Jerry Klein's "Spoof"

What did Jerry Klein of WMAL Radio have in mind when he did this? (Print synopsis here)

Was Klein's purpose to expose growing hatred for Muslims? Or did he have in mind provoking his listeners to make concurring comments so as to bring in CAIR?


After all, CAIR is no stranger to WMAL Radio. According to this July 28, 2005 press release from Anti-CAIR:

ABC DISNEY BACKS DOWN TO THREATS FROM CAIR, FIRES CONSERVATIVE TALK HOST OVER STATEMENTS REGARDING ISLAM AND TERRORISM

Conservative talk-show host Michael Graham was suspended without pay today by ABC Disney after threats from the Council for American-Islamic Relations over his on-air comments regarding terrorism and Islam.

Despite repeated statements of support for Graham's free-speech rights by management at 630 WMAL in Washington, D.C. ----- the ABC-owned radio station where Graham works as mid-morning host ---- he was summarily suspended pending an "investigation."

"I honestly don't know what Disney is investigating me for, unless it's for doing a compelling talk show that gets people's attention," Graham said. "I thought that was my job."

Graham has been harshly criticized by CAIR for public comments linking the current theology and structure of Islam to the repeated acts of terror in its name. CAIR sent mass e-mails to its members urging them to contact ABC and demand the company to punish Graham for his remarks.

The statements at the heart of the controversy reflect Graham's opinion that, as he puts it, "Because of the mix of Islamic theology that --- rightly or wrongly --- is interpreted to promote violence, added to an organizational structure that allows violent radicals to operate openly in Islam's name with impunity, Islam has, sadly, become a terrorist organization. It pains me to say it. But the good news is it doesn't have to stay this way, if the vast majority of Muslims who don't support terror will step forward and re-claim their religion."

Ironically, CAIR announced today that a group of US Muslim scholars were issuing a fatwa against terrorism. According to Ibrahim Hooper of CAIR, the fatwa was issued in part due to criticism from talk radio hosts like Michael Graham.

"Nearly four years after the World Trade Center fell, CAIR is participating in a blanket denunciation of terrorism, and my attitude is "better late than never." If our conversation on 630 WMAL helped CAIR finally take this long-needed step, then we've done something good for the future of Islam," Graham said....

In contrast to CAIR's reaction to Michael Graham's comments and to his explanation thereof, CAIR is pleased with the results of Jerry Klein's spoof:

RADIO SPOOF DRAWS SUPPORT FOR NAZI-LIKE TREATMENT OF U.S. MUSLIMS

CAIR says callers' reaction is a 'wake-up call' on Anti-Muslim bigotry

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 11/27/06) - A parody of anti-Muslim bigotry on a Washington, D.C., radio station drew support for treating American Muslims in a manner similar to how the Jewish community was targeted in Nazi Germany.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said today that the reaction to the parody is a "wake-up call" for religious and political leaders who remain silent on the issue of growing Islamophobia in America....

The story about Jerry Klein's spoof has elicited a lot of attention, according to Klein's own statement on November 28:

I've been overwhelmed by the response to Sunday's show (click ... if you'd like to hear a recording). Besides being interviewed by the Reuters news service, and having both NBC4 and WUSA TV9 here in Washington feature this story prominently on Monday night's newscasts, I've heard that other talk show hosts and bloggers have now joined the conversation. By early Tuesday, I've stopped counting the emails you've sent me from all over the world in response to my contention that as Americans, we need to be careful that we don't allow our concerns over terrorism to push us over the line towards discrimination against all Muslims, and in fact all Arabs, whether Muslim, Christian, or any other faith. Thank you for your words of support. I'll try to respond to everyone -- but it's going to take a little time.

FYI...Jerry Klein is sort of odd-man-out at WMAL Radio, which also presents programs from Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh. The WMAL Radio web site refers to Jerry Klein as "WMAL's Favorite (Pet) Liberal?" The following is his biographical sketch from the station's web site:

Jerry Klein is 630 WMAL’s Senior Producer, and Producer for The Chris Core Show. He was born in Philadelphia, but grew up and spent most of his life in Charlotte, NC, where he was an award-winning talk-radio host, concert producer, weekly columnist, record store owner, the program director for a non-profit center for community and culture, and a psychological counselor. (Jerry says, "That’s code for I’ve led a very full and colorful life.")

