CAIR's Embarrassment

According to Vigilant Freedom/910 Group Blog, CAIR is having some trouble getting Muslims to report cases of discrimination and hate crimes.
Excerpt from the report at the above link:

It’s all about the numbers in the victimhood bullying game.

And Nihad Awad, executive director of CAIR, has problems getting the numbers he needs to prove that Muslims are subject to unusual discrimination. This could be a real embarrassment for Awad, because if Muslims are actually doing well in the U.S., maybe they don’t need CAIR. And that could mean all that fine Saudi and UAE money is going to the wrong group. Or maybe that most American Muslims don’t want their kids to be part of the future Muslim Brotherhood Caliphate after all....

Don’t take my word for it. Listen to Awad tell you about his problems with Muslims who just don’t understand how important those discrimination reports are to his career salary mission. We have the audio - Vigilant Freedom Center received a recording from the April 27, 2007 CAIR briefing on the 6 Imams, at the Muslim ADAMS Center in Virginia....

Written report and audio HERE.

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CAIR--"Removal of Israel" is "A Legitmate Aim"

Holocaust Memorial Day
My Congressman Supports the Destruction of Israel
(Joe Sestak Only Guilty by Association--If His Marketing Firm Is Good Enough)

"For a "civil rights" group, the folks at the Council for American Islamic Relations (CAIR) have a funny way of talking.

I mean, after all, how does any religious or political group lay claim to any civil rights, when they won't grant any to anyone else? What do I mean by that? Let me explain: I claim the right to exist as a civil right; yet CAIR does not grant that right to the state of Israel. In fact, CAIR calls the removal of Israel as one of its "legitimate" aims. CAIR can say all they want about renouncing violence. They can blow smoke at journalists when they are asked about their ties to Hamas. Yes, they were indeed founded by the current directors of Hamas. But CAIR's own website claims that the "removal" of Israel is a "legitimate aim," and I want to know why none of you--apparently--knew about it or wrote about it.

Not the New York Times; not the Boston Globe; not the Philadelphia Inquirer, not the Washington Post, nor the L.A. Times, nor the San Francisco Herald: Not one of you has done so. Because if you had known about this, you might have felt the need to ask this "civil rights" group how one can "remove" a country while renouncing violence as an "illegitimate" aim and not denying that country its own "civil rights." There must be a little something extra brewing in the CAIR hookah, because you don't need a crystal ball to see that Israel isn't going anywhere without some violence going on. [That line starts right here with me--and I'm not even Jewish.] CAIR issued this statement in 2002, but you journalists ignored it.

Fast forward to April 7, 2007, five years later. You, my journalist friends, didn't light the fire under CAIR then; now, we have Pennsylvania Governor Rendell meeting with CAIR, praising the for their political work with the Democratic Party. Likewise, Democratic Congressman Joseph Sestak, Pa-7th, lauds CAIR's "good work" against racial profiling. (Friends, really, you can't make this up.)

Congressman Sestak praises then the work against racial profiling of a group that is dedicated to the destruction of Israel.

He hired that group's marketing specialist, Adeeba al-Zaman, as a full-time staffer. She helped get Keith Ellison elected in Minnesota, our first Muslim Congressman. Democrat.

He attended a fundraising event for CAIR on April 7, 2007...sort of. When outraged constituents and activists complained, he decided to show up at the Philadelphia Hilton after the money was raised.

Five minutes after.

You journalists had the chance to ask U.S. Congressman Joe Sestak why he hired that CAIR employee, and why he supports an organization that is committed to the destruction of Israel. But you didn't. None of you asked that question. Why not? Why didn't you ask Adeeba al-Zaman about the "civil rights" of Israeli people to live in peace? Why have you not asked her that question? So here we are on April 17th, Holocaust Memorial Day, wondering, how this all has come to pass.

Here's how, journalists of the world. YOU LET IT HAPPEN.

You gave CAIR a free pass on their real aims. You obviously don't care enough about the rampant anti-Semitism in the Muslim world to expose this deadly sin for the world to see. You don't care enough to ask them hard questions, to put them on the spot. Yes, this is a rebuke of CAIR for their duplicity, disguising in their "taqqiyah" or double-talk their true feelings about Jews and Israel. But this is more an indictment of America's journalists. Anti-Semitism is no longer an "buzzword" for you. The political proclivities of your Editors and Publishers incline you away from the issue of Israel's constant state of emergency due to the animus of the Muslim world, perhaps. Maybe you have become inured to the Muslim World's constant Jew-bashing, baiting, and outright murder and terror; it's all become just another ho-hum day at the office for you. It happens all the time, "yawn."

That must be the case, for CAIR's founders, since 2000, have committed 600 terror raids in Israel, killing almost 400 innocent human beings of a religion they hate, wounding more than 2,100. If you put the founder of CAIR at the center of this kind of terrorism and murder, and you find on CAIR's website a call to "remove" Israel as a "legitimate aim", I'd call that a smoking gun. I'd even call that a story. A blockbuster! [Cricket noises from the World Press Corps...]

