March 11, 2011– Chicago leaders gathered to share their concerns about the controversial congressional hearings being led by Rep. Peter King on the supposed radicalization of American Muslims. Below are statements of several leaders on the issue.
Jane Ramsey
Jane Ramsey, executive director of the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs
The Jewish Council on Urban Affairs will remain vigilant with our friends from the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago and many other Muslim organizations with which we work and partner. It has been our joy to work together over the number of years to create a better Chicago and to create a better nation.
Azam Nizamuddin
Azam Nizamuddin, chair of Interfaith Coordinating Committee for the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago
Our concern is while our nation is in the midst of one of the worst economic periods since the Great Depression, while our local, state and federal governments are unable to balance their budgets, Congressman King is engaging in Islamophobia merely for political posturing… We are concerned that the hearings are not really seriously engaging in these issues but are really more or less trying to foment fear and misunderstanding of a religious minority.
Asaf Bar-Tura
Asaf Bar-Tura, coordinator of JCUA’s Jewish-Muslim Community Building Initiative
In these 10 years of the Jewish-Muslim Community Building Initiative, our Muslim counterparts have been true partners on the journey towards a more healthy, strong and diverse democracy in America. As communities of faith, we share a commitment to civically engaging our members and we all face various challenges. But to single out one community is not only an insult to all of us, but it is dangerous to all of us. We call on our elected officials to carry out the task of ensuring national security with determination and with sensitivity, but not with misguided media spectacles. Read the rest of this entry »
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