Rep. Peter King’s Muslim Phobia
by Sheila Musaji
Revised, updated, and re-organized 7/2012
INTRODUCTION
Rep. Peter King planned to hold a series of Congressional inquiry hearings into American Muslim “radicalization” in his new position as Chair of the House Committee on Homeland Security.
This has been seen as a flashback to McCarthy’s witchhunt, and a witch trial, and even political violence. Whether or not this inquiry would benefit anyone has been debated by the right and the left.
As an American Muslim, when I look at Rep. King’s background and previous statements, it seems to me that Rep. King is an Islamophobe, and that what he is proposing is not an attack on radicals (of whatever persuasion) but an attack on American Muslims in general. I am very concerned about where this might take us as a nation, and will follow this developing story and provide updates.
What makes this all the more concerning is a recent Washington Post article “Top Secret America” which includes the information that “‘Top Secret America’ includes hundreds of federal departments and agencies operating out of 1300 facilities around this country. Thirty-three new building complexes have been built for intelligence bureaucracies alone, occupying 17 million square feet-the equivalent of 22 U.S. Capitols or three Pentagons. Five miles southeast of the White House, the largest government site in 50 years is being built-at a cost of $3.4 billion-to house the largest bureaucracy after the Pentagon and the Department of Veterans Affairs; the Department of Homeland Security, which has a workforce of 230,000 people. With nearly 2,000 private companies that are sub contracted in all, there are now 850,000 Americans with top secret clearance.” The Department of Homeland Security to the extent that it is influenced by people like Rep. King may limit our civil rights. As Javeed Akhter has pointed out: Few are aware of the magnitude of this secret intel. It is legitimate worry that parts of an operation this large and diverse and secret may get out of hand and start affecting civil liberties of all Americans. I am not aware of any congressional hearings on it. Also no moral authority in or out of office has taken on the media for their reckless stereotyping of Muslim Americans.
Also of concern is the fact that the hearings according to a page on the Homeland Security Committee website, are to be called Hearings on Islamic Radicalization. The title makes it clear that this is not a question of how to prevent some Muslims from becoming radicalized, but rather what it is about Islam itself that leads to radicalization.
What the hearings are called and the language used really do matter. The U.S. Government recently issued a statement asking that government officials be cautious in their use of language as it may actually be against the interests of the U.S. to use terms that connect the religion of Islam with the acts of criminals. The governments suggests the use of more accurate and non-inflammatory language. A recent Homeland Security Report even sharply rebuked John McCain’s ‘Islamic Extremism’ rhetoric.
In 2008, the U.S. State Department approved new counterterrorism lexicon for diplomats. The report, “Words that Work and Words that Don’t: A Guide for Counterterrorism Communication,” offers specific directives, such as: don’t use terms such as “jihadist” or “holy warrior” because it legitimizes bin Laden’s followers, but also don’t use terms such as “Islamo-fascism,” which offends everyone else by associating Islam with fascism. You can view the full report here. UPI reports “Urging officials not to use the word Islam in conjunction with terrorism, the guide notes that, “Although the al-Qaida network exploits religious sentiments and tries to use religion to justify its actions, we should treat it as an illegitimate political organization, both terrorist and criminal.” Instead of calling terror groups Muslim or Islamic, the guide suggests using words like totalitarian, terrorist or violent extremist—“widely understood terms that define our enemies appropriately and simultaneously deny them any level of legitimacy.”
A report entitled TERMINOLOGY TO DEFINE THE TERRORISTS: RECOMMENDATIONS FROM AMERICAN MUSLIMS was considered by the State Department in preparing their report. The PDF of this document can be read here. From the conclusion of this report: “Words matter. The terminology the USG uses should convey the magnitude of the threat we face, but also avoid inflating the religious bases and glamorous appeal of the extremists’ ideology. Instead, USG terminology should depict the terrorists as the dangerous cult leaders they are. They have no honor, they have no dignity, and they offer no answers. While acknowledging that they have the capacity to destroy, we should constantly emphasize that they cannot build societies, and do not provide solutions to the problems people across the globe face.”
As Salam al-Marayati of MPAC has said Dropping religious labels] denies Al-Qaeda and its affiliates the religious legitimacy they severely lack and so desperately seek. For years, Muslim public opinion has decisively turned against Bin Ladin, Al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups because of the immoral, unethical and gruesome tactics they employ and because the vast majority of their victims have been other Muslims. ... one of our strategic goals should be to empower the authentic and mainstream Muslim voices that are working on a daily basis to counter the cult of death, which groups such as Al-Qaeda call to. By removing religious labels from describing the terrorists, we empower and embolden those mainstream voices and deny the terrorists from making a religious claim. This is precisely why in 2008 a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) internal memo circulated amongst government agencies directed government officials and diplomatic staff to consider the implications of using “Islamic” language when discussing terrorism-related issues.
