Dromm Denounces Peter King Over Muslim Hearings by Connor Adams Sheets - Queens Campaigner

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City Councilman Daniel Dromm speaks during a protest of U.S. Rep. Peter King's planned hearing into the radicalization of the American Muslim community. Photo courtesy Daniel Dromm

On Sunday, City Councilman Daniel Dromm (D-Jackson Heights) was a Muslim.

At least that was the message behind an event called “I Am a Muslim, Too” that he hosted in Jackson Heights that rainy morning: that he stands with Muslims in opposing the anti-Muslim invective being tossed around by politicians like U.S. Rep. Peter King (R-Massapequa Park).

The issue of what Dromm calls “Muslim-baiting,” where elected officials use anti-Muslim political sentiment for political gain, is coming to a head Thursday, Dromm said, when King, chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, plans to host the first in a series of hearings on the “radicalization” of American Muslims.

Entitled “The Extent of Radicalization in the American Muslim Community and that Community’s Response,” the hearings are aimed at investigating the influence radicalization is having on the American Muslim community. A spokesman for King did not respond to a request for comment.

Representatives of several groups that advocate for and protect the rights of South Asian and Muslim immigrants, including Jackson Heights-based Desis Rising Up & Moving,? South Asian Youth Action in Elmhurst and Chhaya, CDC in Jackson Heights joined with Dromm Sunday in front of his Council office at 37-32 75th St. to denounce King’s planned inquiries. The event took place in Queens, which is home to a sizable Muslim community, in advance of a larger campaign by the same name that afternoon in Times Square.

Dromm said he sees the hearings as an religiously intolerant witch hunt that should concern all Americans.

“He’s singling out one group. If he had a hearing on radicalization of all populations, it would be a different story, but he’s feeding into a wrong stereotype of the Muslim community. He’s just totally wrong to do this and he should know better,” Dromm said Tuesday. “This is an un-American activity for Peter King to be involved in. It reminds me of the McCarthy hearings and it violates the basic principle that this country was founded on, which is freedom of religion.”

“Islamophobia and racism does not make us safer,” Monami Maulik, executive director of DRUM, said. “Peter King’s hearings targeting Muslims are his latest attempt to divide us and stoke fears for political ends. Just as masses of people stood up for human rights after his passage of the anti-immigrant Sensenbrenner bill in 2005, so too do conscious people stand now to end these witch hunts.”

Rep. Peter King OK with Terror Attacks Outside The US? - The Young Turks

Cenk Uygur shares outrageous quotes from Rep. Peter King (R-NY) suggesting that the Congressman thinks terrorism is fine if it occurs outside the United States. This is in the context of King holding hearings on the radicalization of Muslims in America and his past ties with and comments regarding the IRA.




MSNBC host Cenk Uygur explains why he believes Rep. Peter King's hearings on 'Muslim Radicalization' are un-American. He also talks about how we should be investigating all radicals (he points out since 9/11 there have been about twice as many terror attacks from non-Muslims).

Senator Gillibrand to House GOP: Security Funding for NYC is National Priority

Senator Gillibrand Urges House Leadership to Drop Plans to Cut $100 Million in Security Funding that Would Protect One of New York’s Top Terror Targets

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is fighting back against House Republican plans to cut $100 million of federal funding for critical security upgrades, which were requested by the New York Police Department, at one of New York’s top terror targets, the United Nations Headquarters. In a letter to House Speaker John Boehner and Majority Leader Eric Cantor sent this morning, Senator Gillibrand is urging the House leadership to maintain critical funding that would help protect one of New York’s top terror targets from a terror attack.

“Security funding for New York City is a national priority,” Senator Gillibrand said. “No other city in America faces the level or frequency of threats as New York does a daily basis. The NYPD does a tremendous job of remaining vigilant and protecting our city, and we must always support them with the resources they need. We can’t afford to cut funding for law enforcement that is critical for keeping our city or our nation safe.”

House leaders and Budget Committee members announced their plan on Tuesday, and are set to vote on the cuts on the House floor today. However, fellow Republican and House Homeland Security Chairman Peter King has already expressed a commitment to protect the funding for New York’s security.

Senator Gillibrand’s full letter to Speaker Boehner and Majority Leader Cantor:

Dear Mr. Speaker,

I write to oppose H.R. 519, which would cut $100 million in critical security funding for New York. This funding is intended to upgrade the security perimeter around the United Nations (UN) – one of the most significant terror targets in the world. Security funding for New York is a national priority, and I urge you to not bring this bill up on the floor.

The terrorist threat to New York has dramatically risen since the attacks of September 11, 2001. Since that day, there have been 12 known major terrorist plots against locations in New York City. New York Police Department (NYPD) Commissioner Ray Kelly has stated that the security of the UN is critical for New York, and has requested that necessary upgrades be made to provide adequate protection and address the structural deficiencies that create unnecessary vulnerabilities. It is my understanding that without these upgrades a car bomb would do extensive damage not just to the UN, but to the New York neighborhoods in the vicinity. The NYPD has worked with the UN to identify specific vulnerabilities that are in need of addressing, and in response to these concerns the State Department made its commitment to apply certain unused United States contributions to the UN to make the security enhancements. The NYPD supports funding for the security improvements and opposes any efforts to compromise such funding.

I share a commitment to reducing excess federal spending in a fiscally responsible and prudent manner; however, this legislation is not the appropriate solution. H.R. 519 will put in jeopardy the critical security enhancements that have been identified by the NYPD and the UN. I strongly urge you to reconsider your decision to bring this flawed legislation to the floor.

cc: 

The Honorable Eric Cantor

Majority Leader

United States House of Representatives

Washington, DC 20515