coming up -- a congressional hearing examines radicalization in the american muslim community. what do religious leaders have to say about it? plus -- combat veterans suffering from what's been called moral wounding. >> we don't really have a consciousness of our own spirit until it's wounded. and then it needs help. welc.

i'm kim lawton, sitting in for bob abernathy. thank you for joining us. faith based and humanitarian aid groups gearing up to help those on friday. the earthquake was at strongest ever recorded in japan, and one of the largest in the world in the last century. the house committee on homeland security this week held a first in a series of controversial herings emining what it called radicalization in the american muslim community and there was wide religious reaction. the hearing called by chair of committee, new york republican peter king, who invokes the

member of the 9/11 attacks. >> we must be fully aware home groan radicalization is apart o al qaeda's strategy to continue attacking the united states. al qaeda is actively targeting the american muslim community for recruitment. today's hearing will addresshe dangerous trend. >> reporter: first step on the witness list was congressman keith ellison a democrat from minnesota and the first muslim elected to the house of representatives. >> it's true that specific individuals, including some who are muslims, are violent extremists. however, these are individuals, not entire communities. when you are sign their violent actions to the entire community, you assign collective blame to a whole group. this is the very heart of stereotyping andscapegoating. >> reporter: ellison became emotional as he described a young muslim paramedic on 9/11.

>> a fellow american who gave his life for other americans. his life should not be identified as just a member of an ethnic group or just a member of a religion. but as an american who gave everything for his fellow americans. >> reporter: but several witnesses testified that the u.s. muslim community is not doing enough to counterradic counterradicalism in its midst. family members described who you two american muslims were recruited by extremisextremists. the president said his faith is being hijacked by what he called a political movement promoting radicalization. >> we have a problem, where is that? it's a minority but there's an ideology that exifs in some masks, not all, not a majority, but some, and it's a significant number. >> reporter: religious groups mobilized throughout the hearing. in new york, interfaith

supporters joined thousanded s muslims. a smaller counterrally alleged that muslims are linked to terrorism. and some in the faith community said congress should be looking into this. >> name another religion where there's an international coordinated effort today where there could be an imam in yemen talking to a member of our mill tale in texas to carry out an attack on troops or young people recruited. it's not happening. >> reporter: u.s. islamic advocacy groups accuseongss of unfairly singling out their community. on capitol hill, a coalition of prominent leaders from several faith traditions gathered to show solidarity with american muslims. >> i feel congressman ellison's pain. i share the pain. i share his concern that these hearings will only exacerbate

anti-muslim bigotry and islamaphobia in our country. >> reporter: the group acknowledged that congress has a responsibility to examine violent extremism but objected to how this hearing was framed. >> i can imagine hearings that would come under the heading of the role of religion in promoting violent extremism, that would be able to address the real problem, not a group of people, the vast, vast majority of whom who have thing to do with problem but part of the solution. >> reporter: members were grateful for the support. >> i believe by isolating and singling out the community will really feeding into the stereotyping in the community but this america that i know, that's standing with me here, this america that i love. >> reporter: the leaders

announced a new interfaith initiative called shoulder to shoulder which they said would promote tolerance and fight anti-muslim bigotry. congressman king said he thought the hearin gerated a produive and wor while conversation. he plans to move ahead with other hearings on the topic in the future. joining me now is the associate professor of religion in the media, syracuse university, author of "beyond tolerance, searching for interfaith understanding in america." there was an extraordinary conversation around religion this week. what do you think it says about this particular moment in the american religious landscape? >> well, it's really an extraordinary moment, and somewhat ironic, too, given that the dominant imags omusls are people fighting for freedom and human right in north africa at this point. in terms of the united states, it says there's a lingering suspicion of muslims as a community. it also says, given the pushback

against the hearing, there are a great many people invested in supporting american muslims as part of the american community and interfaith dialogue. >> we did see a big mobilization in the religious community, but congregatn leve the pew level there are questions lingering about links between violence and islam. how big of a challenge is that for interfaith relations? >> it's a big challenge. for one thing the dominance media image of muslims say, between 9/11 and up to 2009 was one of people who were associated with terrorist groups abroad. it was a fighting in between u.s. troops and terrorists in ir andut i think things have begun to change over the last two years.

