Proclaiming “Today I am a Muslim too,” about 1,000 protesters gathered Sunday in Times Square to decry Rep. Pete King’s upcoming hearings into homegrown radical Islam.
“Today, they’re targeting Muslims. Tomorrow, it will be Jews. Tomorrow, they’ll close a synagogue,” said Abu Abdullah, 57, a perfumer from Bay Shore, L.I., who stood in the rain at the interfaith rally.
“Peter King is trying to divide us – to make it like shark eat shark,” he said of the Long Island Republican, who heads the House Homeland Security Committee. “It shouldn’t be that way.”
Christians, Jews and Muslims branded the hearings a witch hunt, waved signs and chanted, “Shame, shame Pete King!”
In an interview with the Daily News, King denied he was on a witch hunt and cited recent homegrown plots to bomb the subways and Times Square, saying the threat of terrorism “is now more from within” than from abroad.
In defending the hearings, which kick off Thursday, he said targeting one community has plenty of precedent.
Jihadists are “being recruited from within the Muslim community, just like the Mafia came from the Italian community, the Westies came from the Irish community,” King said.
“It’s important we find out the extent to which they are being radicalized, and how it’s being done.”
On CNN’s “State of the Union,” King upped the ante by charging that New York’s Muslim community has stiffed the NYPD.
“I’m aware of a number of cases in New York where the community has not been cooperative,” he said.
“Certainly, my dealings with the police in New York and FBI and others say they do not …get the level of cooperation that they need,” he said.
King cited the example of a young man captured in Afghanistan who he said “went to two mosques in Suffolk County in Long Island, [and] said he wanted to engage in jihad.”
Mosque officials, King said, discouraged the young man but never alerted the police.
The NYPD had no comment.
King’s hearings also brought supporters out to another rally, at Seventh Ave. and 38th St. “This is about protecting the Constitution and that’s why Pete King’s doing what he’s doing,” said construction worker Andy Sullivan.
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14 Responses
B”h that’s a good theam for us, so the slogan is not that Jews are behind this
Kol HaKavod to Peter King!
In a country that is digging it’s own grave with it’s “political correctness”, Peter King is a breath of fresh air!
If Israel were to be a war with the United States, it would be a serious problem for American Jews. Fortunately, for the last 70 years, America’s enemies (the Nazi, the Communists and the Muslims) have also been the Jew’s enemies (at least of the Orthodox Jews, the secular Jews were often sympathetic to the communists).
That America’s interests, and our interests, have been aligned is not a coincidence. The “exceptional” nature of America led both to fuller acceptance of religious Jews, and also is what “ticks off” people such as Nazis, Communies, and Muslims – not to mention many “liberal” Europeans and “politically correct” Americans).
Why is this ridiculous article in YWN. Not only are Jews not in danger if these hearings take place, BUT all Jews are in danger if the threat of home-grown terrorism is not nuetralized. Congressman King deserves a big Yasher Koach (Thank You) for helping to try to identify a clear and present danger. Now the Moslems speak up WHERE WERE THEY IN THE IMMEDIATE AFTERMATH OF 911?
The Jews are already being targeted all over the globe by Muslims. 90% anti semitic attacks all over the globe are by Muslims
The second paragraph of this article recites a truth that Jews have often invoked when asking non-Jews to support efforts to control anti-Semitism. It is absolutely true, and we ignore that truth at our peril.
Consider well the statements made by Congressman King as reported in paragraphs 9 – 13 above. The clear implication is that King believes that all Muslims have an affirmative duty and responsibility for every crack-pot or terrorist wanna-be (or actual terrorist) that shows up in a mosque at any time whatsoever. Would we like it if Congressman King started an investigation of all the synagogues, Jewish charities and Jewish organizations that ever dealt with or received charitable donations from Bernie Madoff? Under Mr. King’s reasoning, it is no less appropriate than his pending investigation of American Muslims.
Since 9/00/2001, US law enforcement agencies have discovered or foiled a number of plots, and no major attacks have actually occurred. His proposed investigation is clearly a political stunt. Moreover, he could have called for such an investigation during the Bush administration, if his real purpose is to get information. But I believe his real purpose is a political stunt, and a dangerous one.
One other thing: Commenter No. 4 asks where Muslims were in the immediate aftermath of 9/11? Part of the answer is that if they were Saudi citizens, they were gathered by the Bush administration and allowed to flee the United States, not held for questioning. Where was Mr. King then?
Congreessman King is taking a page from Josef Goebbels on racial purity.
Thank you mr. King for causing the Muslims to expose themselves for what they are. in reality if they are against terror they should congratulate King and give him all the support he needs to help them clean up the mess in their religion, how great can it be to have the power and money of the federal government to help clean up your mess which you never attempted to do. But no they are fighting it which just exposes their true colors of them being pro terror.
Yes when the Jews start trying to blow up time square, airplanes, launch attacks on US army bases, the Jews will be next. With that said, not all Muslims are bad (although the majority in the Arab world, Pakistan and Afghanistan are quite fanatic) and America does a far better job of integrating Muslims than Europe does.
Moose613, are you Jewish?
nfgo3, you are an excellent propagandist. You wouldn’t happen to be a ghost writer for Al Jazeera?
I think he is technically right: he’s only calling to check out how integrated terrorism is within the Muslim clergy. However, given the current mood and level of understanding of the common man, it is a wild thing to do.
nfgo3…
EVERY comment you post has the same weird, non frum hashkafos.
Who or WHAT are you?
I wont debate what he did in this forum, but suffice it to say, when Baruch Goldstein did what he did, 99% of Jews, frum and non frum were tripping over themselves to criticize it, discredit it, and distance the Jewish community from it.
Since 9/11 the exact opposite has been the case with the moslem community. 99% have been silent and perhaps 1% came out strongly against it. I am not saying that the 99% ARE terrorists, but that is the base they are being recruited from.
The FBI did not search for Mafia gangsters in mosques.
The LAPD does not look for Mexican drug lords in yeshivas.
If I lose my keys in my house in Brooklyn, I don’t search for them in Detroit.
You look for things where you are most likely to find them.
To do otherwise would be lunacy, – otherwise known as liberal political correctness
Bottom line…
Peter King is absolutely correct in what he is doing.
Mr Yishmaeli as well as posters on YWN who are acting like yishmaelim, if inzir mentshin were CHV blowing people up and there wasn’t a major g’shray from us all, I wouldn’t have a problem with it.