Originally, these hearings were slated to begin in February, but they actually began in March of 2011.
UPDATE Rep. King has now held five hearings. Here is the TAM collection of articles dealing with all aspects of these:
On TAM we have published a number of articles on Rep. Peter King’s Hearings and related U.S. government and military hearings and training that most American Muslims consider to be Islamophobic: TAM has an article The American Muslim Community and Rep. Peter King’s “Islamic” Radicalization Hearings which has a great deal of background on Peter King and these hearings, which includes an extensive article collection. We also have a series of articles breaking down various aspects of the hearings.
- Peter King’s Hearing: What Was the Point? discussing the content of the hearings, with a collection of articles written after the hearing ended.
- Peter King’s Civics Lesson for American Muslims which has a collection of anti-Muslim statements by elected representatives and government officials made during and before the hearings.
- Existing reports and studies on radicalization in the American Muslim Community and Polls, Surveys, and Statistics Relating to Islam and Muslims with actual hard evidence so lacking in the hearing.
- Response of Civic Organizations and Interfaith Community to “Muslim Radicalization” Hearings
- Elected Representatives & Government Officials Who HAVE Questioned Islamophobia with quotes from elected representatives and government officials attempting to counter the bias of this hearing both during and before the hearing.
- Peter King’s hearing: witness testimonies - allegations but no facts
- Peter King’s Fourth Hearing Targets Muslims in the Military
- Peter King’s Fifth Hearing With “Astroturf” Muslim Witnesses
- Zuhdi Jasser and AIFD - Identified by Rep. King as the Ideal American Muslim Leadership
- Does Rep. King’s IRA/Terrorist Connection Matter?
- Answers to Peter King’s Claims About the American Muslim Community which lays out all of his claims and allegations and provides detailed answers to each. (e.g. Do Muslims cooperate with law enforcement? Do Muslims speak out against terrorism and extremism? Are most Muslims terrorists? Are 80 to 85% of mosques run by radicals? Have American Muslim organizations responded to the issue of radicalization? Are mosques the source of radicalization? etc.)
- The scope of Rep. Kings Hearings Creates Homeland “in"Security
- National Faith Leaders to Protest Anti-Muslim Hearings
- Rep. Peter King’s Muslim Phobia
- Claim that all terrorists are Muslims ignores history
- The NYPD, the CIA, and “The Third Jihad”
- Islamophobia no longer questioned - even by our elected representatives
- GOP Anti-Muslim Limbo: They’ve Lowered the Bar Again!
- The GOP Anti-Muslim Limbo: How Low Can They Go?
- White House Releases “New” Counter-terrorism Strategy: Empowering Local Partners to Prevent Violent Extremism in the United States
- Where is the U.S. Government Getting It’s Information on Islam and Muslims?
All of these articles will be updated as further information comes in, and there will be more articles in this series.
REP. KING’S BACKGROUND
GENERAL POLITICAL VIEWS
Terrorist connections:
In the past, Rep. King openly supported the IRA. As Justin Elliott notes in his article The Republican congressman who supported terrorism: “If “IRA” were replaced with “Hamas,” the sort of fundraising King did would these days earn you a lengthy prison sentence for material support for terrorism.” Alex Massie points out ”... King presents himself as a hawk on security issues who, like so many so-called conservatives, is an enthusiastic supporter of torture and, should it prove necessary, nuclear weapons. Listening to King talk about al Qaeda, you could be forgiven for thinking that he’s the terrorists’ most implacable enemy. Which would be funny if it weren’t such a sour joke. For years, King, who represents a chunk of New York’s Long Island, was in fact the terrorists’ best friend. King wasn’t merely an apologist for terrorism, he was an enthusiastic supporter of terrorism. Of course it was Irish, not Islamic terrorism that King championed. So that’s different. Right? For decades, King was one of the keenest, most reliable American voices supporting the Irish Republican Army during its long and murderous campaign. According to King, the terrorist movement was “the legitimate voice of occupied Ireland.” In Northern Ireland, the conflict was drily referred to as “The Troubles.” But that understatement hides the brutal nature of an ugly, squalid conflict during which more than 3,600 people were killed. Republican terrorists were responsible for more than 2,000 of these deaths. The scale of the carnage was such that, on a per-capita basis, a comparable conflict in the United States would kill 700,000 Americans. And King was at the heart of it: In the 1980s, he was a prominent fundraiser for Noraid, the Irish-American organization that raised money for the IRA and was suspected of running guns to Ulster. Indeed, King’s rise to prominence within the Irish-American movement was predicated upon his support for the IRA at a time when New Yorkers were softer on terrorism than they are now. Noraid helped win King his seat in Congress, making him, in some respects, the terrorists’ Man in Washington. King is not the only government representative who appears to be unaware of who is and is not a terrorist, and who has had questionable connections with terrorist groups. Tim Murphy reports: King isn’t the only conservative who says one thing and does another when it comes to material support. Last month, a panel of Bush-era luminaries—Rudy Giuliani, former Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge, and former Attorney General Michael Mukasey—traveled to Paris to speak at a conference in support of Mujahideen-e-Khalq, an Iranian Marxist group that’s opposed to the Ahmadinejad regime but has landed on the State Department terror list (the designation cannot be challenged in court). Because the event’s organizer, the French Committee for a Democratic Iran, was formed to build support for the MEK, Cole says the trio’s advocacy constituted a clear breach of federal law.
