Friday, March 11, 2011

Peter King Delves Into the Radicalization of Muslims

It was an interesting hearing, the hearing called by Homeland Security Committee Chairman Peter King. The mission of the hearing was to shine a spotlight on the growing problem of some in the Muslim population exploiting young men as they indoctrinate them into a radical form of the Muslim religion. To hear the far left critics, you would think it was the reincarnation of the McCarthy hearings of the 1950's. This comparison is ridiculous at best; deliberate cynicism at worst.

To deny radicalization is to deny reality. It is a small minority of Muslims, to be sure, but it exists. What are liberals afraid of in bringing forward a national conversation that threatens our national security? Once again political correctness is deadly serious.

Senator Joe Lieberman held fourteen hearings on radical Islam as chairman of the Homeland Security Committee in the Senate. Rep Jane Harmon, on the House side, held six hearings. Where was the outrage from Democrats during those years and those hearings?

I heard Rep Bennie Thompson and Rep Sheila Jackson Lee claim that the hearing would be fodder for negative publicity against our soldiers. I don't recall, however, these two elected officials saying the same as the far left endorsed a full page political ad in The New York Times calling General David Petraeus "General Betrayus".

I heard indignant Democrats call for hearings on the KKK and on "radical" Catholics in this country. Okay, bring it, too. If there is evidence of an increase of harm to our country from any group, it must be looked into by a federal committee. That is the job of those charged with such oversight.

Rep Keith Ellison told a story of a young man killed in the 9/11/01 attacks in Manhattan and broke down in sobs as he told the tale.

The Minnesota Democrat ended his testimony with the story of 23-year-old Mohammad Salman Hamdani, a Pakistani-born American who was killed in New York on Sept. 11, 2001 while trying to save victims from the World Trade Center buildings. Before his remains were found near the north tower, rumor spread that he had been involved in the killings.

“Mr. Hamdani bravely sacrificed his life to try to help others on 9/11. After the tragedy some people tried to smear his character, solely because of his Islamic faith,” Ellison said while straining to hold back tears and his voice cracking. “Some people spread false rumors and speculated that he was in league with the attackers because he was a Muslim. But it was only when his remains were identified that these lies were exposed. ”


And, as it turns out, the tale was a work of fiction. The story told by Ellison and the real facts are HERE

If the story was a deliberate lie on the part of Ellison, just a bit of testimony theatre, then he should be run out of office. It is quite disgraceful the lengths that some will go to in order to capture a camera or grab a headline in the name of
a political career.

For all the hysterics, no one accused the entire Muslim population in America of plotting the demise of our country. Everyone acknowledged that there are bad apples in every barrel. It is a national conversation long overdue.

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