Michael Honda: Peter King's 'Muslim Radicalization' Hearings Risk Repeating History

Congressman Michael Honda (D-CA) is Senior Democratic Whip and member of House Budget and Appropriations Committees.

Who would have thought that my early childhood experience in a Japanese-American internment camp during World War II would offer such useful insight, sixty-five years later, in determining the direction America is headed? In reflecting on this week’s second round of Muslim radicalization hearings, planned by Congressman Peter King (R-NY), I feel like a mirror is being held up to my life, giving value to lessons learned as a child.

Make no mistake. Growing up in internment camp Amache in Colorado was no joy ride—just look at the pictures. We were treated like cattle in those camps. Never mind the fact that we were born in America. Never mind the fact that we were patriotic Americans and law-abiding citizens. Never mind the fact that we were constructively contributing to the American economy. Despite all this, hundreds of thousands of Americans suddenly became the enemy at the height of the war, with no cause, no crime and no constitutional protections.

We look back now, as a nation, and we know this was wrong. We look back now and know that internment was a result of racial prejudice, war hysteria and a failure of political leadership. We look back now and know that an entire ethnic group was considered the enemy because too few in Washington were brave enough to say “No.”

We know all this, and yet our country is now, within my lifetime, repeating the same mistakes from our past....