Rep. Peter King's hearings on radicalization among American Muslims: Details and background Compiled by Justin Bank Washington Post staff Thursday, March 10, 2011; 12:59 PM The Rep. Peter King helmed hearing on radicalization among American Muslims began on Thursday: Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.), who chairs the House Committee on Homeland Security, opened the much anticipated congressional hearing with a statement that steered clear of his most controversial statements from the past, when he said more than 80 percent of American mosques were tainted by radicalism. But, King said, reports from law enforcement and the Obama administration indicated that Islamic terrorists were seeking to recruit American Muslims. And he cited a public opinion poll that showed support for suicide bombings among a small fraction of Muslim men. "The overwhelming majority of Muslim Americans are outstanding Americans," King said. But there are realities we cannot ignore. "Moderate leadership must emerge from the Muslim community," King said. But an emotional rebuttal came from the hearing's first witness, Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.). Ellison, one of two Muslims in Congress, said he feared that the hearings could tar the entire Muslim community because of the actions of a few. We need to conduct a thorough, fair analysis and to do no harm. The approach of today's hearing, I fear, does not meet these standards," Ellison said. These hearings have a precedent from previous Congressional sessions: Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (I-Conn.) held 14 such hearings between 2006 and 2009, and then-Rep. Jane Harman (D-Calif.) held six. Public opinion about Muslims hasn't changed much in recent years. In the fall, a Washington Post-ABC News poll asked whether mainstream Islam "encourages violence." Among all respondents, 31 percent said yes, slightly less than the recent high of 34 percent in 2003. What's different now is the tone of the discussion - in Congress and across the country. In Lieberman's hearings, most witnesses preceded their comments by saying that the problem was not Islam itself. That was an echo of what President George W. Bush said just days after 9/11, when he went to a D.C. mosque and declared, "Islam is peace." The president's remark and others that followed had the effect of constraining criticism. Felicia Sonmez and Michelle Boorstein are liveblogging the hearing at the 2Chambers blog. They've been highlighting notable exchanges, such as this one during the testimony of Zuhdi Jasser, a prominent Navy veteran from Scottsdale, Arizona: Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.), meanwhile, asked for thoughts from the panelists on how to combat the use of the Internet and other technologies by terrorist organizations overseas. Jasser responded that "we need your support to do that and we can do it with the right resources." He said that the U.S. strategy so far has been to try to break down Islamist propaganda. "That's wrong," he said. Look at what happened in Egypt and Tunisia. That was simply through social networking. Jasser also criticized the investigation into the Fort Hood attack and others for not specifically mentioning the words "Islam" or "jihad." "It's like trying to treat cancer without saying the word," Jasser said, adding: "We've surrendered the constitution to the jihadists." World: On Libya, Obama willing to let allies take the lead Yemen: President Saleh offers plan to amend constitution World: Gaddafi showers strategic oil port with rockets