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| Imam Shamshad Nasir speaks against extremism (File photo) |
Source/Credit: Daily Bulletin
By Neil Nisperos | March 11, 2011
CHINO - The local Ahmadiyya Muslim Community this week expressed strong opposition against a congressional panel investigating homegrown terrorism.
Rep. Peter King, a New York Republican who called the hearing, says the American Muslim community is not doing enough to speak out against terrorism and is reluctant to help police. The Obama administration worries that broad statements about an entire religion only play into al-Qaida's narrative that the U.S. is at war with Islam.
Imam Shamshad of the Baitul Hamid Mosque in Chino echoed the administration's concern about the House Homeland Security Committee hearing.
"King ought to be aware that such hearings might prove disadvantageous to his cause, as the very people who might have opted to aid him are now very suspicious about his true motives," Shamshad said.
Shamshad took particular offense to recent comments by King that that there is a real threat to the United States from the Muslim community, and the only way to get to the bottom of it is to investigate what is happening.
"He included all Muslims as possible threats," Shamshad said. "This type of thoughtless remarks, unfortunately, only alienates Muslims from supporting his cause.
After a week of protests leading up to Thursday's hearing, King dismissed what he called unwarranted "rage and hysteria" and said Congress has a duty to press forward.
"Homegrown radicalization is part of al-Qaida's strategy to continue attacking the United States," King said as he opened the hearings on Thursday.
Despite years of government focus on terrorism, there is no one predictable path toward violence. Homegrown terrorists have been high school dropouts and college graduates as well, people from poor and wealthy families alike. Some studied overseas. Others were inspired over the Internet.
That has complicated government efforts to understand and head off the radicalization process. And it reduced some of Thursday's debate to a series of anecdotes: of Islamic terrorists on the one hand, and Islamic firefighters on the other.
Radicalization is not just a problem specific to the American Muslim community, Shamshad stressed.
"If the true aim of Rep. King's congressional hearing is to cast aspersions on all American Muslims or to attack Islam broadly, then such a hearing is misguided and should immediately be halted."
King promised more hearings in the months to come.
The Baitul Hamid Mosque is at 11941 Ramona Ave.
-- neil.nisperos@inlandnewspapers.com - 909-483-9356
Read original post here: Local imam responds to King hearing
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