(Note: as Robert Wright has pointed out “Representative King, who shares the Weekly Standard’s grave suspicions about Rauf, supported the Irish Republican Army back when it was killing lots of innocent civilians. He raised money for the I.R.A. and said it was “the legitimate voice of occupied Ireland” and praised the “brave men and women who this very moment are carrying forth the struggle against British imperialism in the streets of Belfast and Derry” and in various other ways backed this terrorist group. If Rauf’s past looked like King’s past, there would indeed be cause for concern.”)
King’s IRA connections were of enough concern that as M.J. Rosenberg has reported In 1984, “the Secret Service listed him as a threat when President Reagan made a trip to Nassau County to watch a Special Olympics event.”
Rep. King wrote a novel “Vale of Tears” in which he seems to grasp the concept that terrorism might be a problem, no matter its source, as the product description on Amazon reads: “In King’s fictional two track style of creating a fictional future and flashing back to actual events in history, he places Congressman Sean Cross at the center of international terrorism, this time coming from the (sic) radical Islam in cahoots with the Irish Republican Army.”
King wants Wikileaks designated as a terrorist organization.
King supports torture of Guantanamo detainees.
On the Laura Ingraham radio program, King was asked what would have happened if Jared Loughner had been a Muslim, and he responded: “The first statement [from the left after past instances of Islamic terror] was we have no right to judge an entire community by one person. This is a deranged gunman who in no way reflects what Islam stands for, and it would be terrible if Americans tried to even look at Islam as being responsible for this. It would have been a total defense of Islam, a total isolation of this person as an individual acting by himself, and an implied attack on anyone that would even question whether or not his religious beliefs were involved.” Perhaps he needs to speak with Sarah Palin about her attack on anyone that would even question whether or not inflammatory rhetoric might encourage violence, and why only the deranged gunman is responsible.
King wants to eliminate the Dept. of Education. He wants to privatize Social Security. He wants to consider ending birthright citizenship. He wants to repeal Health Care reform. He did not support the balanced budget amendment. He voted NO on prohibiting job discrimination based on sexual orientation, and YES on making Patriot Act permanent. You can see his Congressional voting record here. You can see his record on civil rights here.
VIEWS ON ISLAM AND MUSLIMS
In our TAM article collection Islamophobia no longer questioned - even by our elected representatives, Rep. King is only of those quoted as saying alarming things about Islam and Muslims. However, his current position makes his statements much more of a concern.
King said that there are “Too Many Mosques” in the U.S.”
King said “The enemy is Islamic terrorism. It’s not an amorphous extremism….It’s Islamic terrorism which opposes the very fiber of what we stand for”
King made comments suggesting that American Muslims don’t cooperate with authorities. He said “85 percent of American Muslim community leaders are an enemy living amongst us” and that “no (American) Muslims cooperate in the war on terror”. Back in 2004 King said on the Sean Hannity program “I would say, you could say that 80-85 percent of mosques in this country are controlled by Islamic fundamentalists…Those who are in control. lThe average Muslim, no, they are loyal, but they don’t work, they don’t come forward, they don’t tell the police.” In 2006 King, sent two letters to several thousand, mainly Jewish, constituents in New York’s 3rd Congressional District. The letters condemn American Muslim leaders, including those at ICLI, for “failing to unequivocally denounce Islamic terrorism.” The letters also point out that leaders of ICLI, a Westbury-based mosque founded in 1985, are supporting King’s Democratic opponent in the upcoming election.
He has been a vocal opponent of the Cordoba House. King said regarding Cordoba House “It’s a house of worship, but we are at war with Al Qaeda.”
Unless you believe that all Muslims are somehow supportive of or connected with Al Qaeda, that is one colossal non sequitur. Most Muslims are at war with Al Qaeda.
In 2004, King said: “The fact is while the overwhelming majority of Muslims are outstanding people, on the other hand 100% of the Islamic terrorists are Muslims, and that is our main enemy today.” King used this inane comment to back his support of profiling of Muslims.
This is a meanlingless comment. Of course 100% of Muslim terrorists are Muslims. The question is, what does King plan to do about the majority of terrorists - who are not Muslims?
King made questionable comments about the Islamic Center of Long Island.
