It has often happened in the U.S. that a religion or ethnic group is singled out and be subjected to discrimination, demonization, imprisonment or worse. However, there have always been people to stand up bravely against this injustice. We would really need such people today. Peter King, a member of the State of New York, seems to feel resentment towards the Muslim community of the United States.
Chairman of the powerful Committee on Homeland Security of the House of Representatives, it has all the necessary influence to turn his dissatisfaction into action. Thursday, March 10 opens the first of a series of hearings examining the threat of Islamic terrorism in the United States and claims - falsely - that American Muslims do not cooperate with law enforcement in the fight against terrorism.
"The Muslim community constitutes a real threat to the country, says Peter King, and the only way to get to the bottom of things is to investigate what happens." This kind of conclusory statement from a senior politician can only serve to demonize another group of Americans already a victim of racism and vicious stereotypes.
Rabbi Marc Schneider, president of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding [Foundation for understanding between races], was among 500 people who gathered on March 6 at Times Square in the heart of New York to protest against the hearings launched by Peter King. "Calling American Muslims as the sole source of domestic terrorism and not to consider all forms of violence motivated by extremist beliefs, that my friends, is an injustice," he said.
The fact that an investigation focuses on a religious or ethnic community is at odds with everything the United States represents. This does not seem to worry Peter King. "The threat comes from the Muslim community. Attempts to radicalize the Muslim community concern. Why should I investigate other communities? "He says.
The great danger of these hearings, they also undermine fundamental American values \u200b\u200bis that, nearly ten years after the terrible attacks of September 11, 2001, they will intensify the already heightened anti-Muslim sentiment that prevails in the United States. There is nothing wrong with investigating terrorism.
It is also essential. This is not the same as pointing and harass an entire community. What are we doing? Do we want to demonize the innocent and trample on religious freedom or do we want to put an end to terrorism? Peter King's attacks against Muslims have no sense. He concocted his Muslim witch hunt in his novel Vale of Tears [Valley of Tears, unpublished in French], published in 2004 in which the City of New York is again hit by a terrorist attack and whose hero is, O Surprise, a member of Long Island [constituency of Peter King].
But here we are in real life, and his sinister rantings should not apply. The United States is better than that. We have already experienced this with the witch hunt of Senator Joe McCarthy, the Committee on Un-American Activities House of Representatives, the demonization of Blacks and Jews or the internment of Japanese Americans.
And yet, we reveal the same old story. 
Chairman of the powerful Committee on Homeland Security of the House of Representatives, it has all the necessary influence to turn his dissatisfaction into action. Thursday, March 10 opens the first of a series of hearings examining the threat of Islamic terrorism in the United States and claims - falsely - that American Muslims do not cooperate with law enforcement in the fight against terrorism.
"The Muslim community constitutes a real threat to the country, says Peter King, and the only way to get to the bottom of things is to investigate what happens." This kind of conclusory statement from a senior politician can only serve to demonize another group of Americans already a victim of racism and vicious stereotypes.
Rabbi Marc Schneider, president of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding [Foundation for understanding between races], was among 500 people who gathered on March 6 at Times Square in the heart of New York to protest against the hearings launched by Peter King. "Calling American Muslims as the sole source of domestic terrorism and not to consider all forms of violence motivated by extremist beliefs, that my friends, is an injustice," he said.
The fact that an investigation focuses on a religious or ethnic community is at odds with everything the United States represents. This does not seem to worry Peter King. "The threat comes from the Muslim community. Attempts to radicalize the Muslim community concern. Why should I investigate other communities? "He says.
The great danger of these hearings, they also undermine fundamental American values \u200b\u200bis that, nearly ten years after the terrible attacks of September 11, 2001, they will intensify the already heightened anti-Muslim sentiment that prevails in the United States. There is nothing wrong with investigating terrorism.
It is also essential. This is not the same as pointing and harass an entire community. What are we doing? Do we want to demonize the innocent and trample on religious freedom or do we want to put an end to terrorism? Peter King's attacks against Muslims have no sense. He concocted his Muslim witch hunt in his novel Vale of Tears [Valley of Tears, unpublished in French], published in 2004 in which the City of New York is again hit by a terrorist attack and whose hero is, O Surprise, a member of Long Island [constituency of Peter King].
But here we are in real life, and his sinister rantings should not apply. The United States is better than that. We have already experienced this with the witch hunt of Senator Joe McCarthy, the Committee on Un-American Activities House of Representatives, the demonization of Blacks and Jews or the internment of Japanese Americans.
And yet, we reveal the same old story.
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