testimony. describing evil act of a few individuals to entire communities is wrong. it risks making our country less safe. solutions to the surge of domestic terrorism often emerge from individuals from within the muslim community. a point i address later in my testimony. demanding a community response as the title of the hearing suggests the community bears responsibility for violent acts of individuals. targeting the muslim american community for the actions of a few is unjust. all communities are responsible for, batting violent extremism, singling out one community focuses our analysis in the wrong direction. throughout human history individuals from all communities have used religion and political ideology to justify violence. let's think about the kkk, america's oldest terrorist organization. the oklahoma city bombing. the shooting at a holocaust museum by james von braun and bombings at planned parenthood places. do we focus on the ethnic group owe these agents as a matter of public policy? the answer is no. the united states entered japanese-americans during world war ii. during kennedy's political campaign his opponents portray a dire future for america with the catholic president. we now use events as a breach of our american values. let's talk about facts rather than stereotypes. the muslim american community reject violence ideology. the rand corp. highly respected research organization released a report last year that states the following, quote, given the low rate of violent extremists, 100 among three million american muslims suggests the american muslim population remains hostile to jihad ideology and violence. at a justice department press conference yesterday attorney general eric holder said, quote, the muslim community has contributed significantly to the resolution of many things that have resulted over the course of the last 18 months have received information that has been shared and critical to efforts to disrupt plots that otherwise might have occurred. muslim american communities across the country actively work with law enforcement officials from dialogue with eric holder to communities in minneapolis. recently to from many muslim american community members, two domestic terror plot including the times square bomber and northern virginia five. law enforcement officials depend on those relationships. a recent report by the muslim public affairs council stated information provided by muslim americans helped to foiled seven domestic terror plot and 40% of all plot since 9/11. 2011 study from duke university triangle center reiterated 40% of domestic terror plots that have been prevented with the aid of muslim american community. this cooperation with law-enforcement is rooted in relationship and trust which we should nurture. a witness that today's hearing, los angeles sheriff bacca testified last year and said to detect extremists police need to have trust and understanding of muslim communities to live in the united states. police need public participation. as leaders we need to be rigorous about our analysis of violent extremists and. are responsibility includes doing no harm. the focus of today's hearing may increase suspicion in the muslim american community ultimately making as a less safe. we have seen the consequences of anti muslim sentiment from backlash against the muslim community center to hostility against the islamic center in tennessee to friend koran burning in florida and denying permits to build mosques. at the height of the controversy a man asked a man if he was a muslim. when he said peace be to you, the individual stabbed him. dennismac data, national security advisor recently focused the adams center at the all dollars american muslim society. he noted that al qaeda's recruiting argument is the west is at war with islam. a chief goal of the national security policy is to undermine this argument. this requires active engagement with muslim community at home and throughout the world. as president obama said, quote, islamists are not part of a problem in combating violent extremists -- it is an important part of promoting peace. the best defense against extreme ideology is social inclusion and civic engagement. fbi agent ralph older, head of the minneapolis -- he led a large scale probe into counter-terrorism involving local somali americans heading overseas to fight with terrorist organizations. he has come to be seen as the deputy assistant director in charge of counter-terrorism. the strategy to fight extremism the agency needs to establish relationships with -- within the community. we had to show people they can trust me, trust us he said of the local community. he, quote, showed a side to the fbi people don't see. minneapolis police chief kim bowlen, they needed a little more to make their case and it paid off because of the connection he made. people came forward. he became somebody they were willing to go to. unfortunately i fear this hearing may undermine our efforts in this direction. recently a news program was stated, quote, about a young somali men who went to somalia and refuse to cooperate at all? they were denied for a long time that they even left. this sweeping statement regarding the community are represent is inaccurate. unfortunately law enforcement from minneapolis was not justified -- invited to testify before the committee about counter-terrorism in minneapolis. i invite them and would welcome such an invitation. in january the department of homeland security of the civil-rights and civil liberties committee convened a youth summit for somali american youth and law enforcement agencies which attracted 100 people including u.s. attorney, three so mali american police officers, myself, several law enforcement security agencies. this provided an opportunity with a mall youth groups to learn more about the various roles and responsibilities of the department of homeland security and community issues and concerns with government representatives. they discussed ways some all youth and government entities can improve communication. muslim americans have been part of the scene since the nation's founding. a little known fact in iowa which is home to one of the oldest mosques in america. the muslim community is just like the rest of us serving as doctors, business owners. the look cabdrivers and members of congress. muslim americans live in every community in america and they are neighbors and they are us. every american including muslim americans suffered on 911. twenty-nine muslims died at the world trade center. three died in hijack airplanes, united flight 175 and american