He moved to the Washington area a little more than five years ago to finally marry the love of his life. Jerry has two sons, Josh and Ben, and relies on his cat, Yogi, for spiritual guidance - though, he says, "All assistance in these matters is gratefully accepted!"

Read more ...

An Agenda Exposed?

It appears that the eight imams who were removed from the US Airways Flight might have done so as part of a scheme to reduce airline security. Here's what Investors Business Daily said in an editorial:

Turns out among those attending their conference was Rep.-elect Keith Ellison, (D-MN), who will be the first Muslim sworn into Congress (with his hand on the Quran). Two days earlier, Ellison, an African-American convert who wants to criminalize Muslim profiling, spoke at a fundraiser for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the Muslim-rights group that wasted no time condemning US Airways for "prejudice and ignorance." CAIR wants congressional hearings to investigate other incidents of "flying while Muslim." Incoming Judiciary Chairman John Conyers, (D-MI), has already drafted a resolution, borrowing from CAIR rhetoric, that gives Muslims special civil-rights protections.

It's stunning to think that John Conyers, CAIR-Michigan's 2005 Man of the Year, drafted this resolution by "borrowing from CAIR rhetoric." Then again, Conyers has carried CAIR's water for ages. It's also curious that the imams chose to pray in such an 'in-your-face' way, considering this fact, disclosed in an email to Gateway Pundit:

Greetings Jim,

As a person raised a Muslim and practicing Islam. I was taught that if a Muslim's time of prayer comes and needs to pray. But is in a confined space or in a situation which would attract negative attention. That a Muslim could pray sitting in chair etc...and use nodding or bowing to symbolize the Rukaahs and Sejdas needed for prayers. The prophet Mohamed has advised Muslims to not attract negative attention and not to act in a way perceived negatively by our surroundings. In airports in many Muslim countries there are special rooms for praying so as not to be praying in a waiting area.
These Imams must have known what their praying in a waiting area in an airport (if it is in fact what they did) filled with people would do. Muslims should not be inviting or seeking trouble.
I am saddened to see how far some Muslims have strayed from Islam.

Based on that email, it's difficult to imagine that this wasn't staged to trigger an investigation. Here's a couple other reasons why I think that's likely:

Keith Ellison is demanding to talk with US Airways officials;
Speaker-in-waiting Pelosi met with CAIR in July, 2004 to strategize on how to block the reauthorization of the Patriot Act. Here's what we know about Rep. Conyers contribution to the meeting:

Working with Conyers, the Ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, Democrats have introduced legislation to end racial profiling, limit the reach of the Patriot Act, and make immigration safe and accessible. Leader Pelosi is a proud cosponsor of the End Racial Profiling Act, the Security and Freedom Ensured Act (SAFE), and the Safe, Orderly, and Legal Visas Enforcement Act (SOLVE).

Here's another significant piece of information from that meeting:

"Since September 11th, many Muslim Americans have been subjected to searches at airports and other locations based upon their religion and national origin, without any credible information linking individuals to criminal conduct," Pelosi continued. "Racial and religious profiling is fundamentally un-American and we must make it illegal."
"When the Patriot Act was enacted, it was intended to be accompanied by strong Congressional oversight to prevent abuses of our civil liberties. That oversight has not occurred, particularly with the mass detention campaign ordered by Attorney General Ashcroft, which to date has led to more than 5,000 foreign nationals being detained since September 11th. Moreover, individuals' assets have been frozen on the basis of secret evidence that they have no opportunity to confront or rebut, and such processes are a fundamental denial of due process. We must correct the Patriot Act to prevent abuses of our civil liberties."

The first question I'd want to ask Ms. Pelosi is why she thinks it's "fundamentally un-American" to profile people of the same racial and religious backround as the 9/11 hijackers. Another question I'd want answered is why she thinks profiling should be illegal, especially when it's done to prevent terrorist attacks. Another question I'd ask is why she's so worried about terrorists' due process rights when she didn't seem to have a problem with John Murtha ignoring the Haditha Marines' due process rights when he played judge, jury and executioner. Here's what Mr. Murtha said back in late May:

"Our troops overreacted because of the pressure on them, and they killed innocent civilians in cold blood."

Based on those exchanges, it isn't unreasonable to think that Nancy Pelosi cares more about terrorists' due process rights than she cares about the due process rights granted to our military. After all, the only organizations that had their assets frozen were charities that funneled money to organizations like Hamas and Hezbollah, of which the Holy Land Foundation was the most prominent organization whose assets were frozen.

