Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)

[Petronas]

CAIR: How Close to Terrorism?
May 11, 2005

The conviction of a Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) state operative is but the latest apparent link between that Islamist organization and Islamist terrorism. On April 13, 2005, Ghassan Elashi, founder of the group's Texas chapter (CAIR-Texas) – as well as longtime associate of CAIR's top leadership and beneficiary of CAIR fundraising and support – was convicted of laundering money for Islamic terrorist organizations from November 1995 through April 2001.

Dating back to the early 1990s, Elashi had close ties to CAIR's leaders Bassam Khafagi, Imam Siraj Wahaj, and Randall Todd "Ismail" Royer, former civil rights coordinator and communications specialist for the "Muslim civil rights group." Elashi founded CAIR’s Texas chapter sometime before October 2000. (CAIR-Texas first appeared as an affiliate on the CAIR national website at that time.) Therefore, it is evident Elashi was a high-ranking CAIR official at the time he committed the pro-terrorist crimes for which he was convicted.

Elashi's conviction is bad news for CAIR. Its ties with Elashi are too deep and the evidence of CAIR's complicity too obvious for CAIR to spin. For example, just after the Islamic terrorist attacks of 9/11, the CAIR website contained a section entitled, "What you can do for the victims of the WTC and Pentagon attacks," which solicited contributions to the "NY/DC Emergency Relief Fund." The only problem was, this so-called "Relief Fund" never existed. The link provided by CAIR led the would-be contributor directly to the Holy Land Foundation website. The Holy Land Foundation, a government-designated terrorist front group, was also shut down by the U.S. government for funding terrorism overseas. The trial of its leadership is scheduled to begin next year.

And just who was the head of the Holy Land Foundation? Elashi. A coincidence? Not likely. However, that will not mean CAIR will immediately admit the connection. Consider CAIR’s reaction when a CAIR official was questioned about former CAIR Randall Royer on Fox’s “Hannity and Colmes” TV program:

HANNITY: Did you not have a spokesman for your group at one time, a guy by the name of Royer that was on your staff that was convicted?

BEDIER: I think several years ago we had that individual in our group. And if you're inciting that somehow we're responsible for the actions or behavior of the individuals after they left our organization, that would be similar to somebody that worked for FOX five years ago and then commits a crime and FOX would be responsible for it.

In fact, Royer was an active official in CAIR at the time he committed his crimes. This exchange is classic: When you can’t dispute the facts, fib and hope the person you’re talking to doesn’t catch you. In this case, Hannity didn’t pursue the matter, and Bedier got away with it.

Dr. Parvez Ahmed, went a step farther, implying that statements against CAIR are subject to SLAPP lawsuits or other legal action:

People who make statements connecting CAIR to terrorism should understand the legal consequences of their attempted slander and defamation. The First Amendment does not protect defamation.

Once again, we see that CAIR clouds the issue of its possible complicity in Islamic terrorism with none-too veiled threats against those who attempt to call them to account. Why can’t CAIR stand on the facts? Simple: the facts plainly do not support CAIR’s story.

CAIR has consistently shown sympathy for overseas terrorist groups and their activities. In fact, CAIR’s actions led Senator Charles Shumer, D-NY, to declare, "We know [CAIR] has ties to terrorism." CAIR’s Jordanian-born Executive Director, Nihad Awad, has openly stated, "I am a supporter of the Hamas movement." Awad was also the former public relations director of the Islamic Association of Palestine (IAP), a known front group for Hamas. At a Washington, D.C., CAIR rally, CAIR spokesman Dr. Ghazi Khankan openly greeted attendees by saying, "I bring to you salaams and greetings from the Mujahadeen at CAIR!” (Mujahadeen are holy warriors such as those killing U.S. and Coalition soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.)

CAIR’s apparent ties to terrorism go beyond the merely rhetorical. Authorities have linked Randall Royer with al-Qaeda. On page 15 of the federal indictment of eleven Islamist terrorism suspects, it is charged:

On or about April 4, 2001, at the residence of IBRAHAM AHMED AL-HAMDI in Alexandria, Virginia, a visitor representing the Benevolence International Foundation (BIF), another “Islamic charity” closed down for funding terrorism by the US government, discussed a Mujahadeen camp in Bosnia with Nabil T. Garbieh and other conspirators.

Last February, the FBI searched the northern Virginia home of an Islamic scholar and teacher named Ali al-Timimi, and the homes of his students, Nabil Garbieh and al-Hamdi. The warrants said they were seeking evidence that the men and another conspirator named Kwon had provided “material support of terrorism or foreign terrorist groups.” The group became known as the “paintball terrorists,” allegedly because they were training with weapons in paintball competitions for combat practice to gain experience to become Mujahadeen in Afghanistan, where they would wage jihad against U.S. forces alongside the Taliban.

