THE GUARDIAN: Peter King, chair of homeland security committee, wants to show 'extent of radicalisation within Muslim-American community'A New York Republican has pressed ahead with congressional hearings on the threat of homegrown Islamist terrorism , dismissing claims of a McCarthyite witch-hunt against America's Muslims.
Peter King, who chairs the homeland security committee in the House of Representatives, said the hearings were essential to national security, and that Muslim leaders should do more to help authorities prevent extremist attacks.
"The main goal is to show the extent of radicalisation within the Muslim-American community, how dangerous that is, how serious that is," he told Fox television. "It's a real threat. It's a growing threat, and it's not just me saying this."
He accused community leaders of not doing enough to protect America from attacks – although he said the majority of US Muslims were "good Americans".
"The fact is, the main threat is coming from within the Muslim community," he said. "The Muslim community should be embracing what I am doing, should be willing to co-operate because they should be trying to root these people out of their community and co-operate with the police and the FBI."
King's focus on extremists in the Muslim community – to the exclusion of other potential threats – has outraged security experts and human rights activists. >>> Suzanne Goldenberg in Washington | Monday, March 07, 2011
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