King’s Muslim Probe May Antagonize With Broad ‘Semantic’ Theme

House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Peter King’s investigation into Muslim radicalization in the U.S. may backfire by antagonizing people who could help fight terrorism, former government officials said.

“King risks helping to promote precisely the narrative Osama bin Laden and his sympathizers try to promote, namely dividing the world between Muslims and non-Muslims,” said Jennifer Bryson, a former counterterrorism official at the Defense Department. Al-Qaeda has used the same tactic as a recruiting tool, she said.