Peter King’s hearing: witness testimonies - allegations but no facts

Sheila Musaji

Posted Mar 13, 2011      •Permalink      • Printer-Friendly Version
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Peter King’s hearing: witness testimonies - allegations but no facts

by Sheila Musaji

Prior to the hearings, Ben Smith at Politico provided this quote from Rep. Peter King “I determined early on that to make the most meaningful impact, the lead witnesses would be Muslims who believe their community is being radicalized and that Muslim leaders are not sufficiently cooperating with law enforcement.” 

Read that a few times.  He is saying that the Muslims that he will be calling as witnesses are those who agree with him.  In order to be considered as a witness, a witness would have to agree that “Muslim leaders are not sufficiently cooperating with law enforcement”.  This is a set up to hear only one opinion.

Rep. King followed through on his determination.

At the end of the day, there were no actual hard facts that were brought out.  The only witness that had any hard facts was Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca.  What we heard were emotional personal stories, opinions, allegations, stereotypes, and innuendo.

There were no law enforcement officers other than Baca, no sociologists, or psychologists, or criminologists, or experts of any kind.  There were no representatives of national American Muslim organizations, or scholars of Islam.  No professional studies or reports were brought forward.  This was pure political and ideological theater, and it was at the expense of the American Muslim community.


WITNESSES

A witness list was not released until just before the hearing began.  Prior to that there was a lot of discussion about possible witnesses.

It was reported that Ayaan Hirsi Ali and Zuhdi Jasser are on the list.  Politico has reported that King told POLITICO that he’s not planning to call as witnesses such Muslim community critics as the Investigative Project on Terrorism’s Steve Emerson and Jihad Watch’s Robert Spencer, who have large followings among conservatives but are viewed as antagonists by many Muslims.    King aims, he said, to call retired law enforcement officials and people with “the real life experience of coming from the Muslim community.” Rep. Keith Ellison, the first Muslim to serve in the House and a critic of the hearings, will likely be a minority witness, according to both King and the Minnesota Democrat.   (More on Ayaan Hirsi Ali here)

It was also reported that that among those expected to testify would be a former Lebanese Forces militiaman and spokesman, Walid Phares. The Lebanese Forces were responsible for some of the most horrific slaughters and pogroms during the Civil War in Lebanon, amongst them the Sabra and Shatila massacres.  This raised a lot of concerns, but ultimately King said that he would not be testifying.  (More on Phares here )

Stop the Islamization of America (SIOA), the organization run by Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer has been designated as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.  Nevertheless, SIOA seems to believe that they are qualified to suggest possible witnesses for the hearings.  They have a campaign to ask Rep. King to “call real witnesses” and have even made a flier.  The flier refers to Rep. Keith Ellison as an “Islamic Supremacist” and suggests their choices for more appropriate witnesses as:  Steve Emerson, Wafa Sultan, and Ibn Warraq. 

It wasn’t until March 6th that National Review Online obtained the ACTUAL WITNESS LIST of those set to appear at the opening of Rep. Peter King’s hearings.  The witnesses are:  Abdirizak Bihi, the brother of Burhan Hassan’s mother; Melvin Bledsoe, the father of Carlos Bledsoe (Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad); Dr. Zuhdi Jasser, an Arizona physician and military veteran; Lee Baca, the sheriff of Los Angeles County; Rep. Keith Ellison (D., Minn.); Rep. Frank Wolf (R., Va.).  These are only the six initial witnesses.  We do not yet know who else will be called in future hearings, and since the hearings are planned to go on for a year and a half, there will certainly be many more than these six. 

WITNESS TESTIMONY

We heard personal stories from two family members of individuals who had been radicalized.  These were emotional accounts from grieving families, but they did not provide any useful information that might be generalized to the entire Muslim community. 