for one thing, you had a tremendous and ultimately unsuccessful uprising in iran against the disputed elections there, and then, as i say, very recently, you've had a popular revolution sweeping across north africa, giving us a completely different of muslims, and i hope that that does filter down to a pew level that people do see that the are muslim as broad, certainly muslims in the united states with whom they can agree with. >> we did see diversity within the american-muslim community this week. people think of it as a monolithic body but it's really not. >> it's anything but. it's anything but. there are, what? 50, 60 different ethnic groups. there are people wealthy. there are people who are white collar. there are all sorts of professionals, there are blue collar people. there are people who have been here since the 1960s,

people who have recently arrived and geographically the community is very widespread. >> how do you think the hearings, the images of this hearing, is playing overseas among the people you were talking about? >> in some ways i'm concerned about that because at the very time you've got people fighting for freedom and human rights in north africa, you have internationally televised hearings questioning patriotism of at least some american muslims. on the other hand, what's hopeful that is people from the administration, the ntional admistraon, l the way do the pewlevel, has to do it with muslims and stood with muslims as americans in this country. and i hope that the latter is received more strongly than the former, at least for american interests abroad. >> all right. associate professor of religion in the media at syracuse university. thanks a lot for being with us today. in other news, continued humanitarian concerns for libya.

the head of the international red cross reported that doctors saw a sharp rise this in week in casualties, mostly civilian deaths. the united nations asked for additional funds to serve 1 million foreign workers and others trapped inside the country. faith-based groups continue to provide aid to tens of thousand of refugees who have fled to the libyan boarders with tunisia and egypt. in cairo, deadly violence erupted between muslims and christians. tensioned escalated after a group of muslims burned down a coptic church south of the city. the fire was reportedly set because of a family feud over an interfaith romance. at least 13 people were killed, and more than 100 wounded, most of them christians. many local leaders have called for more religious tolerance but some cops say they're not being protected by the country's transitional government. around the world this week, christians began observing lent,

the solemn 40-day period leading up to easter. in rome, pope benedict xvi preside over the traditional ash wednesday service. at ash wednesday services in philadelphia, the cardinal urges special raye as archdiocese deals with a widening sex abuse scandal there. the cardinal placed 21 priests on administrative leave this week, pending an inquire troy allegations that they abused minors. >> illinois has become the 16th state to ban the death penalty. governor pat quinn signed the law wednesday ending capital punishment and reduces the sentences of inmates on death row to life without parole. the number of states that still have the death penalty is now at the lowest point in more than 30 years. e dalai lama announced thiseek 's ming ead with his plan to step down from his leadership role in a tibetan government in exile. he'll remain the top spiritual leader of tibetan buddhism but says time has come for his political work to end.

the 75-year-old dalai lama long signaled his intention to leave politics. since elections for a new prime minister will begin next week, many believe he will transfer his political responsibilities to that newly elected leader. >> a new united nations report this week says 2010 was the deadlie yeafor noncombatants in afghanistan since the beginning of the war. there was a 15% increase in civilian casualties over 2009 with taliban insurgents blamed for the vast majority of those deaths. of course the wars there and in iraq have taken a heavy toll on the military as well. increasing numbers are coming back with crippling fear and anger, posttraumatic stress disorder and some combat veterans suffering guilt and shame associated with what is called moral wounding. lucky severson did this report last year. >> reporter: happy days in roswell, new mexico, a soldier and a national guard engineer company deployed in afghanistan come marching home.