flight 11. muslims stood with america united in grief and in our resolve to protect america. along with american the mall face muslim americans rushed in to save and rescue victims of al qaeda terrorism. let me close with a true story but remember that it is only one of many american stories that could be told. mohamad udani was a 23-year-old paramedic in new york city police cadet. he was one of those first responders who lost his life in the 9/11 terrorist attacks almost a decade ago. as new york times eulogized he wanted to be seen as an all-american kid. he wore no. 79 on the high school football team in queens where he lived. he was called cell by his friend. he became a research assistant at rockefeller university and drove an ambulance part-time. one christmas he saying handle's messiah in queens. he saw the star wars movies and it is well known that he had a young jet are license plate. he bravely sacrificed his life to help others on 9/11. after the tragedy some people tried to smear his character solely because of his islamic faith. some people spread false rumors and speculated he was in league with the attackers because he was a muslim. when his remains were identified these laws were exposed. hamdadi gave his life for other americans. he was not just a member of a religion but an american who gave everything for his fellow americans. i yield back. >> i thank the gentleman for his testimony. the gentle lady from texas. >> being moved by the statement of mr ellison i am wondering whether or not you would waive the rules of this committee to allow all members to have opening statements. i would like to finish my inquiry. i think because of the severity of this issue and the passion being expressed and the concern for demonizing one group, members need to be on the record to be able to express their view, their opposition or their support -- >> reclaiming my time. the regular rules will be followed. recognize the gentleman from virginia. >> i object. >> recognize the gentleman from virginia, mr. wolf who served long in the congress and should particular interest in this issue and his district has a severe case of radicalization. recognize mr. wolf. >> thank you for the opportunity to testify. i commend your leadership holding these hearings. i have been falling radical islamic terrorism for three decades. in 1998 i offered legislation creating the national commission on terrorism and highlighted the threat from osama bin laden in my introductory remarks. i was chairman of the house appropriations subcommittee on september 11th, 2001, and worked closely with director robert muller from 2002-2006 to transformed the commission to deal with the terrorist threat. and received regular briefings on terrorism and counter-terrorism center quite often in northern virginia and the new and growing threat posed by domestic radicalization. according to the congressional research service there have been 43 homegrown jihadists terrorist plots since 9/11 including one in two plots or attacks since may of 2009. as u.s. government officials, law enforcement and community leaders seek to combat this challenge we must foster partnerships with peaceful and law-abiding americans of the muslim faith. over the last three decades i have seen firsthand the violence against muslims in many countries and spoken out in sudan, chechnya, kosovo and china. in bosnia i was one of the only members -- muslim man prison camp run by the serbs where i saw evidence of ethnic cleansing and support of lifting the arms embargo so the muslim population could defend themselves. i am mindful of the board role american muslims play today. their teachers and doctors and police and soldiers with mothers and fathers and neighbors and patriotic americans. some paid the ultimate price in service to the country. i am reminded of a young pakistani american that i had the privilege of meeting at walter reed hospital. he lost both legs in iraq. the with a patriot who makes us proud that he was a muslim. the justice department including civil rights and national security programs, i am mindful of the government's responsibility to safeguard the rights of all americans. there have been instances in our nation's history especially when our country has been under attack when civil liberties of certain groups of people have been violated because other people were afraid. this is in excusable but this is the exception and not will. we cannot ignore the phenomenon of domestic radicalization. it is a national security challenge that must be confronted. according to a recent report by a respected counter-terrorism experts peter bergman, quote, the american melting pot has not provided a fire wall against radicalization of american citizens and residents. it has loathe us into a sense of complacency that homegrown terrorism could happen in the united states. they went on to say by not taking it more urgently and seriously the radicalization and recruitment that was actually occurring in the u.s. authorities failed to comprehend this was not an isolated phenomenon. it indicated the possibility that even an embryonic radicalization and recruitment infrastructure had been established in the u.s. homeland. considers the following individuals radicalized in virginia or i would even say in northern virginia. in october of 2010 farouq ammad was arrested for plotting attacks on the washington metro system targeting stations to kill as many people as possible. in july of 2010 zachary chester, graduate of oakland high school was arrested in new york on his way to join al shabaab in somalia. he pled guilty to charges of providing material support to terrorists and soliciting crimes of violence and was sentenced to 30 years. in november of 2009 five american muslim teenagers from fairfax county were arrested in pakistan to join militant islamist organizations and sentenced to ten years in pakistan prison. in november of 2009 virginia native army major hassan killed 13 service men and women in fort hood, texas. he grew up in arlington and went to wakefield high school and later moved to roanoke. in 2004, al moudy was convicted of three charges of conspiring to assassinate saudi crown prince abdullah and sentenced to 20 years in prison. in 2003 abu ali , the academy's 1999 valedictorian was arrested in saudi arabia and convicted in alexandria for conspiracy to commit terrorism including a plot to assassinate president bush. he was sentenced to life in prison. we cannot overlook the prominent role of an american citizen a a anwar al laki , preaching in a mosque in virginia. this is noteworthy given his