Sunday Mar 06, 201106:25 PM GMT
'Muslim radicalization very unfair claim'
Sun Mar 6, 2011 6:11PM
Share | Email | Print

The Muslim community in America perceives planned congressional hearings against the so-called Muslim radicalization as the demonization of the Islamic faith, says Zead Ramadan Head of the New York-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).

 

This comes as FBI records show that in the last 25 years, "Muslim Americans account for six percent of all terrorism in America, Jews seven percent and Latinos 41 percent," Ramadan told Press TV's U.S. Desk in a Sunday interview.

 

His comments come just days before the congressional hearings spearheaded by Long Island Republican Congressman Peter King, chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, who has been the target of two protests on Sunday (March 6) afternoon.

 

"So if you are to follow those statistics, then he (Rep. Peter King) is spending our tax dollars in Congress to only investigate six percent of crimes, leaving 94 percent of terrorist acts unaddressed," CAIR chief added.

 

"So we think it's very unfair for him to pick on our religion. We think it would be very responsible for him as the Homeland Security chair to investigate extremism across the board," Ramadan went on to say.

 

He concluded that Peter King has had a history of discriminations against Muslims.

 

FACTS & FIGURES

In the United States, 73 percent of young people aged 18 to 29 say Muslims are the most discriminated against. Washingtontimes.com

 

Although Muslims make up around 2 percent of the U.S. population, they account for about one-quarter of the 3,386 religious discrimination claims filed with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in 2010. Startribune.Com

 

Forty-six U.S. states do not ban racial profiling based on religion or religious appearance. Amnestyusa.org

 

In fall of 2010, opponents of a mosque planned for Murfreesboro, Tenn., tried unsuccessfully in court to claim that Islam was not a religion entitled to constitutional protections. Americangrace.org

 

Robert Putnam and David Campbell, authors of American Grace, a book on U.S. religious diversity, found that among all the faith groups, "Muslims were a stand out for unpopularity." USAToday

 

Civil liberties groups say U.S. border officials are violating the constitutional rights of American Muslims by asking about their religious beliefs and practices on their return from trips abroad. Voanews

 

It alleges that the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency, or CBP, has been questioning Muslims or people that appear to be Muslim about their religious and political beliefs, associations and activities.

 

These findings come at a time when a comprehensive examination on religion and public life shows that the number of U.S. Muslims will more than double in the next 20 years. Pewforum

 

RG/SM/DB

Comments
Add Comment Click Here
  • Latest News
  • Top Hits
© Copyright 2010 Press TV. All rights reserved.