The White House said it welcomes congressional involvement in fighting against Islamic radicals in the Unites States, but not through "guilt by association."

A panel of House lawmakers met for the first time Thursday to assess the threat of homegrown terrorism.

Some say the controversial hearings could unfairly profile Muslims.

The White House agreed, saying the Muslim communities must be protected from intimidation

"And we also believe that Muslim Americans are very much part of the solution here and not the problem," White House spokesman Jay Carney said.

Instead of focusing exclusively on radical Islam, the Obama administration has been examining radicalization in general.