Rep. King said On Frank Gaffney’s radio program on January 11th that Muslims Aren’t ‘American’ When It Comes To War. King’s willingness to appear on Gaffney’s program may say something about King’s biases. As Sarah Posner notes: “Gaffney has been peddling the bogus claim that shari’ah law represents a real threat to the Constitution, and has called on Congress to “investigate” that as well. He employs someone who believes being Muslim should be criminalized. He brought that dog and pony show to Capitol Hill late last year for the benefit of House staffers, and spoke to a room of about 50 people. It surely is a deeply troubling development that King is cavorting with Gaffney and pontificating about the “Americanism” of American Muslims, in light of Gaffney’s agitation about fifth columns of shari’ah proponents bent on undermining the Constitution.” (More on Gaffney and his Center for Security Policy Sharia report here, here, here. Lee Fang at ThinkProgress has noted that even the Conservative Political Action Conference has frozen out King’s interviewer, Frank Gaffney, for being a “crazy bigot.” Gaffney Still Fearmongering About Sharia In U.S. here
KING’S INFORMATION SOURCES & COLLEAGUES
When asked where he gets his information about Muslims King mentions doubtful sources: “Hannity asked King to confirm he was saying 85 percent of mosques in America are “ruled by the extremists.” “Yes,” he replied, “and I can get you the documentation on that from experts in the field. Talk to a Steve Emerson, talk to a [Daniel] Pipes, talk to any of those. They will tell you. It’s a real issue … . I’ll stand by that number of 85 percent. This is an enemy living amongst us.” (More on Emerson here and here and a number of responses to Emerson here. Numerous responses to Daniel Pipes’ claims here)
Rep. King defended Pamela Geller and called her a “credible spokesperson”. (More on Geller here, here, and here)
According to ACT for America’s Orlando site: “The many Senators and Congressman & Women who support Act for America (e.g. Michelle Bachman, Peter King, Sue Myrick, Bozeman, Franks who spoke to us at our National Convention in D.C. this past month.” More on Sue Myrick and ACT here. More on the The Anti-Muslim Congressional Mafia here. More on Brigitte Gabrielle, the head of ACT here. Many have questioned whether ACT is educating or fear mongering.
Regarding the Iraq War King said: “We went into Iraq because Saddam Hussein refused to account for his weapons of mass destruction, consistently violated UN resolutions and in a post-9/11 world no American president could afford to give Saddam Hussein the benefit of the doubt.”
It has been announced that Rep. Peter King will be the first guest on Brigitte Gabriel’s Act for America’s new television program.
I don’t believe that it is possible for King to send a clearer message about his intentions for the upcoming inquiry. Every American Muslim should get ready for that “Are you now, or have you ever been, a Muslim” question. Let’s just hope that those Halliburton Internment Camps aren’t being refurbished. Here’s a little background on Act for America and it’s founder, Brigitte Gabriel who said “If a Muslim who has—who is—a practicing Muslim who believes the word of the Koran to be the word of Allah, who abides by Islam, who goes to mosque and prays every Friday, who prays five times a day—this practicing Muslim, who believes in the teachings of the Koran, cannot be a loyal citizen to the United States of America.” Brigitte Gabriel has also stated: “America and the West are doomed to failure in this war unless they stand up and identify the real enemy: Islam.” She also said “between Israel and the Arab world is the difference between civilization and barbarism and also said of the “Arabic world,” that they “have no soul.” She said “a practising Muslim who goes to mosque every Friday, prays five times a day, and who believes that the Koran is the word of God, and who believes that Mohammed is the perfect man and (four inaudible words) is a radical Muslim.” She said If you want to understand the nature of the enemy we face, visualize a tapestry of snakes. They slither and they hiss, and they would eat each other alive, but they will unite in a hideous mass to achieve their common goal of imposing Islam on the world. This is the ugly face of the enemy we are fighting.” More on Gabriel here, here, here, here, and here.