for some, unless they get called back, the war is over. for others, it's only begun. >> i was a rifleman and >> reporter: in an infantry unit. >> infantry, correct, marine corps infantry. >> reporter: michael joined the marines september 12, 2001, the day after the terrorist attacked on the twin tradtowe. like tens ofhousands o american soldiers coming home, he's struggled with warning signs of posttraumatic stress disorder, or ptsd. symptoms like nightmares, insomnia, hypervigilance and guilt. and for him, something even deeper -- a wounding of the soul. >> something is changed. you know, you feel down to your spirit, you know, that you're different now. you know, we don't really have a conscionesof o ownpirit

until it's wounded. and then it needs help. >> reporter: with the increase in crime and suicide among veterans of iraq and afghanistan, the notion that war can actually damage or warp the soul has been gaining traction among experts in the field. nancy sherman, professor at georgetown university, has studied and written extensively about the hearts, minds, and souls of soldiers. >> i like to talk about the moraemotions of war and they include wounds but there's a hard, bad feeling that may erode at your character, that's the really deep one. >> reporter: the kind of emotional wounds lieutenant colonel eric olson witnessed as a chaplain in iraq. >> it's a hard place where you're asked to do some very difficult things, and once

you've crossed those lines it's hard to navigate back. it's a soul wound. it's definitely a soul wound. >> reporter: michael is still suffering from guilt at his unit sn't the to prect an afghan father who had provided intelligence on the enemy to the marines. >> he had trusted us, to some degree, that we would be there to support him and his family if he was going to be taking chances to help us, and we betrayed his trust to, you know, to a certain degree. we weren't there for him. see, i have guilt. >> rerter: what hpened to him? >> him and his family were gunned down in front of their house. his beard was cut off and he was stripped and laid on top of his

family. >> reporter: you knew the kids, too, didn't you? you knew the whole family? >> yes. >> reporter: a recent survey by the rand corporation found over 300,000 veterans are suffering from some form of ptsd which put enormous pressure on veteran hops, like this one in los angeles, which also houses new directions, a residential treatment program for veterans. clinic director says no one knows the number of ptsd victims for certain because many veterans refuse to acknowledge it. >> it doesn't bode well for their career if they're in any way seen as mentally unstable. >> reporter: those who have studied the issue say moral wouldn'ting is especially troubling around recent vets because so many served more than one tour of duty. ed tick operates soldiers heart for stricken veterans and says they aren't the only ones suffering. >> 20% of active duty troops and

as much as 40% of national guardsmen and reserves are coming back with ptsd. these are astronomical numbers and we could go through substance, divorce, child abuse, homicide, imprisons populations. so they are really hurting. >> reporter: the justice department estimates nearly a quarter of a million veterans of wars dating back to vietnam are serving time behind bars. t"the new york times" found 121 cases in which iraq and afghan veterans committed murder after their return from war. only a few had been screened for mental health problems and unlike many civilian criminals, the overwhelming majority had no prior criminal record. dr. shea, a neuroscientist who works with the veteran administration, ridicules the age-old theory that good breathing and good character will keep you morally strong, even in the face of war. >> well, that idea has a great

pedigree and i'm afraid it's complete crap. it is simply wrong. moral injury causes good character to become deformed. >> reporter: it alters it? >> alters it. >> reporter: who you were? >> it makes you bitter. it makes you cynical. it makes you filled with hatred. >> reporter: michael had never been in tuble before, but served prison time after his wife convinced him to sell his personal unregistered guns to someone who turned out to be a government informer. >> you get so used to having a rifle, and i used to get these fears like i had forgotten ply rifle somewhere, and to even imagine life without a rifle is scary. >> reporter: monica says michael's attachment to guns is not uncommon. >> that's what they were trained to do and what eyleaed,

