Open Letter to Representative King

Dear Representative King,

I am writing this in the spirit of activism and civic engagement that is sweeping our nation. It’s surprising and inspiring to see so many people taking a stand against inequity and I am happy to do my part. While many people were focused on the Wisconsin protests, some of us were also paying close attention to the hearings that you sponsored last week, “The Extent of Radicalization in the American Muslim Community and that Community’s Response.” Wow, that’s quite a title. I care about the safety and well-being of our nation and I care about the growing radicalization taking place across the country; however, I don’t care very much for the way in which you singled out an entire community. I mean, really, do you think it’s a good idea to single out one religion for such scrutiny? Well, let me take the time to express my concerns, because I truly believe that open and honest dialogue has the power to change hearts and minds.

Over the last few months, Muslims in America have been the object of some really interesting conversations. In February, Katie Couric wondered if America needed a Muslim version of the “Cosby Show” so that America could familiarize themselves with Islam and counter the bigotry that many Muslims in America face on a regular basis. Perhaps such a show might be similar to the Canadian show, “Little Mosque on the Prairie.” And just recently, I had the pleasure of watching “Mooz-lum,”, a provocative movie that explores the complexity of the lives African American Muslims. These three moments represent some interesting narratives about Muslim life and underscore our collective need to offset the bigotry with genuine compassion and understanding.

On the other hand, the hearings reflect the type of fear and mis-understanding that has given rise to some of the darkest moments in American history. When I hear some of the rhetoric associated with the hearings, I am reminded of George Santayana’s prophetic words, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” It just isn’t productive or fair for a single group to be singled out for ‘investigation.’ This type of ‘investigation’ reminds me of the anti-immigration nativist Know Nothing Movement that was popular during the 1840s and 1850s. That movement was rooted in a fear that the nation was being taken over by German and Irish immigrants. Similar fears about difference and bigotry fueled Jim Crow and the history of lynchings throughout the nation in the early twentieth century. And might I add that fear and hysteria prompted the interment of over one hundred thousand of Japanese in the early 1940s. As a result, many Japanese American civil rights groups are aligning themselves with the Muslim community in an effort to fight the rampant misinformation and stereotyping that characterizes discussions about Muslim life in America.
I don’t mean to belabor the point, but I just need to know more about how you define radicalization. I just read an enlightening article in the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Intelligence Report that shed some light on the rise of radical hate groups in our country. The article states that “For the second year in a row, the radical right in America expanded explosively in 2010, driven by resentment over the changing racial demographics of the country, frustration over the government’s handling of the economy, and the mainstreaming of conspiracy theories and other demonizing propaganda aimed at various minorities. For many on the radical right, anger is focusing on President Obama, who is seen as embodying everything that’s wrong with the country.” The article also points out that the most dramatic growth of hate groups were in the antigovernment Patriot movement, conspiracy minded governments that see their enemy as the federal government. I tell you, those are some troubling statistics. Will there be hearings about these groups coming soon?
The bottom line is that singling out the Muslim community contradicts the values upon which America was founded. Likewise, it distracts our leaders from researching more productive security strategies. We absolutely have to stop the stereotypes that dominate conversations about Muslim Americans. We are all concerned about the safety of our nation, but there is a better way to talk about the reality of terror in America. We have to learn from our nation’s mistakes. Now is the time for us to be better than our past.


http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/intelligence-report/browse-all-issues/2011/spring/the-year-in-hate-extremism-2010