Letter to the Honorable Peter King, Chairman of the US House Committee on Homeland Security - Rep. Laura Richardson Calls on Chairman King to Halt "Muslim Radicalization' Hearings

Letter

Dear Chairman King:

We the undersigned members of the House Committee on Homeland Security write to express our deep concern regarding the hearing scheduled for March 10, which has been called to investigate "The Extent of Radicalization in the American Muslim Community and that Community's Response." Due to the incomplete and unduly divisive nature of this inquiry, we respectfully request that you strongly consider canceling the upcoming hearing. We understand that Ranking Member Thompson has written to you on February 1, 2011 with a similar request. We support the Ranking Member for the reasons stated in his letter and for the following additional reasons:

Forging strong, positive relationships with the Muslim community is vital to our law enforcement community's ability to combat homegrown terrorism. According to the Congressional Research Service, Islamic communities have helped U.S. security officials prevent more than two out of every five Al-Qaeda plots threatening the United States since the attacks of September 11, 2001 and helped prevent over 75 percent of all the plots that occurred in the past year.

Our concern is that holding a hearing targeting this community, will have the unintended consequences of breeding alienation and fostering feelings of resentment. As a result, we risk hindering law enforcement's efforts to detect, deter, or prevent potential threats that hide themselves within these communities.

Alternatively, should you elect to proceed with the proposed hearing, we urge you to broaden its scope. From Jared Lee Loughner to Timothy McVeigh, history has shown us that domestic terrorism in the United States crosses many spectrums and ideologies. For example, since the 2008 presidential election, there have been 44 plots by domestic non-Muslim violent extremists. By comparison, there have been 20 domestic terror plots by American Muslims or foreign born Muslims operating in the United States. While we recognize that "Islamic radicalization" is real and should be included in any inquiry into homegrown terrorism, it is arbitrary and even counterproductive for this topic to be the sole focus of the upcoming hearing.

We sincerely hope that you consider these requests and look forward to continue working with you in protecting the safety and liberties of every American.

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