and is the legitimate business of this Committee. Second, this Committee's approach to violent extremism is contrary to American values, and threatens our security. Finally, we need increased understanding and engagement with Muslim American communities to keep America safe.

I want to elaborate on the first point.

Understanding the roots of domestic terrorism is the legitimate business of the House Homeland Security Committee. I share the Chairman's concerns about violent extremism. I voted for The Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007 authored by Representative Jane Harman. This bill is a common sense approach to studying violent extremism in the United States. I plan to introduce a companion bill in the future.

I recently made a presentation, sponsored by the Center for American Progress, called "Strengthening America's Security: Identifying, Preventing and Responding to Domestic Terrorism." My presentation addressed causes of violent extremism and solutions for prevention and intervention.

The safety of our families and communities is at stake in our discussion today. We should apply the utmost intellectual rigor to this issue--which leads to my second point. We need to conduct a thorough, fair analysis and do no harm. The approach of today's hearing, unfortunately, does not meet these standards.

Today's hearing is entitled, "The extent of Radicalization in the American Muslim Community and that Community's response."

It is true that specific individuals, including some who are Muslims, are violent extremists. However, these are individuals - but not entire communities. Individuals like Anwar Al-Aulaqi, Faisel Shazad, and Nidal Hasan do not represent the Muslim American community. When their violent actions are associated with an entire community, then blame is assigned to a whole group. This is the very heart of stereotyping and scapegoating, which is counter-productive.

This point is at the heart of my testimony today. Ascribing the evil acts of a few individuals to an entire community is wrong; it is ineffective; and it risks making our country less secure.

Solutions to the scourge of domestic terrorism often emerge from individuals within the Muslim community--a point I address later in my testimony. However, demanding a "community response" (as the title of this hearing suggests) asserts that the entire community bears responsibility for the violent acts of individuals. Targeting the Muslim American community for the actions of a few is unjust. Actually all of us--all communities--are responsible for combating violent extremism. Singling out one community focuses our analysis in the wrong direction.

Throughout human history, individuals from all communities and faiths have used religion and political ideology to justify violence. Let's think about the KKK, America's oldest terrorist organization; the Oklahoma City bombing; the shooting at the Holocaust Museum by James von Brunn; and bombings at Planned Parenthood clinics. Did Congress focus on the ethnic group and religion of these agents of violence as a matter of public policy? The answer is no.

Stoking fears about entire groups for a political agenda is also not new in American history. During World War II the US government interned Japanese Americans and spied on German Americans. During John F. Kennedy's presidential campaign, his opponents portrayed a dire future for an America with a Catholic president. We now view these events of our past as a breach of our treasured American values.

Let's talk about facts rather than stereotypes. In fact, the Muslim American community rejects violent ideology. The RAND Corporation, a highly respected research organization, released a report last year that states the following:

given the low rate of would-be violent extremists [only 100 amongst an estimated 3 million American Muslims "...suggest[s] an American Muslim population that remains hostile to jihadist ideology and its exhortations to violence."

The RAND report concludes that a mistrust of Muslim Americans by other Americans is misplaced.

The Muslim American community across this country actively works with law enforcement officials--from dialogues with Attorney General Eric Holder to community meetings with local police officers in Minneapolis. Recently, tips from the Muslim American community foiled two domestic terror plots including the case of the Times Square Bomber and the Northern Virginia Five. Law enforcement officials depend upon these relationships.

A recent report from the Muslim Public Affairs Council stated that information provided by Muslim Americans has helped foil seven of the last 11 domestic terror plots and 40 percent of all plots since 9/11. A 2011 study from the Duke University Triangle Center on Terrorism reiterated that 40 percent of domestic terror plots have been prevented with the aid of the Muslim American community .

This cooperation with law enforcement is rooted in relationships and trust--relationships that we should nurture. A witness at today's hearing, Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca, testified before the House Homeland Security Subcommittee last year:

To effectively detect and manage extremists, police need to have the trust and understanding of the Muslim communities who live within and outside the United States... Simply, police need public participation.

