"The main goal is to show the extent of radicalization within the Muslim-American community, how dangerous that is, how serious that is," he said Monday on Fox News's Fox and Friends. "I will have witnesses there to show it's a real threat. It's a growing threat, and it's not just me saying this."
King's comments follow a high-profile demonstration in Times Square on Sunday attended by several hundred protesters, according to The New York Times, as well as the support of a few well-known celebrities.
Christians, Jews and Muslims gathered together in the rain to brand the hearings a witch-hunt, waved signs and chant: "Shame, Shame, Pete King!"
"Today I am a Muslim, too," said Rabbi March Schneier, president of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding. Feisal Abdul Rauf, the imam who is a co-founder of Islamic community center mosque near Ground Zero, also addressed the crowd.
King made reference to the protest on Fox News but said it wouldn't curb his efforts. "I have no choice, I'm going ahead with the hearings, and they can yell in Times Square and they can get all the celebrities out they want, I'm not going to stop," he said. "I'm not going to give in to political correctness. I'm going ahead."
In Washington, the White House extended its hand to Muslims by sending Deputy National Security Adviser Denis McDonough. He told an audience on Sunday at a Virginia mosque — known for its cooperation with the FBI — that the White House is committed to a positive and productive relationship with Muslims, and that "we will not stigmatize or demonize entire communities because of the actions of a few."
"We must resolve that, in our determination to protect our nation, we will not stigmatize or demonize entire communities because of the actions of a few. In the US, we don't practice guilt by association," McDonough told the All Dulles Area Muslim Society, or ADAMS mosque.
"The bottom line is this," McDonough said. "When it comes to preventing violent extremism and terrorism in the US, Muslim Americans are not part of the problem; you're part of the solution."
Critics are outraged and accuse King of singling out a group based on their faith. Many within the Arab and Muslim American community are deeply disturbed by King's insistence to "investigate homegrown radicalization."
They fear that Thursday's hearing will send a message to Americans that setting Muslims apart is justified. King has repeatedly emphasized in several interviews that Muslim radicalization poses a greater security threat than any non-Muslim terrorist group. At a time when discrimination against Muslims is already a national problem, they fear the hearing will serve to breed more prejudice and lead to divisiveness and violence against their community.
"Islamaphobia, if left unchecked, may serve to erect barriers to Muslim inclusion in America, increasing alienation, especially among young Muslims. Not only would such a situation do grave damage to one of the fundamental cornerstones of America's unique democracy, it would simultaneously rapidly expand the pool of recruits for future radicalization," James Zogby, President of the Washington-based Arab American Institute, said Monday.
At Thursday's hearings in Congress, King said his three main witnesses would be a Muslim Navy veteran critical of leaders in the Islamic community and two relatives of young men who were radicalized. Congressman Keith Ellison, the first Muslim elected to Congress, will also testify.
Observers say it is essential to maintain good relations with the Arab and Muslim American community for many reasons. For example, tips from the Muslim community are pivotal in the effort to thwart Muslim extremists, various experts said on Monday at a Capitol Hill forum, especially in keeping tabs on extremists of whom the government would have lost track of otherwise.
Forty-eight of the 120 Muslims arrested since the 9/11 terrorist attacks were turned in by other Muslims, according to a Feb. 2 study released by the Triangle Center on Terrorism and Homeland Security.