It's also noteworthy that Ms. Pelosi and Rep. Conyers couldn't provide specific instances of Muslims' civil rights being abused when the House debated renewing the Patriot Act. It was so noteworthy that it raised red flags with veteran Capitol Hill reporters like Fred Barnes and Mort Kondracke. The lack of proof of any civil rights abuses won't deter Pelosi and Conyers from carrying CAIR's water once again. In fact, it's a safe bet that the Flying Imam Fiasco will be offered as proof positive that Muslims are being unfairly targeted and that they need civil rights relief.

Cross-posted at LetFreedomRingBlog

Read more ...

The Definition of Chutzpah

The Muslim American Society Freedom Foundation's Mahdi Bray has weighed in on the Imam fiasco with this quote:

"The detention of these religious leaders, and the refusal of the airline to allow them travel, is a gross example of blatant Islamophobia and the violation of the civil rights of Muslim passengers", said Imam Mahdi Bray, executive director of the Muslim American Society Freedom Foundation.
"These religious men had already gone through the airport security screening, like all other passengers on the aircraft. The fact that some of them chose to openly pray did not warrant, by any means, their removal from the plane. We call on all decent Americans to speak out against this bigotry and attacks on religious freedoms."
"Last time I checked, public prayer was still protected by the U.S. constitution, which guarantees freedom of religion and speech. It's a shame that as an African-American and a Muslim I have the double whammy, I have to worry about driving while black and flying while Muslim. We charge the airline with not only discrimination, but with an action that is insulting and demeaning to these Muslim religious leaders, and to all people of faith."

Imam Bray has some nerve talking about bigotry and religious freedom considering some of his past actions, like this:

In American Jihad, Emerson notes that when Abdurahman Alamoudi of the American Muslim Council, who is now serving a 23-year prison sentence for a terrorism financing conviction, encouraged the Muslim crowd at an October 2000 rally cosponsored by MPAC to declare their support of the jihad terror groups Hamas and Hizballah, "MPAC’s Political Advisor, Mahdi Bray, stood directly behind Alamoudi and was seen jubilantly exclaiming his support for these two deadly terrorist organizations." This was just three weeks after Bray "coordinated and led a rally where approximately 2,000 people congregated in front of the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C." Emerson reports that "at one point during the rally, Mahdi Bray played the tambourine as one of the speakers sang, while the crowd repeated: ‘Al-Aqsa [Mosque] is calling us, let’s all go into jihad, and throw stones at the face of the Jews [sic].'"

It strikes me as extremely hypocritical that Mahdi Bray would call concerned airlines passengers bigots after praising Hamas and Hizbollah at a 2000 rally. The last I looked, Hamas and Hizbollah were committed to the genocide of an entire religious group, which strikes me as the vilest form of bigotry.

Yesterday, I pointed out that there's more to this episode than Mahdi Bray and CAIR are talking about:

Pat Hogan, spokesman for the Metropolitan Airports Commission, said that witnesses to Monday's events told police that before the flight that besides praying, the imams were spouting anti-American rhetoric, talking about the war in Iraq and Saddam Hussein. One of the imams was heard saying that he would do whatever is necessary to fulfill his commitment to the Qur'an, witnesses told police, Hogan said. Other witnesses said some of the imams were repeating "Allah, Allah," he said. And a couple of the imams asked for seat-belt extensions, even though it did not appear they needed them, Hogan said. All of this made passengers, the attendants and the pilot uncomfortable, Hogan said. As a result, the pilot called police to have the imams escorted from plane.

I didn't know that spewing "anti-American rhetoric" was part of a Muslim's daily prayers. Let's remember that CAIR and Imam Shahin said the imams were simply praying at the airport. That's obviously not the case if you believe what witnesses told police. Don't you find it difficult to believe that there's that many 'Islamophobes' at an airport who would willingly lie to police? It's understatement to say that their actions were suspicious in a post-9/11 world.