SEE ALSO:
A plan to radicalise Muslims, Ajmal Masroor http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2007/apr/11/12pointplantoradicaliseyo
A Political Spectacle that Perpetuates Prejudice, Miroslav Volf http://www.theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/a_political_spectacle_that_perpetuates_prejudice/0018432
A spiritual jihad against terrorism, Sheila Musaji (5 parts) http://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/a_spiritual_jihad_against_terrorism_part_i/
A Time for Introspection: “The worst enemies of Islam are from within”, Hamza Yusuf http://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/a_time_for_introspection_the_worst_enemies_of_islam_are_from_within/
Abuse of Language Threatens American Freedoms, James Zogby http://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/abuse_of_language_threatens_american_freedoms/
The Amman Initiative: A Theological Counter-Attack Against Terrorism, S. Abdallah Schleifer http://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/the_amman_initiative_a_theological_counter_attack_against_terrorism/
Attitudes of Ignorance, Parvez Ahmed http://www.iviews.com/Articles/articles.asp?ref=CD0408-2420
American Muslim Leaders Probe Problem Of Disaffected Youths http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/20/muslim-leaders-probe-prob_n_799384.html
The American Muslim receives positive mention in HSPI Report on Countering Internet Radicalization, Sheila Musaji http://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/the_american_muslim_receives_positivemention_in_hspi_report_on_internet_fac/
American Muslims and “Integration”, Parvez Ahmed http://islam.about.com/od/currentissues/a/usa_integrate.htm
American Muslims Have A Special Obligation, Ingrid Mattson, http://www.beliefnet.com/story/89/story_8987_1.html
American Muslims must defend the Constitution of the United States, Sheila Musaji (includes many quotes by individuals who do not understand the Constitution) http://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/american_muslims_must_defend_the_constitution_of_the_united_states/
American Muslims Struggle for the Soul of Islam, Hassan Zillur Rahim, http://www.theamericanmuslim.org/2002june_comments.php?id=11_0_2_0_C
American Political Scene and American Muslims http://www.islamfortoday.com/usapolitics.htm
American Suspicion Of Muslims Grows: Interview with Zareena Grewal http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129780832
America’s Crucial Choice: Religious Division Or Unity, Eboo Patel http://www.huffingtonpost.com/eboo-patel/division-vs-unity_b_702833.html
America’s Ideals Are Being Challenged By Cordoba House Controversy, Sheila Musaji http://www.theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/cordoba_house/0018179
America’s new McCarthy, Seema Jilani http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2011/mar/03/congress-islam
America’s promise meant for everyone, Eboo Patel http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/eboo_patel/2010/08/hate_assailing_grace.html#more
America’s Two Muslim Congressmen Cogitate on the New York Mosque and the State of Islam in the U.S. http://swampland.blogs.time.com/2010/08/18/americas-two-muslim-congressmen-cogitate-on-the-new-york-mosque-and-the-state-of-islam-in-the-u-s/#ixzz0xZCfD2MF
America’s “Good Muslims” Are Being Left Out to Dry , Abbas Barzegar http://www.huffingtonpost.com/abbas-barzegar/americas-good-muslims-are_b_686690.html
Answering Questions from American Muslims, Grand Mufti of Egypt, Shaykh Ali Gomaa http://www.theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/answering_questions_from_american_muslims/
Archbishop Dolan, Please Call Rep. Peter King http://blog.faithinpubliclife.org/2011/01/archbishop_dolan_please_call_r.html
Are American Muslims “The Enemy Within?”, Sheila Musaji http://www.theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/are_muslims_the_enemy_within1/
Between Nation and Umma: Muslim Loyalty in a Globalizing World, Yahya Birt http://www.theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/between_nation_and_umma_muslim_loyalty_in_a_globalizing_world/
Beyond the Condemnation of Terrorism, Louay Safi http://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/beyond_the_condemnation_of_terrorism/
Bigotry of Peter King, Peter Beinart http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2011-03-06/peter-kings-anti-muslim-bigotry-haunts-terrorism-hearings/
Blaming Islam: Examining the Religion Building Enterprise, Louay Safi http://www.theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/blaming_islam/
Bridging the Atlantic divide between Muslims, Jalees Rehman http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/4028/
British Muslims Speak Out About Loudmouths in Their Midst http://www.altmuslim.com/news_comments.php?id=1208_0_26_0_C
The broad brush of anti-Muslim mania, Tony Norman http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11067/1130374-153.stm
Can non-Muslims be terrorists?, Adam Serwer http://www.prospect.org/csnc/blogs/adam_serwer_archive?month=12&year=2010&base_name=can_nonmuslims_be_terrorists_d
Can there be a discussion on Islam that’s not STUPID???, Farish A Noor http://www.theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/can_there_be_a_discussion_on_islam_that’s_not_stupid/
Case for an American Muslim Identity, Muqtedar Khan http://www.beliefnet.com/Faiths/2000/08/The-Case-For-An-American-Muslim-Identity.aspx
Challenge of Leadership Facing the American Muslim Community, Anisa Abd el Fattah, http://www.muslimedia.com/archives/special99/challen-us.htm