Sheriff Baca recently commented on important cooperation between his office and the Muslim American community. He stated:

We have as much cooperation as we are capable of acquiring through public trust relationships [with the American Muslim community]. Muslim Americans in the county of Los Angeles have been overwhelmingly astounded by terrorist attacks--like everyone else--and overwhelmingly concerned about a non-repeat performance of that kind--and are willing to get involved and help.

As policy leaders, we need to be rigorous about our analysis of violent extremism. Our responsibility includes doing no harm. I am concerned that the focus of today's hearing may increase suspicion of the Muslim American community, ultimately making all of us less safe.

We have seen the consequences of anti-Muslim sentiment - from the backlash against the Park51 Muslim Community Center to the hostilities against an Islamic Center in Mursfreesboro, Tennessee, to the threatened Quran burning in Gainesville, Florida. Zoning boards in communities like Dupage County, Illinois are denying permits to build new mosques.

At the height of the Park51 controversy a man asked a cabbie whether he was Muslim. When the cabbie said, "As-Salaam Alekum", a common Muslim greeting that means "peace be unto you", the individual stabbed him. According to a recent report by the Southern Poverty Law Center, hate groups in the U.S. now number more than 1,000, an "all-time high," and the threat of domestic terrorism from elements of the radical right is very real and growing. These are only a few examples of the danger of a hateful climate that results when communities are stereotyped inaccurately.

Denis McDonough, the President's Deputy National Security Advisor, recently spoke at the ADAMS Center, the Dulles American Muslim Society. Mr. McDonough noted that al-Qaeda's core recruiting argument is that the West is at war with Islam. A chief goal of our national security policy is to undermine this argument. This requires active engagement with the Muslim American community at home and throughout the world. As President Obama said in his Cairo speech, "Islam is not part of the problem in combating violent extremism--it is an important part of promoting peace".

This brings me to my third point. What should we be doing to address violent extremism and keep America safe?

The best defense against extremist ideologies is social inclusion and civic engagement. FBI Agent Ralph Boelter, head of the Minneapolis FBI, illustrates my point. He led a large scale probe into counterterrorism involving local Somali-Americans heading overseas to fight with a terrorist organization. He is now coming to D.C. to become the Agency's deputy assistant director in charge of counterterrorism.

Boelter's strategy: To fight extremism, the Agency needs to establish sincere relationships with the community. "We had to be able to show people they could trust me, trust us," Boelter said of the local community.

FBI Agent Boelter "showed a side to the FBI that people don't see," said Minneapolis Police Chief Tim Dolan. "They needed that. They needed a little more to make their case. And it paid off because of the connections he made. People came forward. He became somebody that they were willing to go to."

Unfortunately, some leaders continue to misrepresent events in my own community of Minneapolis. For example, this week the Chairman was on the Morning Joe TV show and said, "how about the number of young Somali men who went to Somalia and the Imams and the leaders in the Minneapolis Muslim community refused to cooperate [with them] at all. They were denying for a long time that they even left."

This sweeping statement regarding the community I represent is simply not true. More importantly, why weren't these law enforcement officials invited to testify before this committee about effective counterterrorism through engagement with the Muslim American community?

In January, the Department of Homeland Security Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties convened a youth summit with Somali-American youth and law enforcement agencies in Minneapolis. The event attracted over 100 people including the U.S. Attorney, three of Minneapolis' Somali-American police officers, myself, and several law enforcement and security agencies.

The meeting provided an opportunity for Somali youth groups to learn more about the various roles and responsibilities of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and discuss community issues and concerns with government representatives. Meeting participants discussed ways in which Somali youth and government entities can improve communication and build trust in a variety of ways, from convening regular youth summits to supporting and participating in youth sporting activities.

Muslim Americans have been a part of America since the nation's founding. A little known fact is that Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is home to the oldest mosque in America. The Muslim American community is just like the rest of us. Muslims serve our nation as doctors, lawyers, teachers, business owners, factory workers, cab drivers, law enforcement officers, professors, firefighters, and members of the armed forces. Muslim Americans live in every community in America--they are our neighbors. In short, they are us. (Americans)

Every American, including Muslim Americans, suffered on 9/11.

