February, 01 2011, 01:13pm EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Brenda Bowser Soder,bowsersoderb@humanrightsfirst.org,O -202/370-3323, C - 301/906-4460
Human Rights First Joins Broad Coalition to Address "Divisive" King Hearings
oday, Human Rights First in coalition with 50 other civil rights and
human rights organizations urged Congressional leadership to object to
divisive hearings that House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Peter
King (R-NY) plans to hold later this month. The hearings, which have
sparked growing public opposition, will focus on what King believes to
be the "radicalization" of millions of American Muslims.
WASHINGTON
oday, Human Rights First in coalition with 50 other civil rights and
human rights organizations urged Congressional leadership to object to
divisive hearings that House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Peter
King (R-NY) plans to hold later this month. The hearings, which have
sparked growing public opposition, will focus on what King believes to
be the "radicalization" of millions of American Muslims.
In a letter to House Speaker John Boehner and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, the 51 signing organizations asked the leaders to urge Chairman King to "address violence motivated by extremist beliefs in all its forms,
in a full, fair and objective way." The letter noted that the hearings
should "proceed from a clear understanding that individuals are
responsible for their actions, not entire communities."
The letter noted, "The essence of our country is e pluribus unum:
out of many, practicing their faith freely and contributing each in
their own way, comes a strong, unified one. The hearings planned by
Chairman King, however, are inconsistent with this vision of America.
Singling out a group of Americans for government scrutiny based on their
faith is divisive and wrong. These hearings will inevitably examine
activities protected by the First Amendment, an affront to fundamental
freedoms upon which our country was founded. It harkens back to hearings
held in the 1950s by then-U.S. Senator Joe McCarthy. That dark chapter
in our history taught us that Congress has a solemn duty to wield its
investigatory power responsibly."
Among the diverse array of signatories to the letter are: Amnesty
International USA, the Japanese American Citizens League, the Baptist
Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, Muslim Advocates, American Muslim
Law Enforcement Officers Association, Arab Community Center for
Economic and Social Services, and the Tanenbaum Center for
Interreligious Understanding.
A complete list of signatory organizations follows the letter.
Human Rights First is a non-profit, nonpartisan international human rights organization based in New York and Washington D.C. Human Rights First believes that building respect for human rights and the rule of law will help ensure the dignity to which every individual is entitled and will stem tyranny, extremism, intolerance, and violence.
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"This is a huge testament to our collective strength and resilience as a progressive movement," said the executive director of Justice Democrats.
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U.S. Rep. Summer Lee, a member of the progressive "Squad," won the Democratic primary for Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District on Tuesday, fending off an opponent whose campaign was backed by a billionaire Republican megadonor and ally of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Lee, a vocal critic of the Netanyahu government and leading supporter of a cease-fire in Gaza, handily defeated Bhavini Patel, a borough councilmember in Edgewood, Pennsylvania whose effort to unseat the progressive incumbent was bankrolled by Jeffrey Yass, the state's richest man. Patel actively courted Republican and pro-Israel voters, characterizing Lee as "fringe."
With more than 95% of the vote counted, Lee is ahead of Patel by more than 20 percentage points.
"I am so humbled and proud to win my first primary reelection to be the congresswoman for this incredible district I've spent my life fighting for," Lee said after the race was called in her favor. "Our campaign was built on a record of delivering for our democracy, defending our most fundamental rights, and expanding our vision for what is politically possible for our region's most marginalized communities."
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Through the misleadingly named Moderate PAC, Yass—a prolific tax dodger who has been floated as a possible treasury secretary pick if former President Donald Trump wins another term—spent hundreds of thousands of dollars boosting Patel and attacking Lee.
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"MoveOn members are ready to defeat this dangerous flood of dark-money spending against progressive champions and ensure that we continue to elect working-class people to Congress," said Epting.
"Now that it's clear Summer won her primary, AIPAC's super PAC has already officially failed at their one goal for this cycle: taking out the entire Squad."
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While AIPAC ultimately sat out the Pennsylvania race, it is devoting considerable resources to ousting other progressive lawmakers, including Reps. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) and Cori Bush (D-Mo.).
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We must be clear-eyed about what's next.@JamaalBowmanNY & @CoriBush are facing an existential threat from AIPAC, their GOP megadonors, and the politicians willing to compromise on core Democratic values to try to take a school principal & nurse out of Congress. #ProtectTheSquad
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Appalachian Voices noted that MVP's request comes days before pipeline developer Equitrans Midstream is set to release its 2024 first-quarter earnings information on April 30.
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