Civil rights and the Patriot Act, TAM article collection http://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/civil_rights_and_the_patriot_act/
Confronting Online Radicalization of Muslim Youth, Shahed Amanullah http://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/confronting_online_radicalization_of_muslim_youth/
Congressional hearings on Muslim extremists stand to divide Americans, Victor Ghaleb Begg http://www.freep.com/article/20110306/OPINION05/110305018/Online-commentary-Congressional-hearings-Muslim-extremists-stand-divide-Americans
Counterterrorism Experts Reject Peter King’s Targeting of Muslims http://www.nsnetwork.org/node/1847
The danger of a Muslim witch hunt, David Gushee http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/yb/156467962
Dean Rejects Gingrich’s ‘Radical Islam’ Fearmongering: ‘Radical Anything Is What’s Bad’ http://thinkprogress.org/2011/02/02/dean-gingrich-radical-islam/
Democracy and Islam, TAM article collection http://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/democracy_political_order/
Dept. of Homeland Security Urges Caution With Words http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/05/30/terrorist.terms/
Fight over Islam, Ben Smith http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0311/The_fight_over_Islam.html
Flailing after Muslims, Bob Herbert http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/08/opinion/08herbert.html?src=twrhp
The Founding Fathers and Islam, James Hutson http://www.loc.gov/loc/lcib/0205/tolerance.html
Freedom as Ideology and Counterfeit Coinage: Why We Must Attend to the Meaning of Words, Jeremy henzell-Thomas http://www.theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/freedom_as_ideology_and_counterfeit_coinage_why_we_must_attend_to_the_meani/
Great Islamophobic Crusade, Max Blumenthal http://maxblumenthal.com/2010/12/the-great-islamophobic-crusade/
Hearings on Muslims trigger panic, William Wan http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/23/AR2011012304394.html
Hirabah versus Jihad, Dr. Robert D. Crane http://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/terrorism_hirabah_versus_jihad/
Hiraba http://www.muhajabah.com/islamicblog/archives/veiled4allah/003000.php
Home-grown imams fight home-grown extremism, Aftab Ahmad Malik http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/2707/
Homegrown Radicals: Complacency is not an Option, Parvez Ahmed http://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/homegrown_radicals_complacency_is_not_an_option/
How Did This Guy Become a Homeland Security Overlord? The Curious Career of Peter King, William Norman Grigg http://www.lewrockwell.com/grigg/grigg-w189.html
IRA terror victim speaks out against Peter King, Justin Elliott http://www.salon.com/news/terrorism/?story=/politics/war_room/2011/01/07/peter_king_ira_bombing_survivor
IRA Rep. King and the IRA: The End of an Extraordinary Affair?, Ed Moloney http://www.nysun.com/national/rep-king-and-the-ira-the-end-of-an-extraordinary/15853/
Is there such a thing as religious terrorism?, Sheila Musaji http://www.theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/is_there_such_a_thing_as_religious_terrorism/
Islam: Religion or Ideology?, Imam Zaid Shakir http://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/islam_religion_or_ideology/
Islamic Fascists? Deceptive Labels & Propoganda are Counterproductive, Sheila Musaji http://www.theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/islamic_fascists1/
Islamic or Muslim Terrorism and Extremism: Are they all Contradictions in Terms?, Jeremy Henzell-Thomas http://www.theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/islamic_or_muslim_terrorism_and_extremism_are_they_all_contradictions_in_te/
‘Islamic terrorism’ an insult that distorts reality, Jimmy E. Jones http://www.theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/islamic_terrorism_an_insult_that_distorts_reality/
Islamophobia and Arabophobia: Laying The Groundwork - Us vs. Them, Sheila Musaji http://www.theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/islamophobia_laying_the_groundwork_us_vs_them/
Islamophobia Can Create Radicalization, James Zogby http://www.huffingtonpost.com/james-zogby/peter-king-note-islamopho_b_831790.html
Islamophobia: Real or Imagined, (TAM article collection) Sheila Musaji http://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/islamophobia_real_or_imagined/
Islam-bashing undermines U.S. domestic counterterror efforts, David Shanzer http://blog.nj.com/njv_guest_blog/2010/08/islam-bashing_undermines_us_do.html
Peter King can do some real damage with congressional Muslim hearings, Corey Saylor http://www.statesman.com/opinion/saylor-rep-peter-king-can-do-some-real-1300720.html
The King Has No Clothes: Attacking Muslims is Dumb Way to Fight Terrorism http://www.humanrightsfirst.org/2011/03/07/the-king-has-no-clothes-attacking-muslims-is-dumb-way-to-fight-terrorism/
The King hearing on “Muslim radicalization” and moral clarity on terrorism, Hussein Ibish http://www.ibishblog.com/blog/hibish/2011/01/22/king_hearing_%E2%80%9Cmuslim_radicalization%E2%80%9D_and_moral_clarity_terrorism
King Hearings Are Inconsistent With First Amendment Values, Kate Martin http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kate-martin/king-hearings-inconsistent-first-amendment-values_b_831437.html
Peter King only cares about Muslim extremists http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2011/1/11/935405/-Rep.-Peter-King-only-cares-about-Muslim-extremists?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+dailykos%2Findex+%28Daily+Kos%29