MELVIN BLEDSOE - TESTIMONY

Melvin Bledsoe blamed the local Muslim community in Nashville for radicalizing his son and the FBI for not warning the family that they were suspicious of his son’s activities.  Bledsoe warned that such things as taking pictures off the wall or no longer wanting to keep a dog, or interest in going on hajj might be signs of radicalization.  This is the sort of inaccurate information that just muddies up the water.  Bledsoe testified that his son Carlos was a “happy go lucky” kid who was changed and brainwashed after his conversion to Islam.  And, he testified that the FBI followed his son’s actions for years but never told the family.


MELVIN BLEDSOE - RESPONSE TO TESTIMONY

But local Muslim leaders say they don’t tolerate any violent behavior or rhetoric in their communities. They say Muhammad attended prayers at two Nashville mosques — the Al-Farooq Islamic Center and the Islamic Center of Nashville — for a short period of time.  Then he disappeared.  ...  On Feb. 24, 2004, according to police reports, Muhammad was arrested in Knoxville after police found a shotgun and a loaded assault rifle in his car. During a mental health evaluation to see if he was fit to stand trial for the Little Rock shooting, Muhammad said that he had been a gang member and had used alcohol heavily and marijuana regularly before converting to Islam in late 2004.   **

“Carlos ended up in a training camp run by terrorists,” said Bledsoe. “We have since discovered the former Imam at the Nashville mosque Al-Farooq wrote a recommendation letter for Carlos for school in Yemen.”    Mohamed-Shukri, the spokesman for the Al-Farooq mosque, said that never happened.    “For his father to say that at a Congressional hearing is just absurd. I think he has limited knowledge of his son,” said Mohamed-Shukri.    Mohamed-Shukri said he remembers Carlos as a well-liked member of the mosque who suddenly just disappeared.  He said he did not know Carlos had gone to Yemen until the FBI came calling after Carlos was arrested for the shooting in Arkansas.    No connection was found between Carlos, the Nashville mosque and the shooting in Arkansas.  And, Mohamed-Shukri said it’s unfortunate Carlos’ father is trying to make the case otherwise before Congress.  **

In his interview with a state psychiatrist before his trial, Muhammed explained that he began planning his attack during an encounter with Islamic radicals in a Yemeni prison after he had been arrested for overstaying his visa.  This account matches reports from family members, who explained that while Muhammed had grown more religious, he never indicated any engagement with extremist ideas or violence before traveling to Yemen. His father confirmed this exact point in an interview with Shep Smith on Fox News last year. (with video of interview)  ...  Suggestions that Muhammed was initially radicalized and recruited by American Muslims don’t hold up either.  In a letter to The Memphis Commercial Appeal, Muhammed specifically addressed the Memphis mosque in which he converted, remarking that “they are not Mujahideen or militants or preach jihad.” **

So, Carlos/Muhammad had been in trouble with the law before he ever converted to Islam, and himself admitted to having a gang member and drug user, also before having converted.  Bledsoe’s claims about the local mosque are denied by officials at the mosque in question.  Carlos/Muhammad himself said he began planning his attack while in Yemen.  Other family members say they never heard anything to indicate radicalization before he travelled to Yemen. 

ABDIRIZAK BIHI - TESTIMONY

Abdirizak Bihi, said that religious leaders in his local community had discouraged him from going to the authorities with his suspicions.  In his testimony he said that when families like his wanted to report their sons missing to authorities, leaders of the Abubakar As-Saddique mosque tried to bully the relatives into keeping quiet, saying they would end up in Guantanamo.  He called this “intimidation”. 

ABDIRIZAK BIHI - RESPONSE TO TESTIMONY

But officials at the Abubakar mosque deny ever trying to silence the families. It’s true that back in 2008, many Somalis in Minnesota were skeptical that the missing men could have been recruited for jihad. Some were angered about Bihi’s accusations, which they considered reckless.  ...  But it’s not just religious leaders who say the mosque is being unfairly maligned. The FBI said it has no reason to believe the mosque was indoctrinating people.  “At this point, we have uncovered no evidence to show there was any effort of any mosque or mosque leadership or mosque imam to take part in any recruitment or radicalization of these young men,” said Special Agent E.K .Wilson of the Minneapolis division of the FBI.    While investigators believe that some of the secret meetings happened in a mosque, it doesn’t appear to be a case of a radical imam brainwashing his students. In most cases, Wilson said, it was likely friends influencing friends.    “It looks like the recruitment process of these men was on a very peer-to-peer type scale,” Wilson said. “Some of the individuals were more culpable than others, but it was a very lateral chain of command when it came to who is responsible.” **