It's worth telling you about Abdurrahman Alamoudi because he's hardly an innocent. Steve Emerson said that Mr. Alamoudi is serving a 25 year prison sentence, which is accurate. That's only part of what's known about Mr. Alamoudi:

ABDURAHMAN ALAMOUDI

• Founder and executive director of the American Muslim Council
• Islamic affairs advisor for the Clinton administration
• "We are all supporters of Hamas...I am also a supporter of Hezbollah."
• Arrested in 2003 for terrorist fundraising

He was the executive assistant to the president of the SAAR Foundation:

SAAR is the acronym for Sulaiman Abdul Aziz Rajhi, the Saudi sheik who set up the SAAR Foundation in the 1970s ostensibly to allow scholars and scientists from the Middle East and Asia to create charitable programs that would supply food, education, and technology to Islamic countries. The U.S. branch of SAAR was dissolved in December 2000 after raising $1.7 billion in the United States. SAAR was part of the SAFA Trust Group, a group of shell companies headquartered at 555 Grove Street in Herndon, Virginia, where the FBI and the U.S. Customs agency believe SAAR was set up to raise funds and launder money for international terrorist groups like Hamas, Hezbollah, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and al Qaeda.

Sulaiman Abdul Aziz Rajhi was "said to be close to the Saudi ruling family and is on the Golden Chain, a list of early al-Qaeda supporters" according to this article at Cooperative Research.net. In other words, there's anti-semitic bigotry running throughout the entire 'network', which makes the imams' claims of being the targets of bigotry laughable to any thoughtful person.

Cross-posted at LetFreedomRingBlog

Read more ...

Imams Removed From Twin Cities Flight

Of course, CAIR is outraged. Of course, the headline is intended to play on peoples' sensibilities but it doesn't tell the whole story. The article tells more of what actually happened:

Three of them stood and said their normal evening prayers together on the plane, as 1.7 billion Muslims around the world do every day, Shahin said. He attributed any concerns by passengers or crew to ignorance about Islam. "I never felt bad in my life like that," he said. "I never. Six imams. Six leaders in this country. Six scholars in handcuffs. It's terrible."

First of all, there aren't 1.7 billion Muslims in the world so Shahin starts with a lie. Furthermore, every picture I've ever seen of Muslims praying has shown them kneeling so this isn't what "Muslims around the world do every day." After starting with a lie, he then impugns the other passengers, saying that they're ignorant about Islam. He concludes by saying that six imams are leaders. While it's true that they are leaders, the unasked and unanswered question is "leaders of what"?

"CAIR will be filing a complaint with relevant authorities in the morning over the treatment of the imams to determine whether the incident was caused by anti-Muslim hysteria by the passengers and/or the airline crew," Hooper said. "Because, unfortunately, this is a growing problem of singling out Muslims or people perceived to be Muslims at airports, and it's one that we've been addressing for some time."

Forgive me if I don't buy into Mr. Hooper's statement. What Mr. Hooper wants us to forget is that three imams had never stood up on an airplane to say their prayers. The First Amendment guarantees their right to practice their religion. That said, passengers on this plane were rightly worried because this was an unusual act. After all, whenever we see pictures of Muslims praying, they're kneeling down.

Furthermore, the 'paranoia' that Mr. Hooper talks about is actually people acting rationally. After 19 Arabic jihadists hijack airplanes and flew them into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, we'd better be paying attention to Muslims doing unusual things on airplanes. It's best that we not pay attention to Mr. Hooper, whether he stands on his head or holds his breath until he's blue in the face because his argument isn't a serious argument.

Shahin expressed frustration that, despite extensive efforts by him and other Muslim leaders since even before the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, so many Americans know so little about Islam. "If up to now they don't know about prayers, this is a real problem," he said.

I'm always suspicious whenever I read about CAIR's outrage. That's certainly the case here. That's why I googled Shahin's name. Here's something that my search turned up:

Other KindHearts officials with radical Islamist ties are:

KindHearts’ Representative, Omar Shahin. Shahin was an Imam for the Islamic Center of Tucson (ICT), the former home of numerous terror operatives, including Wael Jelaidan, who later helped found Al-Qaeda.

Obviously, the passengers on the airline weren't likely to know Shahin's history. That isn't the point. The point is that it's equally obvious that CAIR knew Shahin's history and chose to defend Shahin anyway. Doesn't that raise some questions about CAIR's motives with you?

Here's the first question I'd ask:

Why does CAIR defend someone with such a history? If I knew of a Christian pastor who was associated with terrorists, I certainly wouldn't defend that pastor. I wouldn't feel compelled to defend that pastor just because we're both Christians. I'd further suspect that mainstream Jews wouldn't defend a rabbi who supported a radical ideology.

Here's another question I'd have:

What would have to happen before CAIR wouldn't defend a Muslim? In fact, is there anything that a Muslim could do that would cause CAIR to not defend a Muslim? I haven't seen proof that there's anything that a Muslim has done that would cause CAIR to not defend them. Perhaps proof exists but I haven't seen it and I've done a pretty fair amount of digging into CAIR.