Peter King, The ‘Hero’ of the War on Terror, (Vale of Tears novel) Michelle Goldberg http://www.thenation.com/article/158473/hero-war-terror
Peter King: Scholar of Islam, Jeffrey Goldberg http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2011/02/peter-king-scholar-of-islam/71751/
Rep. Peter King: Police Should Target Muslims Because They’re Responsible For 90% Of Terrorism, Eli Clifton http://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/rep.-peter-king-police-should-target-muslims-because-theyre-responsible-for
Peter King’s Falsehoods (lies) about Islam, the VIDEO http://www.islamicate.com/2011/03/peter-kings-falsehoods-the-video.html
Peter King’s Fourth Hearing Targets Muslims in the Military, Sheila Musaji http://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/peter-kings
Peter King’s hearings: Are American Muslims the problem or the solution?, Gail Russel Chaddock http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2011/0310/Peter-King-hearings-Are-American-Muslims-the-problem-or-the-solution
Peter King’s hearings: Islamophobia draped in the American flag, John Esposito http://onfaith.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/panelists/john_esposito/2011/03/islamophobia_draped_in_the_american_flag.html
Rep. Peter King’s hearings on Islamic radicalization: Fuel for the bigots, Richard Cohen http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/03/07/AR2011030704385.html
Peter King’s hearings: plenty of drama, less substance, http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/peter-king-tempers-rhetoric-on-muslims-as-congressional-hearing-gets-under-way/2011/03/10/ABhV3BQ_story.html
Peter King’s Muslim hearings, Eboo Patel http://onfaith.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/eboo_patel/2010/12/peter_kings_muslim_hearings.html
Peter King’s Radicalization Hearings, Explained, Tim Murphy http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2011/03/peter-kings-radicalization-hearings-explained
Peter King’s strange journey from Irish radical to Muslim inquisitor, Niall O’Dowd http://www.irishcentral.com/story/news/periscope/congressman-peter-kings-strange-journey-from-irish-radical-to-muslim-inquisitor——i-no-longer-recognize-the-politician-i-have-known-for-25-years-117570083.html
Rep. King’s Terrorism Problem: Rep. King Unfit to Chair Inquiry, Amnesty International http://www.huffingtonpost.com/amnesty-international/rep-king-unfit-to-chair-h_b_805293.html
Peter King: I Won’t Widen Hearings To Include Non-Muslim Extremism, Rachel Slajda http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/pete-king/2011/01/
King of political theater, William Fisher http://pubrecord.org/politics/8793/king-of-political-theater/
Representative King’s hearing on “Muslim Radicalization” misguided and counterproductive, Raha Wala http://www.humanrightsfirst.org/2011/02/09/representative-kings-hearing-on-muslim-radicalization-misguided-and-counterproductive/
Peter King’s terror hearing test: If he’s his old demagogic self, radicalism inquiry will backfire, Bill Hammond http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2010/12/21/2010-12-21_peter_kings_terror_hearing_test_if_hes_his_old_demagogic_self_hell_sink_inquiry_.html
Peter King’s terrorism problem, Tim Murphy http://motherjones.com/politics/2011/01/peter-king-terrorism-problem
Language and war in the Middle East, Ali Alarabi http://www.theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/language_and_war_in_the_middle_east/
Language and the Politics of the Living Dead, Henry A. Giroux http://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/language_and_the_politics_of_the_living_dead/
Leadership in American Muslim Community, TAM article collection http://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/authority_leadership_community_building/
Monitoring America, Dana Priest & William Arkin http://projects.washingtonpost.com/top-secret-america/articles/monitoring-america/
Muslim-Americans Reflect On ‘Radicalization’ VIDEO http://onpoint.wbur.org/2011/03/09/muslim-americans
Muslim leaders available for comment on NYPD report on homegrown threat of radicalization, MPAC http://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/muslim_leaders_available_for_comment_on_nypd_report_on_homegrown_threa/
Muslims to Be Congressional Hearings’ Main Focus, Laurie Goodstein http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/08/us/politics/08muslim.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss
The Myth of Homegrown Islamic Terrorism, Romesh Ratnesar http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2044047,00.html#ixzz1C9FYY61A
“NETworked Radicalization: A Counter-Strategy”, HSPI report http://www.gwumc.edu/hspi/old/reports/NETworked%20Radicalization_A%20Counter%20Strategy.pdf
New Frontiers in Conflict Management: A Grand Strategy to Wage Jihad Against Terrorist Muslims, Dr. Robert D. Crane http://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/new_frontiers_in_conflict_management_a_grand_strategy_to_wage_jihad_against/
The new rhetoric of Islamophobia, M.J. Rosenberg http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/opinion/2011/01/201111074425968803.html
NYPD Report at Odds with Federal Law Enforcement http://www.adc.org/index.php?id=3149
Obama Administration Official Ignores Non-Muslim Terrorists, Eric Love http://blogs.alternet.org/speakeasy/2010/06/08/obama-administration-only-muslims-can-be-terrorists/
Open Letter to Congressman Peter King, Frank Fredericks http://www.huffingtonpost.com/frank-fredericks/open-letter-to-congressma_1_b_815638.html