especially in combat, is that the world is not a safe place, and they are taught to protect themselves and others and think everyone else is crazy for not having a weapon with them at all times. >> reporter: the rate of suicide among vets of the current wars has also been on the rise. the federal study in 2005 found that veterans were twice as likely to commit suicide as those who hadn't served in the military. and ptsd is considered a significant reason why almost 25% of america's homeless are veterans, of all wars, even though they make up only 8% of the population. >> thank you for the food that's provided for us. >> reporter: the largest number of vets reside in downtown los angeles and many found help at the union rescue mission anthony works at the mission. he was injured in afghanistan. he found this place after live on the streets. >> and then doing some of the

things we have to do as far as serving our country, goes against what's in the bible. but it's either my life or theirs. cominging back having to deal with that was very difficult. >> my problems came -- >> reporter: billy was a sergeant-major in the marines. he says the first gulf war, where he served on reconnaissance patrols, changed him spirit actually. >> because you see no spirituality in war. combat does not, for la of a bett wor expose you to the opportunity to serve the lord. >> reporter: after he lost his faith, he lost his wife and his home, and now he's trying to help other veterans at the los angeles mission. >> i don't know if you've ever been in a position to say to yourself if you have believed in

god, you think god has abandoned you, that's what you feel in combat because you feel there can be no god with this type of carnage going on. >> reporter: everyone we spoke with agrees that an important factor in the turbulent return of some vets is that much of the country has not shares the pain of two wars they have been fighting. >> there's lip service to the service and saluting the service, but does the public really understand in a deep way em pathically what the moral burdens of war are? i don't think so. >> reporter: good news is the department of defense instituted a reintegration plan for vets calls the yellow ribbon program. >> we tried y see them as soon they come home, 30 days, 60

days, help them to navigate that. >> reporter: more churches are joining in like the unitarian church in albany, new york, which sponsored its first healing circle ceremony for veterans like michael. >> i've lost more friends to suicides than i did in combat. >> reporter: for too many veterans, coming home doesn't end with kisses and hugs. now there's an increasing awareness and some say an urgent need for america and americans to step up and share the pain of our returning veterans, and help them reclaim their lives. for "religion and ethics newsweekly," i'm lucky severson, reporting. finally, on our calendar for eastern orr dock christians sunday is known ashe sunday of or docky, e celebration of a church ruling that restored the use of icons in the liturgy.

thursday is st. patrick's day, come member rating the popular 5th cent tray patron st. of ireland. and as we noted earlier, eastern and western christians are observing the lenten period of reflection and repentance. many western christians began lent with the special ash wednesday service where they received ashes on their foreheads or the top of their heads as a symbol of pen tans and immortality. lent is a sombe me b it's often preceded with celebration, sometimes excess, witness mardi gras and carnival. american churches borrows the tradition of pancake day. at washington's national cathedral, they held a traditional pancake race. >> praise god from whom all -- >> in england, this is pancake day, and the pancake races are somewhat legendary.

they date to the 15th century. people were encouraged, going into lent, to use up all of the sweet and fattening things in their pantries and so pancakes was a way to use up butter, eggs, flour and sugar. and the races, legend has it, that a woman was cooking her pancakes on her stove top when she heard the noon day church bells ringing and realized she was late for church. so she grabbed her pancakes off the stove and ran through the town with her skillet and pancake to get to church on time. the general rules are that all of the runners have to flip their pancake three times while they run and that if they drop their pancake, they have to recite a poem as a penalty, and that poem is pancakes are good, pancakes are greasy, i thought flipping pancakes was going to be easy. as you saw today an awful lot of people dropped their pancakes. i'm not sure a lot followed our rules exactly, but i know

everybody had a good time. >> i was the charmpion of all champions. a secret. praice. endurance. and faith. >> that's our program for now. i'm kim lawton. there's much more on our website about ash wednesday observances and the congressional hearings on american muslims. comment on all of ur stories and share them. audio and video podcasts are available. follow us on twitter facebook, where i have a fan page, too. find us on youtube, watch us any time, anywhere, on smart phones and iphones with our mobile web app. join us at pbs.org. more scenes from ash wednesday in rome. ♪

♪