UPDATE: The Minneapolis Star Tribune has a new article posted with this additional information:

Pat Hogan, spokesman for the Metropolitan Airports Commission, said that witnesses to Monday's events told police that before the flight that besides praying, the imams were spouting anti-American rhetoric, talking about the war in Iraq and Saddam Hussein. One of the imams was heard saying that he would do whatever is necessary to fulfill his commitment to the Qur'an, witnesses told police, Hogan said. Other witnesses said some of the imams were repeating "Allah, Allah," he said. And a couple of the imams asked for seat-belt extensions, even though it did not appear they needed them, Hogan said. All of this made passengers, the attendants and the pilot uncomfortable, Hogan said. As a result, the pilot called police to have the imams escorted from plane.

I'd hardly call this a case of the passengers acting irrationally. To the contrary, I might have reacted the same way. If I'd heard some Muslim men spewing anti-American rhetoric, I'm fairly certain that I would've reacted with alarm because that's the type of thing I'd be paying attention to in post-9/11 America.

If the anti-American speech didn't get my undivided attention, then I'm positive that hearing an imam say that he'd "do whatever is necessary to fulfill his commitment to the Qur'an" would get my undivided attention in a heartbeat. Here's the ultimate ironic quote from the article:

"I want to go home. I don't want phone numbers," Shahin said. "I want to buy six tickets. They have no reason to refuse service to us just because of the way we look," he said "It's terrible. We want America to stay the way it is because we love this country."

If I had the opportunity, I'd tell Mr. Shahin that I'd prefer living in a terrorist-free world so we didn't have to be suspicious. I don't have that option anymore because the Middle East was a breeding ground for this hateful ideology, partly because we didn't take the terrorist movement seriously. I'd further say that if Mr. Shahin "loves this country", then he'd understand that we must be vigilant in watching for Muslims spewing "anti-American rhetoric" in airports.

I'd further suggest that if Mr. Shahin wanted to be a good citizen, then he'd do everything possible to act in such a way that wouldn't draw attention to himself. For example, if Americans had committed a terrorist act in an Arab country, I'd make extra certain not to do anything to draw attention to myself by spewing anti-Arabic rhetoric.

It seems to me that Americans have a right to expect that behavior from Mr. Shahin.

Cross-posted at LetFreedomRingBlog

Read more ...

CAIR-FL: Democrats Should Seize Opportunity

In this official statement, CAIR has announced its 2007 legislative wish list:

Democrats should seize this opportunity and show leadership by fixing our country's situation here and abroad by (among other things):
1. Bringing our troops back home;
2. Becoming an even-handed broker in the Middle East conflict;
3. Reviewing the parts of the Patriot Act that are damaging to our liberty and way of life;
4. Reviewing policies and holding hearings on policies that unfairly target the Muslim community, such as NSA wiretapping, and denial of visas to Muslim leaders who advocate peace and justice, such as Yusuf Islam (known as Cat Stevens).

This isn't the first time that CAIR has worked against the Patriot Act. I first learned of their disapproval of it here:

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Congressman John Dingell (D-MI), Congressman John Conyers (D-MI), Congressman Charles Rangel (D-NY), and other Congressional Democrats were joined yesterday by national leaders of the Muslim American community in a roundtable discussion on issues of mutual concern to Democrats and Muslim Americans. The discussion centered on working together to defend civil rights and to restore civil liberties.
"This discussion is only the first in an ongoing dialogue between Congressional Democrats and Muslim Americans," Pelosi said. "We share a fundamental principle, the belief that diversity is the backbone of our communities. Generations of Muslims have made positive contributions in every aspect of American life. We must now work even more closely to navigate through the challenges we face as a nation."
"Since September 11th, many Muslim Americans have been subjected to searches at airports and other locations based upon their religion and national origin, without any credible information linking individuals to criminal conduct," Pelosi continued. "Racial and religious profiling is fundamentally un-American and we must make it illegal."
"When the Patriot Act was enacted, it was intended to be accompanied by strong Congressional oversight to prevent abuses of our civil liberties. That oversight has not occurred, particularly with the mass detention campaign ordered by Attorney General Ashcroft, which to date has led to more than 5,000 foreign nationals being detained since September 11th. Moreover, individuals' assets have been frozen on the basis of secret evidence that they have no opportunity to confront or rebut, and such processes are a fundamental denial of due process. We must correct the Patriot Act to prevent abuses of our civil liberties."

