On Saturday Bill Bennett and Seth Leibsohn posted an article at CNN's Opinion Page. The article was entitled, "Don't Overstate Anti-Muslim Bias."
The article reports that two weeks after the House Homeland Security Committee held hearings on the radicalization of Muslims in America, Dick Durbin has announced that he will be holding related hearings in the Senate. However, the hearings in the Senate will focus on anti-Muslim bigotry in the United States.
The article reports:
"Senator Durbin has said anti-Islamic sentiment in America is on the rise and that, "It is important for our generation to renew our founding charter's commitment to religious diversity and to protect the liberties guaranteed by our Bill of Rights." The hearing, scheduled for next week, follows a CNN special to air this Sunday, "Unwelcome: The Muslims Next Door.""
In 2009 (the most recent year statistics are available) there were 931 acts of bias against Jews and 107 against Muslims. Based on those numbers, it doesn't seem as if Muslims are the ones having the problem with bias.
The article states:
"Still, an uncomfortable fact remains, but it is not about bigotry. Despite the full and equal rights Muslims are and should be entitled to in America, we face a problem that too few are willing to speak about: Radical Muslims have declared war on America, from within and without, and that threat is on the rise. This uncomfortable fact has put many Americans on the defensive. But most of those on the defensive are those who recite this fact, not those who avoid it.
"We predict that when all is said and done by the end of next week, Peter King, who held hearings on radicalization in the Muslim community, will have been subject to far more scrutiny and negative publicity than Dick Durbin.
"But King was right to raise his issue; his opponents are the ones grandstanding."
Considering the numbers from 2009, isn't holding the hearings on anti-Muslim bias instead of anti-Jewish bias a form of bias?
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