Hearing on Muslims Becomes Emotionally Charged

By DEVLIN BARRETT

WASHINGTON—A congressional hearing on the radicalization of U.S. Muslims quickly became an emotionally charged affair Thursday as the first Muslim elected to Congress broke down crying at the witness table over what he said was an unfair scapegoating of his community.

Tears in House Hearing

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Rep. Peter King, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, opened the first in a series of hearings on radicalization in the American Muslim community.

New York congressman Peter King, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, defended the hearing as a necessary examination of terrorists' attempts to recruit Muslims living in the U.S.

Rep. Keith Ellison vehemently objected to Mr. King's approach, saying individuals are responsible for instances of terrorism.

Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) broke down in tears Thursday as he delivered his opening statement at a congressional hearing on Islamic radicalization. Photo courtesy Associated Press.

"When you assign their violent actions to the entire community, you assign collective blame to the whole group. This is the very heart of stereotyping and scapegoating,'' said Mr. Ellison, a Minnesota Democrat.

Toward the end of his testimony, the congressman became emotional, crying as he recounted the life of a New York paramedic, Mohammed Salman Hamdani, a Muslim who died in the Sept. 11, 2001, attack at the World Trade Center.

Mr. Hamdani "bravely sacrificed his life,'' said Mr. Ellison, sobbing.

The committee also heard from Melvin Bledsoe, whose son faces capital-murder charges for allegedly killing a military recruiter and wounding another in a June 2009 shooting in Little Rock, Ark. The son, Carlos Bledsoe, converted to Islam and traveled to Yemen before the shooting.

Melvin Bledsoe described what he called the brainwashing' of his son, saying Carlos was a happy teenager who changed after he went to college and converted.

New York Republican Peter King, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, defends the merit of holding hearings on Radical Islam in the United States.

"This is a big elephant in the room, and our society continues not to see it,'' he said. "Our children are in danger. Our country must stand up and do something about the problem. Tomorrow it could be your son, your daughter.''

Another witness, Abdirizak Bihi, said that when his family went to authorities in Minnesota and expressed concern that his nephew and other local youths might have joined a Somalia terrorist group, other members of his community tried to intimidate them into not cooperating with investigators.

Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D., Calif.) said she believed that in many instances, citizens shouldn't speak to the Federal Bureau of Investigation without getting a lawyer first.

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Rep. Keith Ellison, a Democrat from Minnesota and the first Muslim elected to Congress, began sobbing as he talked about a 9/11 responder.

If FBI agents come to your door at night to ask questions, she told one committee witness, "you tell them that you'd like to meet at some other place at some other time with your attorney....Minority communities in particular have a big sensitivity to law enforcement.''

As he opened the hearing, Mr. King said he believed it must go forward despite criticism.

"To back down would be a craven surrender to political correctness and an abdication of what I believe to be the main responsibility of this committee—to protect Americans from a terrorist attack," said Mr. King, a Long Island Republican.

The hearing has generated weeks of arguments over its purpose and implications, with critics comparing it to a McCarthy-style witch hunt and supporters commending the congressman for raising the issue.

Mr. King said the critics ignored the threat posed by terrorist groups that seek to recruit U.S. citizens and residents for attacks.

"Al Qaeda is actively targeting America's Muslim community for recruitment,'' said Mr. King. "To combat the threat, moderate leadership must emerge from the Muslim community."

Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, the ranking Democrat on the Homeland Security Committee, said he feared "propaganda about this hearing's focus on the American Muslim community will be used by those who seek to inspire a new generation of suicide bombers.''

Write to Devlin Barrett at devlin.barrett@wsj.com