Think of how foolish it sounds when Speaker-in-waiting Pelosi says that "Religious profiling is fundamentally un-American and we must make it illegal." Considering that 19 Islamic radicals had hijacked planes and flown them into the World Trade Center towers and into the Pentagon, I'd be upset with the government if it didn't pay extra attention to Muslims.

That being said, it bothers me that CAIR only talks in theoretical terms about civil rights violations but can't produce any proof. Many were the times when Democrats and CAIR talked about civil rights concerns during the contentious debate on reauthorizing the Patriot Act. When they were asked to present proof that civil rights violations had occured, however, they couldn't offer proof that any violations had been committed.

Another bothersome aspect to this statement is how Ms. Pelosi agreed with CAIR that a "mass detention campaign ordered by Attorney General Ashcroft, which to date has led to more than 5,000 foreign nationals being detained since September 11th." There were 5,000+ people that were interviewed by various law enforcement and intelligence agencies but it's insulting to hear CAIR and Ms. Pelosi suggest that 5,000 foreign nationals were detained. Had that happened, you can bet that the ACLU and other civil rights attorneys would've filed a record amount of lawsuits.

When Ms. Pelosi's states that "We must correct the Patriot Act to prevent abuses of our civil liberties", the implication is that somebody's civil liberties were abused, something that I won't believe without proof. It isn't a stretch to think that CAIR would allege this type of activity if you look at their history.

All you need to know about CAIR's meeting with Pelosi's team is found here:

Working with Conyers, the Ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, Democrats have introduced legislation to end racial profiling, limit the reach of the Patriot Act, and make immigration safe and accessible.

I'll give CAIR this much: They're persistent in their desire to see the Patriot Act gutted. Fortunately for national security-minded people, there isn't any chance that type of legislation would get out of the Senate, much less past President Bush's veto pen.

Cross-posted at LetFreedomRingBlog

Read more ...

Keith Ellison's Address to CAIR

Watch and listen HERE.

Read more ...

"Peace Was Never An Option"

That's the first of many stunning quotes from Kathryn Lopez' interview of Nonie Darwish. Here's the full exchange:

Kathryn Jean Lopez: What were you taught about Jews?
Nonie Darwish: As Arab children, we were taught about Jews in schools, at home, in the media, at mosque sermons, and by politicians. No one can escape the overwhelming anti-Semitic propaganda and the venomous hatred that my culture of origin advocated against Jews. In Gaza elementary schools I learned hate, vengeance, and retaliation. Peace was never an option; it was considered a sign of defeat and weakness. Those who wanted peace and compromise were called traitors and cowards. When I asked "Why do we hate Jews," the answer was "Aren’t you a Muslim"? We were told "Don't take candy from strangers since it could be a Jew trying to poison you" or that Israeli soldiers would kill pregnant Arab women just for fun, place bets on whether she was carrying a boy or a girl, and cut her open to see who won the bet. My classmates would cry while reciting jihadist poetry daily, wishing to die as martyrs.

I remember seeing a presentation from a man named Dr. Arthur Allen in the fall of 1993. Dr. Allen travelled to Israel upwards of 25 times before his death in 1995. Dr. Allen told the audience that there isn't an Arabic word that translates into the English word peace, that there's only a word that translates into piece. Dr. Allen's assertion is all the more believeable after reading Ms. Darwish's statement.

Lopez: How did you manage to eventually come to be part of the Zionist conspiracy?
Darwish: It took me many years to change, evolve, and realize that I was indoctrinated with a lot of propaganda and outright lies about Israel. I owe my change to America. I appreciated the tolerance, respect for minorities and equality under the law that America stands for. When I heard church and synagogue sermons I realized how different the message was from the hate speech, cursing, and incitement advocated in many mosques across the world.

In other words, something happened to Ms. Darwish that made her listen to church and synagogue sermons, which led to her understanding that she'd been lied to all her life. I can't imagine what that must've been like, finding out that the people you trusted most had lied to you repeatedly in furtherance of their own agenda. It's easy to imagine that the impact must've been dramatic.

Darwish: Many of us who immigrated to America thought we had escaped jihad, hateful propaganda, intimidation, and mind control, but we found that even in America, there are powerful radical Muslim forces who are trying to silence us. For the sin of criticizing terrorism, not Islam, just terrorism, we are threatened. Terrorism is like the elephant in the room that no one is supposed to talk about, especially if you are an Arab American. But when 9/11 happened, it was no longer about me or my culture of origin; it is about the safety and security of the country that I now call home; America.