recruitment of the fort hood shooter, the christmas day bomber and times square bomber. some experts say the internet is the conduit to corrupt mind. others say it is the important importation of radical -- as we deal with the growing threat it is troubling to see a group such as the council on american islamic relations attempt to stifle debate and obstruct cooperation with law-enforcement. in june of 2009 i spoke on the house floor in great detail layout my concerns about ciar and discussing the holy land foundation case. the foundation and five of its former organizers were found guilty of illegally sending $12 million to hamas which is a terrorist organization of the terrorist list by the united states and the you and wants to destroy israel. they designated a foreign terrorist organization and among the co-conspirators in the case was ciar. ciar is mistakenly elevated in the press as the voice of mainstream american muslims and have been granted access to the highest levels of government at times. last week in a hearing before my subcommittee attorney-general eric holder recognized ciar's, quote, troubled history and fbi director robert muller suspend all non investigative cooperation with ciar. my concern about ciar is not limited to its disturbing origins and connection to terrorist financing. i am equally concerned about its role in attacking the reputation of any who dare to raise concerns about domestic radicalization. in may 25th, 2007, wall street journal op-ed, former member of a terrorist organization describes terror as the most conspicuous organization to persistently accused opponents of islam phobia. in october of 2008 the editor of the columbus dispatch spoke to ciar's bent on accusations of the muslim debate. they said, quote, for many years terror has waged a campaign to intimidate and silence anyone who raises alarm about the danger of islamic extremism. the group acts properly when it hammers home the point that only a small number of muslims support religiously motivated violence and targeting law-abiding muslims is wrong. they went on to say -- label anyone who discusses islamic terrorism as a bigot and hatemonger and islamophobe. that is not all ciar 6. it is national and state chapter leaders actively dissuade american muslims from cooperating with law-enforcement. after dozens of somalia americans disappeared from the minneapolis area in 2009 ciar attempted to drive a wedge between the muslim community and the fbi which seek to track down the missing men. according to official estimates at least 2 dozen americans have moved to somalia in recent years to join the terrorist group al shabaab and roughly ten americans who have gone there have been killed in fighting or acts of terrorism while connected with al shabaab. in january of 2011 ciar's california chapter display a poster which stated build a wall of resistance. don't talk to the fbi. although ciar removed the poster once the media reported on it it reflects a larger and troubling pattern. when the terrorism commission legislation was moving in 1998 and ciar's own words asked muslims to contact leaders of the house senate committee and urge them to amend or eliminate the new legislation that would create a national commission on terrorism this was not successful. regrettably the recommendations sent to congress in june of 2000 were generally ignored until 9/11 when 3,000 people were killed including 2 dozen from my congressional district. let me be clear. terror -- ciar is counterproductive and hurting the american muslim community. i raise concerns because we are to successfully counter domestic radicalization law enforcement will need the active engagement of the muslim community. i have a recommendation to address the challenge of domestic radicalization head on. i commend the fbi director robert muller and all men of the fbi and others for the outstanding work they have done in intercepting would be terrorists but despite the fbi's success the u.s. does not have an effective policy to for radicalization. that is why i will be introducing legislation to create a team for radicalization and counter-terrorism strategy. the team would represent a new approach which would focus not just on connecting the dots of intelligence but seeking the nature of threats to stare step ahead in understanding how to break the radicalization and recruitment cycle that sustains terrorism. how to disrupt global terrorist network and strategically isolated. during the ford administration the cia created a team composed of outside experts to reexamine intelligence relating to soviet capabilities. their conclusions were markedly different from those of agency officials. many other assessments were used in the reagan administration to deal with the soviets ultimately leading to the end of the cold war. today federal law enforcement are so inundated with reports and investigations that we do not have the capacity to step back and strategically evaluate the threat before us. the team would provide a tremendous service to making recommendations on how to disrupt the domestic radicalization. i was working closely with congressman jane harman before she retired to go to woodrow wilson institute. for a year repeatedly written the administration urging them to implement this proposal. they have not. i urge your support of this legislation and saying you for the opportunity to testify. i strongly believe your hearings will provide congress with a starting point for a new dialogue about fighting extremism and radicalization. we cannot afford to be silent. i am reminded of a song by simon and garfunkel, the box. a man here is what he wants to hear but disregards the rest. we cannot disregard the issue of radicalization in our country. your hearings provide a productive forum for a much needed dialogue about domestic radicalization and i want to thank you for your leadership. >> thank you, chairman wolf. the panel is dismissed. [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [silence] >> let me thank each of the witnesses for being here today and giving us their valuable time. it is essential as we go forward. i look forward to the testimony. first witness today, dr. jesser is founder of the islamic forum for democracy, a devout muslim he founded aifd after the 9/11 attacks to provide an american muslim voice advocating preservation of the founding principles of the united states constitution. as a member of congress, when he was here he was a respected physician and former lieutenant of the united states navy and worked in the physician's office in the united states capital. for better