Many metro Atlantans supported the hearing Thursday in Washington to investigate terrorist recruitment among Muslim Americans, but others feared the pointed inquiry would spur more suspicion and hate.
Concerns on both sides of the issue are not distant matters in metro Atlanta, where some people lost loved ones in the attacks of Sept. 11 and others feel their religious worship is hampered by prejudice against Muslims.
Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee that conducted the hearing, said he is concerned about growing radical elements among Muslim Americans and believes Muslim leaders must cooperate more with authorities to root out evil.
That makes a lot of sense to Shelby White of Atlanta, whose 26-year-old son, Adam, was killed in the World Trade Center attacks in New York.
“We need to find out the truth. Are there people here in the U.S. who have become radicals?” said White, who suspects there are such people. He believes the U.S. is at war with radical Islamic groups and that Muslim leaders need to help uncover the threats. “I don’t think they are cooperating enough.”
However, the hearing made some Muslim groups in Atlanta feel defensive, if not persecuted. Some local Muslim leaders say they believe prejudice was behind the recent rejection of a rezoning request for a mosque in Lilburn. Homeowners cited parking and noise concerns.
“This is very scary. It gives congressional approval for hate against Muslims,” said Soumaya Khalifa, executive director of the Islamic Speakers Bureau of Atlanta.
Robert Johnson, 66, of Snellville had mixed feelings about the hearing.
“There’s obviously some kind of movement,” Johnson said. But he’s not confident the hearing will accomplish much. “In Washington, they’re always having some kind of hearing.”
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