The Hill News

Terrorism is a serious issue. Whether it comes from abroad or at home, it requires a serious response. Many observers noted that Rep. Peter King’s hearing yesterday threatens to divide America by focusing only on terrorism carried out by Muslim Americans. But there’s another problem with King’s hearing: its failure to take an evidence-based approach to the problem of radicalization.   

This failure is evident in the witnesses King chose for yesterday’s hearing. These witnesses â€" including a Muslim doctor from Arizona, whose views are rejected by almost all American Muslims, and the parents of two! men who committed terrorist attacks in the name of Islam â€" are sure to play to the emotions of those watching the hearings. But they have little relevant experience on the complex issue the hearing purports to tackle.  

There is deep expertise available in the federal government and among social scientists about homegrown terrorism. If Rep. King is serious about addressing the issue, his next hearing â€" he has promised a series of them â€" should include these specialists. 

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