Jackie Speier: “Tomorrow, the House Homeland Security Committee will hold a hearing that will actually have the potential to make our…”

“Tomorrow, the House Homeland Security Committee will hold a hearing that will actually have the potential to make our Nation less safe. The title of the hearing is ``The Extent of Radicalization in the American Muslim Community,'' but what's truly radical is using committee time and resources to profile and demonize whole communities of people based on their faith. American Muslims are peaceful, law-abiding citizens, and many have cooperated with the U.S. authorities to help prevent terrorist attacks. We should target terrorists based on actions, not religion. When law enforcement agencies were asked to identify terrorist groups within their States, Muslim extremist groups ranked 11th out of 18. Neo-Nazis, environmental extremists, and anti-tax groups were all more prevalent. Radicalization and homegrown terrorism are serious and legitimate concerns and deserve thoughtful examination, not an ideologically motivated charade. We must continue efforts to defeat al Qaeda wherever they exist, but one key to combating extremism is winning the hearts and minds of the next generation of Muslims.”