In 2004, the executive director of the Riverside Plaza Tenants Association went to court in Hennepin County to get a harassment restraining order against Bihi after he allegedly stalked and threatened her.  ...  Four years after the dispute with Scobey, Bihi was arrested when he crashed his car on Interstate 94 in St. Paul.  ...  A state trooper wrote in his report about the July 2008 crash that Bihi told him a friend had been driving and had run from the scene. But when the trooper pointed out that traffic cameras were recording the scene, Bihi said he was alone in the car.  Bihi later pleaded guilty to fourth-degree driving while impaired, a misdemeanor. He was given a 30-day jail term, which was stayed, and he was placed on two years’ probation.  He was required to participate in a safe-driving program. But in May, a Ramsey County probation officer swore out a warrant for Bihi’s arrest, saying he had failed to enroll in the program.  **

Bihi’s testimony about the local mosque is disputed by officials of the mosque, and by a local FBI agent.  Bihi himself has had run ins with the law which included lying to the police about having been the driver of a car while impaired.


ZUHDI JASSER - TESTIMONY & RESPONSE

Zuhdi Jasser was the star witness.  Why was he put in this position as the face of American Muslims?  He is not a scholar of Islam.  He is not part of the leadership of any national Muslim organization.  TAM has had a number of articles over the years about a neo-con strategy called Religion Building and on the devious process of labeling and identifying “moderate” Muslims.  It seems as if this religion building strategy has entered a new phase - actively attempting to set up an individual and/or organization as the authorized spokesman for the American Muslim community.  Enter Zuhdi Jasser and AIFD.

During his testimony Jasser made a remarkable statement that encouraging Muslims to have an attorney present when they speak to law enforcement is enabling “political Islam” which sheds light on his level of his expertise.  Fortunately Rep. Sanchez corrected him about this important right of all citizens.  Jasser’s testimony was lengthy and deserves special attention — see our TAM article Zuhdi Jasser and AIFD - Identified by Rep. King as the Ideal American Muslim Leadership for a detailed description of his testimony and background.


SEE ALSO TAM ARTICLES ON REP. KING’S HEARINGS:

Rep. Peter King’s hearing “The Extent of Radicalization in the American Muslim Community and that Community’s Response.” took place on March 10, 2011. 

TAM has an article The American Muslim Community and Rep. Peter King’s “Islamic” Radicalization Hearings which has a great deal of background on Peter King and these hearings, and an extensive article collection.  We also have a series of articles breaking down various aspects of the hearings:
Peter King’s Hearing: What Was the Point? discussing the content of the hearings, with a collection of articles written after the hearing ended. 
Peter King’s Civics Lesson for American Muslims which has a collection of anti-Muslim statements by elected representatives and government officials made during and before the hearings. 
Existing reports and studies on radicalization in the American Muslim Community and Polls, Surveys, and Statistics Relating to Islam and Muslims  with actual hard evidence so lacking in the hearing. 
Response of Civic Organizations and Interfaith Community to “Muslim Radicalization” Hearings  
Elected Representatives & Government Officials Who HAVE Questioned Islamophobia with quotes from elected representives and government officials attempting to counter the bias of this hearing both during and before the hearing. 
- Peter King’s hearing: witness testimonies - allegations but no facts
- Zuhdi Jasser and AIFD - Identified by Rep. King as the Ideal American Muslim Leadership
- Does Rep. King’s IRA/Terrorist Connection Matter?
Answers to Peter King’s Claims About the American Muslim Community which lays out all of his claims and allegations and provides detailed answers to each.  (e.g. Do Muslims cooperate with law enforcement?  Do Muslims speak out against terrorism and extremism?  Are most Muslims terrorists?  Are 80 to 85% of mosques run by radicals?  Have American Muslim organizations responded to the issue of radicalization?  Are mosques the source of radicalization?  etc.)
- The scope of Rep. Kings Hearings Creates Homeland “in"Security

All of these articles will be updated as further information comes in, and there will be more articles in this series.


