King Slams Durbin for Hosting Hearing on Muslim Civil Rights

Published March 29, 2011

Sen. Dick Durbin prepared to convene a hearing Tuesday morning on the civil rights of Muslims, a move decried as nonsensical by the Republican congressman who held a high-profile hearing earlier in the month on Islamic radicalization.

"This just perpetuates the myth that somehow Muslims are the victim of September 11," Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., told Fox News.

But Durbin, D-Ill., said he called the hearing so that Congress could examine potential civil rights violations particular to Muslims, like Koran burnings and restrictions on mosque construction, as well as hate speech and other forms of discrimination.

Among the witnesses, Durbin plans to call Muslim Advocates President Farhana Khera and Thomas Perez, a top official in the Justice Department's civil rights division.

Durbin announced the hearing shortly after King finished hosting a panel on the House Homeland Security Committee that examined domestic extremism. Amid claims that his hearing unfairly singled out Muslims, King at the time called on American Muslims to do more to speak out against radicals in their community and work with law enforcement.

While critics of King's hearing questioned why he didn't examine other domestic threats like the KKK, King likewise questioned why Durbin wouldn't examine civil rights violations of other religious groups.

"The best they can do is come back with these hearings by Senator Durbin, which is somehow trying to create the illusion that there's a violation of civil rights of Muslims in this country. It's absolutely untrue, and to me it makes no sense," King said.

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