Nothing. All too very droll for you. I urge you all to snap out of your unprofessional hypnotic love affair with yourselves and your careers. The Holocaust, in terms of the history of our earth, only just happened! It was about Jew-baiting, Jew-bashing, murder and terror, and the world turned its back on it all! Your grandparents, and great grand parents, did nothing for these poor souls, and we all let the Soviets and the Nazis ground them into dust in their great engines of hatred. You may not let it happen again. NEVER AGAIN.

But you are doing so. You are not holding the people who still practice this hatred responsible, and you have allowed a group like CAIR to become the pet project of at least one state's Governor and one of its Congressmen, and possibly of an entire political party, the once Great Democratic Party.

The time has come, journalists of American, to start asking Muslims hard questions about their legendary hatred of Jews and Israel. Have any of you asked CAIR, or any prominent Muslim, for that matter, if they think Israel has the right to exist in peace? Further: have you asked these diplomats, or politicians, or smooth-talking mouthpieces whether they think Jews have the right to live without fear of the Muslim genocidal impulse? This is Holocaust Memorial Day. In the name of all of the victims of that great calamity--six million innocent Jewish children, women, and men--ask Muslims these hard questions.

Start with this one, please: "Do you think Israel has the right to exist in peace?"

CAIR's answer is already out there, if you were persistent enough to look. It's on their website. CAIR's answer is "no."

Proof:http://www.cair.com/html/911statements.html (From the CAIR website and the above link) (WASHINGTON, D.C., 3/28/2002) - The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a Washington-based Islamic advocacy group, today condemned a bomb attack on a Passover celebration in the Middle East that left 20 people dead and more than 100 wounded. In a statement, CAIR said: "We condemn this attack and all other attacks on innocent civilians. Illegitimate and counterproductive tactics must not be used in the legitimate struggle to end Israel's brutal occupation. (emphasis supplied) "This attack is of particular concern coming as it did during a religious observance in which the focus is remembrance of God.

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CAIR Does Important Work?

According to this official CAIR statement, Gov. Ed Rendell, (D-PA), showed up at CAIR-PA's fundraiser in Philadelphia last night. Before he arrived, freshman Rep. Joe Sestak, (D-PA), told CAIR that they did "important and necessary work in a difficult environment."

CAIR-PA thanked Rep. Sestak for refusing to back out of speaking at the dinner after facing rhetorical attacks from Islamophobic Internet bloggers who objected to his decision to address hundreds of local Muslims.

SEE: Sensitive Political Test for Sestak (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Sestak told dinner attendees: "CAIR does such important and necessary work in a difficult environment to change such perceptions and wrongs, from racial profiling and civil rights to promoting justice and mutual understanding, at a time when it is challenging to be an American-Muslim."

"We need to claim our values, not betray them, by ensuring there is not a psychology that pulls out of the rich fabric of our American community those who look like 'one of them.' We are better than that," said Sestak.

CAIR indeed does do important and necessary work. If not for CAIR, terrorists like Sami al-Arian wouldn't have spokespeople:

And yes, Ahmed Bedier has acted as Sami Al-Arian’s spokesman. One Google search on the internet of both their names provides over 200 results…mostly news stories containing quotes from Bedier about Al-Arian and his legal troubles. He was even the motivating force in trying to get Al-Arian’s trial moved out of Tampa! According to The Tampa Tribune, Bedier "said he was disappointed to learn a jury had been chosen. While most people in Tampa are nice, he said, they have seen years of media coverage portraying Al-Arian in a bad light."

If not for CAIR, 'charities' like the Holy Land Foundation wouldn't have been able to raise funds for Hamas in the aftermath of 9/11:

In September of 2001, just following the worst terrorist attack ever suffered in modern history, CAIR placed on its website, under a picture of the World Trade Center in flames, a plea for donations. It read, "Donate to the NY/DC Emergency Relief Fund."

Yet, when people clicked on the link, it did not take them to any NY/DC Emergency Relief Fund. No, it took them straight to the website of the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development, an Islamic ‘charity’ that was soon to be shut down by the United States for "raising millions of dollars annually for HAMAS."

What type of organization would play on the emotions of people wanting to contribute to the victims of the biggest terrorist attack in history? Here's the content of the Treasury Department's official statement:

ROM THE OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS
December 4, 2001
PO-837

Statement of Secretary Paul O'Neill on the Blocking of Hamas Financiers' Assets

When the President declared war on terrorist financing in September, we made al Qaida our primary focus of attention, and have since blocked $61 million worldwide in assets of the Taliban and al Qaida. In October, we broadened our pursuit of terrorist assets to include all Foreign Terrorist Organizations, including Hamas. We stated very clearly our intent to pursue the bankers who finance these terrorists. Today, we are advancing on those financiers of terror.

The Hamas terrorist organization has taken the lives of scores of individuals, including American citizens. They have proudly claimed credit for their acts of evil, including the horrific attacks this past Sunday. They raise money in the United States and around the world. Clearly, Hamas is a terrorist organization of global reach.

