Rep. Peter King's congressional hearings on American Muslim radicalization consider CAIR impact Compiled by Ian Saleh Washington Post Staff Thursday, March 10, 2011; 5:18 PM Congressman Peter King held Congressional hearings on radicalization in the American muslim community. As Michelle Boorstein and David Fahrenthold reported on the proceedings: A House hearing on the radicalization of American Muslims offered a few facts and a surplus of political theater Thursday, as legislators from both parties argued about Islam, terrorism - and the wisdom of the hearing itself. The day's most dramatic moment came during testimony from Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), one of two Muslims in Congress. Ellison choked up repeatedly as he told the story of Mohammad Salman Hamdani, 23, a Muslim first responder who died in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Ellison described Hamdani's love for his country and for "Star Wars," and testified how rumors had falsely connected him to the terrorists behind the attacks. "It was only when his remains were identified that these lies were exposed," Ellison said, his voice breaking. Mohammad Salman Hamdani was a fellow American who gave his life for other Americans. That moment - a congressman testifying to other members of Congress - was a fitting highlight for a day that often seemed focused less on fact-finding than on staking out political ground. Interactive: Highlights from opening statements at Muslim hearings CAIR, a Muslim civil liberties organization, was singled out by Rep. King during the hearings. As Felicia Somnez and Michelle Boorstein explained: The crowd seemed to gain energy -- 3 1/2 hours into the hearing -- when the subject turned to the legitimacy of groups such as the Council on American-Islamic Relations. Cravaack repeated allegations constant in the conservative blogosphere that the advocacy group is governed by terrorist organizations collaborating with outlawed groups like Hamas. Basically, you're dealing with a terrorist organization. They might be using you, sir, to implement their goals," Cravaack told Baca, who represents the largest sheriff's department in the country. Baca, who has been outspoken in recent weeks about his strong collaboration with Muslim American organizations, triggered something like a group gasp when he said, "If the FBI has any charges against CAIR, let the FBI bring them. You have facts, and you have a crime. Deal with it. We don't play around with criminals in my world. If CAIR is a 'criminal organization,' prosecute them and bring them to trial. CAIR was used as a lightning rod during the hearing, sort of a proxy for the often cited but unnamed "Muslim organizations" that King and several of his witnesses said were the problem and were encouraging innocent, patriotic Muslim Americans not to work with law enforcement. The FactChecker reviewed some of the claims made about CAIR during the meetings: CAIR [The Council on American-Islamic Relations] was named as an unindicted co-conspirator in the terrorist financing case involving the Holy Land Foundation. In the lead-up to this hearing, I found it shocking and sad that the mainstream media accepted CAIR's accusations as if it were a legitimate organization. Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) These claims lack context. CAIR is an aggressive Muslim civil liberties organization, modeled on the Anti Defamation League, that has made it a target for criticism. It was indeed named as an "unindicted co-conspirator or joint venturer" in the Holy Land Foundation case--an Islamic charity that in 2008 was convicted of funding Islamic militant groups. But CAIR was not alone in that designation; nearly 250 other organizations and individuals were also named. The federal government said the organizations were included on the list in order to produce evidence at the trial, but the district court and a federal appeals court later ruled that it had been a mistake to make the list public. More from The Washington Post Politics: King's hearings are a key moment in an angry conversation Fact Checker: Peter King's claims about radical imams, true or false? King hearings: Full witness list