29 Muslims died at the World Trade Center;

3 Muslims died in the hijacked planes (United Flight 175 and American Flight 11).

Muslims stood with the rest of America united in grief, in their resolve to protect America. Along with Americans of all faiths, Muslim Americans rushed in to save and rescue victims of Al-Quaeda's terrorism.

Let me close with a story, but remember that it's only one of many American stories that could be told. Mohammed Salman Hamdani was a 23-year-old paramedic, a New York City police cadet and a Muslim American. He was one of those brave first responders who tragically lost their lives in the 9/11 terrorist attacks almost a decade ago. As The New York Times eulogized, "He wanted to be seen as an all-American kid. He wore No. 79 on the high school football team in Bayside, Queens, where he lived, and he was called Sal by his friends... He became a research assistant at Rockefeller University and drove an ambulance part-time. One Christmas, he sang in Handel's Messiah in Queens. He saw all the Star Wars movies, and it was well known that his new Honda was the one with "Yung Jedi" license plates.

Mr. Hamdani bravely sacrificed his life to try and help others on 9/11. After the tragedy some people tried to smear his character solely because of his Islamic faith. Some people spread false rumors and speculated that he was in league with the attackers only because he was Muslim. It was only when his remains were identified that these lies were fully exposed.

Mohammed Salman Hamdani was a fellow American who gave his life for other Americans. His life should not be defined as a member of an ethnic group or a member of a religion, but as an American who gave everything for his fellow citizens.

Mohammed Salman Hamdani is us. He is every American. He is our neighbor. If we make him the problem, we all lose. If we engage him in the solution, America and the world will be a more vibrant, safer place for us and our children.

(Courtesy of the Atlantic.)

Rep. Ellison struggled several times during his testimony, and at the end was so overcome with emotion he could barely get the words out.  I saw several of those in attendance wiping away tears as well and believe it was one of the most raw and honest testimonies that Congress has heard in quite a long time.

As one would expect Rep. Peter King was left unmoved.

Update: Here is video of the last, and most moving portion, of Rep. Ellison's testimony.



You know I am not a Muslim, nor do I live in Wisconsin, but I cannot be the only one who feels that these attacks on our fellow Americans by these out of control Republicans, are also attacks on the very foundation of this country.

There is nothing "Patriotic" or "American" about how these arrogant politicians are conducting themselves. In fact I believe that their actions will go down in history, like the McCarthy hearings, the interment of the Japanese during World War 2, and the Bush V Gore Supreme Cour ruling, as black marks on the history of this country, that will no doubt cause shame and bewilderment in the minds of our children and grandchildren in the decades to come.

26 comments:

  1. Anonymous7:07 AM

    So when will all Muslims be required to wear the crescent patch so they are more readily identifiable, for our own "protection"???? If people aren't drawing parallels here then we are doomed to repeat them.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous7:16 AM

    That was moving. Thanks for sharing this.

    Cheryl

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous7:23 AM

    In the state of MN that has given us such stellar junkyard dogs like Michele B and Tpaw, Keith Ellison stands head and shoulders above the crowd. He is respected and sought out. He works hard and lives for his constituents. If there were more of him in the political arena this country would be a lot better off.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous7:23 AM

    Someone needs to point out King's connection with the IRA back in the day. We should all be ashamed of the direction this country is turning.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous7:34 AM

    Thanks for sharing, Gryphen. A great message from this week's political theatre.

    ReplyDelete
  6. majii7:43 AM

    King must think that targeting, attacking, and marginalizing Muslims in America is a winning tactic to combat Muslim extremism. He evidently hasn't thought about the fact that a witch hunt of the sort he is conducting is being watched closely by the world's 1 billion Muslims, or that this "investigation" could act as a recruiting tool for Muslim extremists and could lead to another attack on us. Maybe he and the other republicans HAVE thought of these things and are hoping that it leads to an actual attack that provides them with a means of discrediting President Obama. At this point, I would put nothing past them as they try to regain control of the WH and Congress in 2012. NOTHING. They have already shown that they value nothing except money and political power.

