Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear: those golden days of race-separate water fountains when Asians were chinks, (or Japs or slopes), Mexicans were (and maybe still are) wet-backs and there was a communist under every bed. Enter the House Un-American Activities Committee.
Formed in 1938 the HUAC heard testimony about possible subversive elements in American society. The country was sliding into the Second World War and there was real fear in the land that German and Japanese sympathizers would undermine the war effort. Communism was alive and well in Russia. Many intellectuals in America dreamed of, and lectured on, the perfect workers state from the safety and comfort of their tenured university positions. The Committee was determined to expose anyone thought to be a danger to the security of the Nation. The effort was noble and may actually have helped keep America terror-free during the war.
By 1945 the Committee became a permanent part of the Congressional agenda. By then all eyes had turned to the Red Menace. Communists were seen everywhere from the State Dept. to the high school classroom but especially in the motion picture industry. More than 300 actors, writers and producers were blacklisted. Failure to give evidence was seen as traitorous (See also The Crucible). It was not until after Jerry Rubin and Abby Hoffman made a mockery of the Committee's attempts to portray the anti-war movement as Communist, that the HUAC went away for good in 1975.
And so you say: why drag this unsightly bit of baggage out of the Congressional closet now? I'm glad you asked. Now that the Republicans are in charge of the House and committee chairmanships pass to them, Peter King of New York (actually Long Island) has assumed the top seat on the Homeland Security Committee. His first official act was to schedule hearings on the "radicalization of Muslims in America". This particular witch hunt will, if successful, inflame the already increasing Islamophobia loose in America. Presumably that is Mr. King's intent.
Muslims comprise something like 0.01% of the population. Nearly 25% of them are American-born converts; many of those are black. There are 1,209 mosques in America. Most are in big cities, like Newark and Detroit. (Actually we should be delighted that someone wants to fill out the population in Newark and Detroit.) Most have jobs, raise families, attend local soccer games, eat at Wendy's and otherwise comport themselves as normal Americans. Singling out any religious group for special scrutiny isn't just racist, it's un-American. Besides, most mosques are peopled with more FBI informers and undercover agents than the Hoover building.
Rep. King has already expressed his disdain for American Muslims during the "Ground Zero Mosque" dust-up. King has postulated that "80 to 85% of American mosques are populated by Islamic fundamentalists". King offered as proof of this outrageous claim the same facts presented by Sen. Joseph McCarthy regarding communists in the State Dept in the 1950's...none. King is very selective in his condemnation of terrorists. In the 1980's King was a frequent and vocal supporter of the murderous exploits of the Irish Republican Army in Northern Ireland. Jeez, Peter, at least Muslim bombers blow themselves up. The Irish set the charge and ran like hell. It may be instructive to remember that retailers in Rep. King's district on Long Island sell a lot more Guinness than hummus.
In a perfect world, Rep. King's hearing will receive no headlines and will quickly be exposed for the grandstand farce that it is. The more likely outcome is that Muslims in America will feel additional alienation in their adopted country and become even more susceptible to the lure of extremist clerics. Young people will be persuaded that government is their enemy and that American wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are, in fact, a return to the Crusades.
When will bigoted headline-grabbers like Peter King understand that people cooperate with law enforcement when they don't feel threatened? Alienation , mistrust and persecution are exactly what breeds junior terrorists. People with jobs, secure lives and families don't normally strap dynamite to their Sans-a-belt slacks. Whether Muslims will take the next step; informing authorities about someone they suspect, depends on how that cooperation will affect them. A potential trip to Washington to appear before Peter King's inquisition is enough to make a Muslim very forgetful.
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