SEE ALSO:

The 6 dumbest things said at Rep. Peter King’s Muslim radicalization hearing, Sahil Kapur http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/03/10/the-6-dumbest-things-said-at-rep-peter-kings-muslim-radicalization-hearing/
CAIR-Less: Peter King’s mega-hyped hearing on radicalization of American Muslims avoided his biggest targets,  David Weigel http://www.slate.com/id/2287884/
Dad blames Nashville Muslims for his son becoming a terrorist, Bob Smietana http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110311/NEWS01/103110348/Dad-blames-Nashville-Muslims-his-son-becoming-terrorist?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE
Domestic Terrorism Hearing Opens With Contrasting Views on Dangers (bi-partisan split) http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/11/us/politics/11king.html
Domestic Terrorism hearing witness (Bihi) from Minneapolis has had a troubled past http://www.twincities.com/ci_17587711?nclick_check=1
The Hooey King, Eugene Robinson http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2011/03/11/the_hooey_king_109190.html
Peter King caught falsely denying having said ‘we have too many mosques’ (with video of both statements) http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/03/10/954888/-Peter-King-caught-falsely-denying-having-said-we-have-too-many-mosques
King “Convinced” That Muslim Radicalization Hearings Were A Good Idea http://gothamist.com/2011/03/11/rep_peter_king_more_convinced_than.php
The King hearings: Is CAIR a ‘terrorist organization’?,  Glenn Kessler http://voices.washingtonpost.com/fact-checker/2011/03/the_king_hearings_is_cair_a_te.html
King hearings: Was anything accomplished? (with Poll),  Rachel Weiner http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/daily-fix-poll/peter-king-hearings-was-anythi.html
Peter King Is Not Sorry (for his support of the IRA), Michael Moynihan http://reason.com/blog/2011/03/11/peter-king-is-not-sorry
King witness story (Bledsoe) undermined by reality, Sarah Posner http://www.religiondispatches.org/dispatches/sarahposner/4370/king_witness%E2%80%99_story_undermined_by_reality/
Peter King’s Own Witness Undermines his Claims (Bledsoe) http://blog.faithinpubliclife.org/2011/03/peter_kings_own_witness_dispro.html
Peter King’s Muslim hearing: Plenty of drama, less substance http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/03/10/AR2011031002045.html
Pete King’s Muslim hearings turned out to be relatively sane—thanks to pressure from left, Adam Serwer http://voices.washingtonpost.com/plum-line/2011/03/kings_muslim_hearings_turn_out.html
Peter King’s Radicalization Hearings, Explained, Tim Murphy http://motherjones.com/mojo/2011/03/peter-kings-radicalization-hearings-explained
Peter King’s Subversive Fantasy, Wajahat Ali http://www.huffingtonpost.com/wajahat-ali/peter-kings-subversive-fa_b_834697.html
Minnesota Muslim leaders skeptical and disappointed after radicalization hearing, Laura Yuen http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2011/03/11/muslim-hearings-twin-cities-community/
Muslim-Bait and Switch, William Saletan http://www.slate.com/id/2287994/
Muslims on Capitol Hill Find Hearings Dispiriting, Samuel Freedman http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/12/us/politics/12religion.html?adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1299888103-qUiAnW4bT92Alw9DwHckeA
The questions Peter King should have asked,  Faiza Patel http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/politics/148923-the-questions-peter-king-should-have-asked
Rep. Frank Wolf, Witness In Peter King Hearing On “Radicalization,” Helped Kill Effective Counterterrorism Program http://politicalcorrection.org/blog/201103090006

 

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