Rep. Keith Ellison: Radicalization an issue across religions, not just for Muslims

Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) told CBS News today in a one-on-one interview that the "Muslim radicalization" hearing planned for this Thursday unfairly targets Muslim Americans living in this country. The first Muslim member of the United States Congress argued that violent radicalization is a "phenomena we see across our society" and across religions.

"Look at people who bomb abortion clinics- are these not people who are radicalized?" Ellison asked. "Are they not using violence? Are they not motivated by religious devotion?"

Ellison said that to "target one religious community, one religious group is a bad idea."

While Ellison insists that he is not personally offended by Homeland Security Committee Chairman Pete King (R-NY) calling the hearing, he does believe that to "use the gavel to do something like that is a misuse of the gavel."

"I do think that Congressman King is a man who wants to see our country safer. I think he's going about it the wrong way" Ellison said. "To say we're talking about radicalization of the Muslim community widely is the very essence of scapegoating."

Ellison has compared the hearings to the McCarthy hearings of the 1950s where Senator Joe McCarthy targeted, wrongly in many instances, socialists in the United States. He told CBS News that he still stands by the comparison.

"I do think this is McCarthyistic" he said. "McCarthy used a congressional hearing to go after people he didn't like and he kind of insinuated and associated people with an ideology that he then used to persecute and oppress them with. I mean, it has its parallels."

Ellison will testify at Thursday's hearing along with family members of two Muslims who were radicalized and committed terrorist acts.

He said that he will tell members of the Homeland Security Committee that "Muslims have, and will, do all we can to protect our country, but that singling out one group and associating the whole group with terrorism is not only untrue, it mis-serves the ends of public safety and we got to find a much better and effective way to do what Representative King is trying, but sadly failing, to do."

Rep. Peter King shrugs off McCarthy comparisons over Muslim radicalization hearing
King/Ellison debate Muslim extremism hearing

[noloyalisti]

The Tea Bag Corporate Klan is a front group for the millionaires and billionaires that ARE destroying America. It is their only real goal in life that unifies them.

And Ellison is right, the real danger to America and its freedoms are CHRISTIANS. They have been doing all the terrorism and one of their guy George Bushoccio killed MILLIONS of innocent people in the name of CHRISTIANITY.

[myth1958]

RetRangerCSM:
That was priceless! LOL!

[thomasmc1957]

The fascist Tea Party is destroying this country that I love.

I WANT MY COUNTRY BACK!

[romckri]

Boy do you have it backwards, you would have us believe that its actually the Tea Party that is the problem in this Nation and nothing whatsoever to do with Muslims, it's just a hand full of Muslims that don't seem to understand that peaceful religion why condemn the entire religion. That's like saying its only a hand full of KKK members who don't seem to understand that peaceful religion, we can't condemn all KKK members some of them are your neighbors and co-workers they are not attacking you so why condemn them all.
I guess I must be ignorant because I condemn them because they are aiding and abetting those who do harm others or American. I cannot and will not support anyone who harms Americans including your moronic tail. You never left your kitchen so you don't know squat, for if you did you would get it and you obviously don't get it. We have an enemy within and you are supporting them with you backwards ideas and comments. Join them then if you can't find fault with them

[jedi0849]

Why is it unfair when the Muslims extremist are targeting Muslims in america. They aren't targeting Christians or Jews or atheists. Nobody is saying that American Muslims are to blame but the people that are being targeted are all Muslims. I don't see the problem here. You people are over the top sensative.

[myth1958]

Congressman Ellison makes a good point about the 'radicalization' of religions other than the Muslim faith, noting that abortion clinic bombings have been carried out in this country by radicals from the Christian faith. I agree - look at the wackos of the Westboro Baptist Church: their antagonistic tactics are radical, if not as openly violent as some others. The Muslims who've perpetrated violent attacks here have frequently been from outside the country, while these anti-abortion bombers and Baptist instigators are strictly American. Ellison is right to compare Rep. King's activities to those of Joe McCarthy: wild insinuations about an entire people extrapolated from the actions of a few. We need to be every bit as wary of radical Christian, Jewish and other religious groups as we are with Muslims. The sheer numbers of potential recruits from the right-wing Christian camp overshadow the rest, anyway, and they are entrenched within our society. They lynched Blacks; they owned slaves; these people experimented with crippling, untreated diseases on human beings in Guatemala and in prisons and in the armed forces; they gave us Bob Jones and a host of similar fundamentalist bigots. The odds favor such unscrupulous behavior to continue from radical Christians much more than the very real - but less numerous - radical Muslims whom King is fingering.

[handydan918]

Peter King is the worst of the worst, regardless of his involvement in this tempest in a teapot.
This is the tool who wants to outlaw possession of a firearm within 1000 feet of a public official.
Way to go, Peter. While state after state is affirming the right of the people to bear arms after the historic Heller and McDonald cases, all you can do is cower and act like a Kennedy.

[myth1958]

I guess I missed one of the religions that has clearly radicalized: gun rights people. In light of the recent shooting of Rep. Giffords, who was blasted by someone 'within 1000 ft of a public official', and Bobby Kennedy who was likewise blasted by someone 'within 1000 ft of a public official', and Ronald Reagan, also blasted by someone 'within 1000 ft of a public official', it makes sense to many Americans to limit guns 'within 1000 ft of public officials'. But not to you, nor to gun rights' advocates. To that 'religion', any sensible restraints on gun possession means we've gone all 'Kennedy' and are talking the heresy of gun control. Might as well just tear up the Constitution, the scoundrels. Having seen what Loughner, Sirhan and Reagan's shooter accomplished 'within 1000 ft of a public official' I'd have to say yes. Tear out the part that makes it too easy for crazy people to kill and maim public officials. If the courts can see IBM as a 'person', legally, they ought to be able to see a person as more valuable, morally, than gun rights as they currently exist.

[Stevenapoli7]

Quit the BS, it's pretty much muslims.