I wish Ms. Darwish had stated specifically which "powerful radical Muslim forces" were "trying to silence" her. It would've been a huge benefit to the American people. most of whom don't have a clue about what these organizations are like. I'm fairly certain that one of the organizations that she's talking about is CAIR because they're in the business of intimidating people who speak out about radical Islam. Here's proof of that:

CAIR consistently defends other militant Islamic terrorists too. The conviction of the perpetrators of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing it deemed "a travesty of justice." The conviction of Omar Abdel Rahman, the blind sheikh who planned to blow up New York City landmarks, it called a "hate crime." The extradition order for suspected Hamas terrorist Mousa Abu Marook it labeled "anti-Islamic" and "anti-American."
Not surprisingly, CAIR also backs those who finance terrorism. When President Bush closed the Holy Land Foundation in December for collecting money he said was "used to support the Hamas terror organization," CAIR decried his action as "unjust" and "disturbing."

Since when is prosecuting a terrorist who tried blowing up the World Trade Center "a hate crime"? Why is shutting down a terrorist fundraising organization unjust or disturbing? I'd think that shutting down a known terrorist fundraiser would be seen as a positive thing. I'd think that prosecuting someone who'd committed a terrorist act in the U.S. would be thought of as taking the job of fighting terrorism seriously.

Based on that information, it's fairly certain that CAIR is one of the organizations that Ms. Darwish is talking about. Here's some information that solidifies that opinion:

Intimidating moderate Muslims. In at least two cases (Hisham Kabbani and Khalid Durán), CAIR has defamed moderate Muslims who reject its extremist agenda, leading to death threats against them. (H/T: Daniel Pipes)

Lopez: When did you know there was something off about how you were raised?
Darwish: Several incidents during my childhood led me to question my beliefs and upbringing. As Arab children we were not allowed to ask why or question any of the propaganda we were given. After my father's death President Nasser vowed that all of Egypt would take revenge. My siblings and I were asked by top government officials: "Which one of you will avenge your father's blood by killing Jews." We were speechless; they made us feel that if we really loved our father we would kill Jews.

That's doublespeak if I ever heard it. All of Egypt taking revenge quickly turned into "Which of you will avenge your father's blood"?

Cross-posted at LetFreedomRingBlog

Read more ...

CAIR Bloopers

A few favorites...

CAIR-Florida's Communications Director, Ahmed Bedier, refers to blogger Pim's Ghost as "Mr. Pimp"

Pim's Ghost: "Like Muhammad would do? I'm lost. So the 'prophet' had Asma bint Marwan killed because she wrote insulting poetry about him or not? This seems to BE the example set by Mo in the 1st place, and even if it weren't, freedom of expression is absolute when it comes to figures such as Muhammad, Jesus, Moses, etc. Any push to exempt Mo from the list is a bully tactic."

Ahmed Bedier: "Mr. Pimp: That did not happen, the scholars have declared the story about Asma a fabrication. Stop with the Lies."

(You Tube comments on 'American Islamic leader Ahmed Bedier Weighs on free speech,' October 2006, )


CAIR-Los Angeles's Executive Director, Hussam Ayloush, issues comment about CAIR Watch

"At a recent press conference, a reporter jokingly asked me how I felt now that there is a group called CAIR Watch. I replied that I felt privileged."

(Hussam Ayloush's Blog, 'It is humbling to be popular,' October 13, 2006)


CAIR-Chicago's Executive Director, Ahmed Rehab, curses at woman in Walgreens drugstore

"Well, if you do the world a favor and never stray out of the trailer trash park from which you hail, I promise you will never have to hear any of the world's rich and diverse languages!... Good riddance B****!"

(Ahmed Rehab's Blog, 'I come in Peace!,' November 8, 2004)

Read more ...

Keith Ellison's Victory Speech

At the end of Keith Ellison's "God-is-good-y'all" speech, listen for the cries of "Allahu Akbar!" But, of course, Mr. Ellison's campaign had nothing to do with religion, right? And he reprimanded those chanters, right?

Note: Photo from CAIR's announcement of the November 18, 2006 annual banquet, at which Keith Ellison will be the keynote speaker.

Read more ...