Today we are shutting down three Hamas-controlled organizations that finance terror. The Holy Land Foundation masquerades as a charity, while its primary purpose is to fund Hamas. This is not a case of one bad actor stealing from the petty cash drawer and giving those stolen monies to terrorists. This organization exists to raise money in the United States to promote terror.

Last year, Holy Land raised $13 million. Government agents today shut down 4 offices of the Holy Land Foundation in the United States. Innocent donors who thought they were helping someone in need deserve protection from these scam artists who prey on their benevolence.

Similarly, the al Aqsa bank and the Beit al Mal bank aren't just banks that unknowingly administer accounts for terrorists. They are direct arms of Hamas, established and used to do Hamas business.

We will continue to name the financiers of terrorism to ensure that Hamas and other terrorist organizations have no ability to finance their acts of evil. We will work with every civilized nation around the globe to ensure there is no safe haven for terrorist money. Just as in a ground war, we will win by taking one hill at a time, advancing tirelessly every day, until terrorists and their money have nowhere to hide.

If not for CAIR, who'd work with Democrats to "limit the reach of the Patriot Act" and to end racial and religious profiling?

The point to my sarcasm is to raise questions. Is Rep. Sestak pandering to his audience? Or does he actually think that "CAIR does such important and necessary work"? I can't prove it but I'm betting that he actually believes that. According to this Militant Islam Monitor post, one of Sestak's staffers is a former CAIR-PA communications director by the name of Adeeba Al Zaman. That personnel decision alone makes me question how committed Rep. Sestak is to defeating terrorists.

Here's how CAIR was founded:

In 1994 by Ibrahim Hooper, Nihad Awad, and Omar Ahmad, all of whom had close ties to the Islamic Association for Palestine (IAP), which was established by senior Hamas operative Mousa Abu Marzook and functioned as Hamas' public relations and recruitment arm in the United States."

Isn't it time that we said that cozying up to terrorist-sympathizing groups like CAIR is unacceptable, especially in a post 9/11 world?

Technorati: Joe Sestak, Ed Rendell, Homeland Security, 9/11, CAIR, Hamas, Mousa Abu Marzook, Ibrahim Hooper, Nihad Awad, Holy Land Foundation, Ahmed Bedier, Sami al-Arian, Patriot Act

Cross-posted at LetFreedomRingBlog

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CAIR Amends Law Suit

From this source, dated March 31, 2007:

A group of imams suing US Airways for discrimination amended their lawsuit this week to target only the "John Doe" passengers who they say are racist and falsely accused them of behaving suspiciously.

The six imams were removed from a flight in Minneapolis in November for disruptive behavior reported by passengers and members of the flight crew.

------------------------------------------------

The lawsuit filed earlier this month targeted "passengers who contacted US Airways to report the alleged 'suspicious' behavior of plaintiffs performing their prayer at the airport terminal."

The amended lawsuit identifies possible John Does as individuals who "may have made false reports against plaintiffs solely with the intent to discriminate against them on the basis of their race, religion, ethnicity and national origin."

"The only individuals against whom suit may be raised in this litigation are those who may have knowingly made false reports against the imams with the intent to discriminate against them," Nihad Awad, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), said in a letter this week to the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, a public interest law firm. The Becket Fund had publicly condemned CAIR for supporting the case.

"The imams will not sue any passengers who reported suspicious activity in good faith, even when the 'suspicious' behavior included the imams' constitutionally protected right to practice their religion without fear or intimidation," Mr. Nihad said. "When a person makes a false report with the intent to discriminate, he or she is not acting in good faith."

The imams are being represented by New York lawyer Omar Mohammedi in the lawsuit, which has triggered an outcry among lawyers who say they will defend the "John Does" for free.

Becket Fund Chairman Kevin Hasson criticized the amended changes in a letter to CAIR on Thursday.

"There is no way Mr. Mohammedi can possibly determine whether the John Does 'knowingly made false reports' against his clients 'with the intent to discriminate against them' without taking their testimony under oath, at least during pretrial discovery," Mr. Hasson said.

"That prospect alone, of being dragged into court proceedings, will certainly provide a great disincentive for other citizens to come forward with their own suspicions," he said.

The case prompted House Republicans on Tuesday to insert a shield law for "John Does" into a rail safety bill. The legislation would protect passengers against lawsuits for reporting suspicious behavior that foreshadows a terrorist attack.

It is "unconscionable" that those who report suspicious activity could be "terrorized in our own court system in our own country," said Rep. Steve Pearce, New Mexico Republican, who introduced the measure.

"Religious liberty is not absolute," Mr. Hasson said. "It must yield before the government's legitimately compelling interests. And the prevention of terrorism aboard airlines is certainly such an interest."

The Becket Fund labeled the case "legal terrorism," which Mr. Awad said "only adds to the empty and sensationalistic rhetoric of those who seek to disparage and demonize a segment of our society."

"It was not meant as an insult," Mr. Hasson said. "I think the public outcry over the targeting of the John Does proves the point I was trying to make. That legal tactic is self-defeating."

See? Defying CAIR can have positive results! Don't be intimidated by the threat of litigation by CAIR.

List of pro bono attorneys who stand against CAIR

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