Those who keep statistical records on the subject report that about 95 percent of terrorist incidents in this country are perpetrated by non-Muslims. Yet U.S. Rep. Peter King wants us to believe that his concentration on the 5 percent is justifiable and that vilifying an entire religious group because of the actions of a few of its members is justifiable, too. Further, he believes that critics of this action are guilty of mere "political correctness" — such a convenient whine when defending one's bigotry!

Hearings that do not address the principal sources of internal terrorism in this country are a waste of time. When politicians like Mr. King demonize a single group, they are also political grandstanding and rabble-rousing. That is not merely a waste of our money but a destructive misuse of it. Mr. King should either restructure his hearings to address domestic terrorism seriously or end them.

Katharine W. Rylaarsdam, Baltimore