Over 50 Organizations Sign Letter Opposing King Hearing Targeting American Muslims, Muslim Advocates http://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/over_50_organizations_sign_letter_opposing_king_hearing_targeting_american_
The Paranoid and Abhorrent Obsession with Muslims in the Media, Jeremy Henzell-Thomas http://www.theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/the_paranoid_and_abhorrent_obsession_with_muslims_in_the_media/
Partnership not profiling, Alejandro J. Beutel http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/foreign-policy/147565-partnership-not-profiling
Daniel Pipes Strange Understanding of Radical Religious Ideological Movements, Sheila Musaji http://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/daniel_pipes/
Putting Islam on the Stand Is Wrong and Misguided, Joshua Stanton http://www.rhrna.org/?p=1422
“Radicalism is the realization of marginalization”, Wajahat Ali http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/n/2668/
Radicalization of the American Muslim community, Lawrence Davidson http://www.thecanadiancharger.com/page.php?id=5&a=743
Radicalization of Peter King, Tim Murphy http://motherjones.com/mojo/2010/12/radicalization-peter-king
The radicals in Congress, Dr. Lawrence Davidson http://www.intifada-palestine.com/2011/01/the-radicals-in-congress-%E2%80%93-an-analysis-by-dr-lawrence-davidson/
Reckoning with Radical Islam, Lee Hamilton http://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/reckoning_with_radical_islam/
Religious Authority, Extremism, and the Amman Message, H.A. Hellyer http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/2733/
Response to Stephen Schwartz’ article Scientific Training and Radical Islam, Abdul Cader Asmal http://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/response_to_stephen_schwarz_article_scientific_training_and_radical_islam/
Should Muslim Americans Be Afraid?, Sheila Musaji http://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/should_muslim_americans_be_afraid/
Stoking irrational fears about Islam, Eugene Robinson http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/03/07/AR2011030703197.html?hpid=opinionsbox1
Strengthening America’s Security Identifying, Preventing and Responding to Domestic Terrorism, Center for American Progress http://www.americanprogressaction.org/events/2010/07/americassecurity.html
Terrorism American style http://alittlereality.blogspot.com/2007/05/terrorism-american-style.html
Terrorism double standards, Sean Ryan http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.11329/title.david-banner-talks-terrorism-double-standard
Terrorism, Jihad, and the Struggle for New Understandings, Dr. Antony T. Sullivan http://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/terrorism_terrorism_jihad_and_the_struggle_for_new_understandings/
Terrorism: It’s Not Jihad, It’s Unholy Hirabah, Jim Guirard http://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/terrorism_its_not_jihad_its_unholy_hirabah/
Terrorism policy flaws ‘increased risk of attacks’, says former police chief, Vikram Dodd http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/jul/07/terrorism-policy-flaws-attacks-police-chief
Thank God Someone Is Listening to Us - Terrorism Is Not Jihad, Sheila Musaji http://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/thank_god_someone_is_listening_to_us_terrorism_is_not_jihad/
“To Bigotry No Sanction”, Rabbi Arthur Waskow http://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/to_bigotry_no_sanction
Triangle Center on Terrorism and Homeland Security http://www.sanford.duke.edu/centers/tcths/
VIDEO: Tackling Extremism, Hamza Yusuf http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7464474174671383831&q=obsession+radical+islam
The Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act Undermines Freedom, Sheila Musaji http://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/the_violent_radicalization_and_homegrown_terrorism_prevention_act_hr_1955/
War on Terror Rhetoric Sounds Like a War on Islam, Parvez Ahmed http://www.theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/war_on_terror_rhetoric_sounds_like_war_on_islam/
What if Jared Loughner were a Muslim?, Dean Obeidallah http://articles.cnn.com/2011-01-13/opinion/obeidallah.loughner.muslims_1_muslims-arab-american-terrorist-label?_s=PM:OPINION
What Islamophobia really threatens, Mark Benjamin http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2010/09/29/american_muslim_terrorism_report
When in doubt call if Jihad, Svend White http://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/when_in_doubt_call_it_jihad/
When Language Grows Darker and Darker, Joan Chittister http://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/when_language_grows_darker_and_darker/
Will Islamophobes Be Allowed to Obtain Their Ultimate Goal?, Dr. Abdul Cader Asmal http://www.theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/will_islamophobes_be_allowed_to_obtain_their_ultimate_goal/
Winning the War of Ideas, Dr. Hesham Hassaballa http://www.theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/winning_the_war_of_ideas/
Why Muslims have so little clout, Ben Smith http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0111/Why_Muslims_have_so_little_clout.html
You Say Jihadi, I Say Extremist, Zahed Amanullah http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/b/2709/
Zombie Lie: Right Still Clinging To Decade-Old Fabrication About Radicalized Mosques http://mediamatters.org/research/201102020008