    ReplyDelete
  7. AKinPA7:46 AM

    Wow. Just reading the address was moving.

    As Anon at 7:23 said: "We should all be ashamed of the direction this country is turning."

    And to think, I thought we hit bottom with GWB and dodged the bullet when McCain and SP lost.

    ReplyDelete
  8. angela7:48 AM

    I cannot believe this is happening in this country.

    Anyone mention the White Supremacist caught trying to blow people up on MLK Day in January in the Pacific Northwest? People like King are a cancer on our society. McCarthy would be proud. These lunatics need to go.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anonymous8:09 AM

    Today I am deeply ashamed to be an American.

    ReplyDelete
  10. When is Rep. King going to have hearings about the radicalization of Christian Americans:

    http://politico-junkie.blogspot.com/2011/03/pakistan-religious-tolerance-urged-by.html

    ReplyDelete
  11. Molly8:51 AM

    Yes, yes, yes, and yes, Gryphen, but there are still those amongst us who think that McCarthy was sane, and in the right.

    I know, it's crazy, but I bet if you ask Mr. King, he'd say McCarthy was his boyhood idol.

    I was just saying to my husband that it's almost like they (meaning the Republican whackos)have different DNA than we do. Like they are a different species.

    And on the Wisconsin thing, if the workers actually go on a general strike here, as much as I *need* my children to attend public school for sanity's sake, I will gladly homeschool them for however long it takes for their teachers to retain their basic rights.

    I fear that Walker will call an emergency and fire them all, though. Yeah, just like Reagan and the ATC's--Walker thinks that was a GOOD thing, and I'm repulsed by this man completely now. Before I voted for Barrett, I simply disagreed with everything Walker ever did or said, NOW, I despise him, and I know I am not alone.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Anonymous8:51 AM

    First of all, thanks for the info.

    I don't know what is happening to America. The loonies seem to be in charge and are taking us back decades. One would think we would learn from history but I guess not.

    DebinOH

    ReplyDelete
  13. Look who the republicans are targeting.
    They are targeting children, women and Muslims.
    They lied when they were running for office.
    All we heard then was about the economy. That is not what they are doing now. They are using their power to systematically put women and children are risk in a number of ways and they are again stirring up fears about Muslims.
    Will this be their introduction to do away with existing laws?

    We need to be very careful and watch closely what they are doing. I cannot believe that the American people fell for their tricks not even 2 years after the most disastrous presidency of 8 years.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Anonymous9:37 AM

    Thank you, Jeff, for sharing videos like this one. You are doing us all a service by making sure we see them and understand what a sad sick time we are going through as a nation.

    I naively hoped that surely after the election, people would "get over it already" and realize that we need to work together. Instead, it seems to have brought out all the crazy extremists.

    Peter King epitomizes the worst kind of elected official. One so full of his own importance that he can't or won't see what he is doing to this country.

    I live in N E Ohio and last night when we ate out, I saw three tables with biracial families and it made me feel good...that my grandchildren will live in a world where love doesn't exclude anyone because of color or gender Now this video just sickens me again.

    I grew up in a deeply religious (as in great aunt a Mother Superior of a convent and great uncle a monk)family. Yet the older I get, the more I have had my blinders removed and realize how much harm religion causes every day all over the world.

    And...YES....people need to keep bringing up Peter King's role in the IRA to show his total hypocrisy. He is evil.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Pat in MA10:03 AM

    Peter King is a windbag, but a dangerous windbag, stoking anger and fear. If you want to investigate, extremists, investigate ALL extremists.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Anonymous10:21 AM

    9:15, Americans have the attention span of turnips for the most part. They are like idiot creatures who follow the next bright shiny thing put in front of their face (Charlie Sheen comes to mind).

    ReplyDelete
  17. Incredible testimony. Unfortunately, those who should be listening will not. My only hope is that, in the smallest of steps, we will move forward.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Anonymous10:49 AM

    The problem is that a majority of terrorist acts that have been carried out in our modern age have been carried out by muslim extremists. The problem is that Islam has never undergone a reformation (like Christianity did for example). I am hopeful, though, because I believe that the religion is still evolving and will one day morph into a much more positive force in this world.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Gasman11:00 AM

    The GOP of today will simply debase themselves and our democracy to whatever extent they feel is necessary for them to regain power. Their ONLY concern is to win at all costs, damn the torpedoes. They have no vestigial shame, decency, or honor left within their tiny little souls. They only speak the language of bigotry, hate, and fear mongering.