Just Got Back from Vegas

Hey my blogger friends, I'm heading back from Las Vegas. I was a speaker at the America's Truth Forum Symposium. This was my second one. My first one was in April, in Arlington, VA. My speech was about CAIR. The speech went very well, and the event was another ATF success. Everyone should thank Jeffrey Epstein for working so hard to make it happen. Jeff, you rock, buddy!

Some fireworks erupted between Pakistani journalist Hamid Mir and the rest of the panel, during the question and answer session. Mir said some things that many (on the panel and in the audience) took issue with. That's putting in lightly. You'll be glad to know that I let him have it for throwing a barb at Robert Spencer. I told him he should be privileged and he was lucky to share the stage with Spencer -- and he was.

I'll post pics as soon as I get a chance and the text of my speech as well.

Anyway, I get on the computer, now, and what do I see? Ahmed Bedier is continuing his freefall. This time, he's pissed off a Congresswoman, U.S. Representative from Florida Ginny Brown-Waite. We're certainly going to look into this further.

No one in government should have anything to do with Bedier or CAIR, and that includes the Tampa FBI.

One thing I'll say -- At the symposium, there were many people from American law enforcement and intelligence agencies. I spoke to them, and they do get it. They absolutely get it. If they could only convince their colleagues...

Read more ...

Bedier Unhinged

Ahmed Bedier has lost it. As CAIR-Florida's Communications Director, he has recently used his communication skills to attack internet blogs, including our blog. He liberally throws around the terms "Islamaphobe" and "racist." He has even called one of our own "Mr. Pimp."

Now, he has chosen to target Robert Spencer, the Director of Jihad Watch, calling him a "bigot." Robert, or as Bedier calls him "Bobby," couldn't even believe it was Bedier that wrote the comment! But of course, it was. As my friend Beila would say, Bedier is one sandwich short of a picnic.

Seriously speaking, when a Jihadi supporter begins to demonstrate this type of behavior, it's only time that they become an actual Jihadi. And given Bedier's defense of Sami Al-Arian and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and given his radio show's support for Hezbollah, and given his organization's connection to Hamas, Bedier's potential ascent into Mujahideen Warrior is that much more likely.

Ahmed, if you're thinking about igniting, please do us all a favor... do it when no one else is around.

Read more ...

Ibrahim the Hypocrite

In an article in the Associated Baptist Press, entitled 'Muslim group decries Baptist leader's claims about Islamic 'takeover' of U.S.,' the following is written:

"Leaders from a prominent American Muslim group have denounced reported comments by the Missouri Baptist Convention's executive director claiming that 'Islam has a strategic plan' to take over the United States. Ibrahim Hooper, communications director for the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations, said Nov. 1 that David Clippard's assertions 'are too bizarre to even comment on.'"

I would like to remind Ib about a famous statement he made in the past: "I wouldn't want to create the impression that I wouldn't like the government of the United States to be Islamic sometime in the future."

H-Y-P-O-C-R-I-T-E.

Read more ...

Ahmed Bedier: Bartender, hand me another Taqiyya

In CAIR HAWK's October 28 AAH blog, entitled "Is CAIR's Ahmed Bedier Censoring YouTube Comments?," CAIR HAWK alleged that Mr. Bedier was, just like the title states, censoring comments on YouTube. To back this up, CAIR HAWK provided numerous screen shots depicting soon-to-be-deleted comments.

To this, Bedier comments, himself, on our AAH blog, "Hawk, Nice FAKE SCREEN prints, you must be really good in PHOTOSHOP."

After reviewing the html files that have been provided by CAIR HAWK to Americans Against Hate, I must say that CAIR HAWK has proven Ahmed Bedier to be a web censor, as many of the comments under his YouTube videos have, in fact, been deleted. That being so, Mr. Bedier, in his "FAKE SCREEN" comment, has proven himself, once again, to be a liar -- something we have come to expect from him.

View undeleted material here: http://www.americansagainsthate.org/bedier/YouTube%20-%20Broadcast%20Yourself.htm

What's comical is that the video, in which Bedier has deleted comments, states in its beginning, "Bay News 9 does not write or edit the commentary." Mr. Bedier should take Bay News 9's advice. And Bay News 9 should heed my advice... Stop showcasing those that defend terrorists.

Bay News 9, if you don't know, we're currently engaged in a global war on terrorism. Make like you care. I apologize, make like you give a damn.

And CAIR HAWK, great work in exposing Ahmed Bedier!

Read more ...