    When I consider Peter King's self serving bigoted charade, I am reminded of two quotes:
    "Our nation stands at a fork in the political road. In one direction lies a land of slander and scare; the land of sly innuendo, the poison pen, the anonymous phone call and hustling, pushing, shoving; the land of smash and grab and anything to win. This is [GOPland]. But I say to you that it is not America."
    - Adlai Stevenson

    "Have you no sense of decency, sir? At long last, have you left no sense of decency?"
    - Joseph Welch

    ReplyDelete
  20. Anonymous12:26 PM

    The terrorists that WASP Americans need to be most afraid of are the far right wing loonies, radical fundy 'christians', the C streeters, dominionists, and white supremacists (oh and the Koch bros). Interestingly enough, they look just like the people who are fearful of different colored skin and/or religion. Most of the above terrorists are older white males; or in the case of AK, the crazed ex-part-term GINO, now millionaire.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Anonymous1:35 PM

    King should be carted off to jail. The Republicans are nailing their coffins shut, that is for sure. President Obama will win re election due to their assine directions. I hope they are wiped off the earth come this next election. I know I'll do everything in my power to get them defeated - on the local, state and national levels. They are the worst Americans I have ever seen - that also include Palin, Gingrich, Hannity, Beck and O'Reilly.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Anonymous4:48 PM

    Well rats. I can't find the article I read this morning but if you Google King & IRA there are several links, including Wikipedia.

    King actively supported the IRA even when it was bombing and shooting British and Irish citizens.

    So hopefully someone in the hearing will bring that up so that it is in the record.

    Irish Catholics can be terrorists but Muslims can't.

    That's fair.

    However if all Muslims by virtue of being Muslims are terrorists, then all Irish Catholics " " " .

    And that is also fair.

    But stupidly inaccurate.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Anonymous4:54 PM

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rs88VsjC6cc

    Rep Jackson Lee's opening. So well played King had to shout her down at the end.

    Not all Texas politicians are ass holes.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Anonymous5:08 PM

    angela said...
    I cannot believe this is happening in this country.
    7:48 AM

    I can because I have been watching it happening half my life, at least back to Nixon.

    I am not overly intelligent but this has been building for decades and the Dim witted Dims like the frog in the pan have only just now noticed?

    I mean how pathological is a party that is still obsession about undoing the New Deal in 2011, and undoing the Great society in 2011?

    First stealth candidate I knew was for city council in the early 70's, next one was in a different city in the 80's. There were Nixon’s dirty tricks. Reagan's August surprise and Reagan’s obsession with the New Deal.

    I have watched two different local school boards seats, one by one, being filled with retro ideologues till normal people won't even run for a place because they don't want to have to fight the hate filled crazies.

    Why no media didn't look at what Duhbya did to Texas in his terms is beyond comprehension. So, no, there were no surprises come 2000. The Bushies and Neocons told us what there were planning and they have done it.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Go down in the history books.

    Not the way things are going.

    Those history books will be rewritten just like the ones in Texas.

    Don't you know? Only the winners get to write history. They always make sure it's written their way.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Anne In DC7:26 AM

    Rep. Ellison's testimony was extremely moving, and underscored the 180-degree difference between him and Michele Bachmann. I have made comments about other Muslim first-responders who lost their lives rescuing other Americans, but Ellison personalized it by descrbing this young man's life and heroism in poignant detail.

    King is only a symptom of the Republican Party's pathological and nationalized grab for power. Governors like Rick Scott in Florida, Rick Snyder in Michigan, and Scott Walker in Wisconsin, as well as others, are joining him in this coordinated effort to create a situation where President Obama fails, strictly in order to regain power with no regard for Americans.

    ReplyDelete

Don't feed the trolls!
It just goes directly to their thighs.