The indictment continues: “On or about April 4, 2001, at the residence of IBRAHAM AHMED AL-HAMDI in Alexandria, Virginia, Nabil T. Garbieh and other conspirators watched videos depicting Mujahadeen engaged in Jihad.” In plain language, the government is alleging that the BIF, an Islamist terrorist supporting organization, held an organized meeting with the conspirators for the purpose of watching videos of Islamist terrorists in action. The conspirators’ alleged meeting with a BIF representative, the proven ties between BIF and al-Qaeda, and Randall "Ismail" Royer's connection to the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), all point to the reasonable conclusion that when domestic Islamist terrorists are plotting their murderous designs, CAIR is never far away.

For now, CAIR remains in the Islamist guilt-mongering business – and business is good. CAIR still poses as a “civil rights” group and even provides “sensitivity” training for FBI agents in how to deal with Muslims. FBI chief Robert Mueller was embarrassed enough to return a “humanitarian award” given him by CAIR. Congress and the President are still lobbied by CAIR.

The group known as “Anti-CAIR” (ACAIR) believes that CAIR, Elashi, and other CAIR officials, directors, and employees have combined, conspired, and made common ground with Islamic terrorist individuals and groups. Terrorist expert Steve Emerson testified before Congress that CAIR is a front group for Hamas, as well. Furthermore, ACAIR believes that CAIR's proven ties to the Islamic Association of Palestine (IAP), and its support for Elashi, Holy Land Foundation, and other Islamic terrorist groups clearly show CAIR's true colors.

In light of all these facts, why would any media organization, politician, or government agency ever solicit CAIR's opinion? With Elashi’s going to prison, and the Holy Land Foundation about to go to trial, it begs the question: Are federal prosecutors closing in on CAIR? We can only hope that should a terrorist connection be irrefutably proven, we can all look forward to the closing of CAIR in the United States.

To our knowledge, CAIR has never officially condemned Royer, disassociated itself from his actions, or otherwise taken steps to ensure its employees comply with the laws against supporting terrorism. Some question whether its financial management procedures are in compliance with the recommended U.S. Treasury Department guidelines. We believe CAIR will follow their performance with Royer in this latest scandal with Ghassan Elashi – deny its association with the terrorist, but continue its questionable associations.
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Andrew Whitehead is the Director of Anti-CAIR (ACAIR) a watchdog agency that monitors the activities of CAIR. Lee Kaplan is a contributing editor at Front Page.

http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=18000

[Petronas]

CAIR’s Amended Motion against Anti-CAIR
June 28, 2005

March 31, 2004, Virginia Beach, Virginia: the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) files a civil lawsuit against Andrew Whitehead, the founder of Anti-CAIR (ACAIR), a gutsy organization whose purpose has been to inform the people of the United States of the activities of this particular Islamic organization. There isn’t much to say about CAIR that hasn’t already been said by authors and scholars who are much more knowledgeable about this group than myself. Their organization is what it is, and we will continue to expose them.

After researching Mr. Whitehead, it is odd that CAIR would sue an average American citizen for an amount in excess of one million dollars, since it is most likely that they know that he doesn't have the means to pay such an amount. Is it really about the money? Or is CAIR simply demonstrating that filing lawsuits against those who speak out against them is a simply a weapon in their arsenal, as they wage war on free speech?

Nonetheless, some interesting information has come to pass. When this lawsuit was first filed, Mr. Whitehead and ACAIR were served with several complaints from the plaintiff in this case. Actually, there were six.

Listed below is page two from the actual complaint, which outlines what CAIR has viewed as libelous statements made by Whitehead on the Anti-CAIR website, and page two of the “Amended Motion” recently filed by CAIR’s legal representative. Whatever could the reason be for this amendment?

Compare the two. In the amended complaint, A & B are truncated, and E, F, G, and H are gone altogether (C & D seem to have bit the dust before even the first complaint was issued). Now why is that?

The omissions, that CAIR seeks to institute Sharia as the law of the in the United States and that CAIR is supported and was founded by members of Hamas, of course, are tacit admissions that these statements are true.

http://www.jihadwatch.org/dhimmiwatch/archives/006847.php

[Petronas]

CAIR: Boeing, Bell, National Journal Apologize for 'Mosque Attack' Ad
Friday September 30, 5:23 pm ET

WASHINGTON, Sept. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- A prominent national Islamic civil rights and advocacy group said this afternoon that Boeing Co., Bell Helicopter Textron and National Journal magazine have apologized for a print advertisement depicting U.S. troops attacking a mosque.

The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said it had received a statement of apology from Boeing, which sponsored the ad along with Bell. Boeing wrote:

"The CV-22 advertisement that appeared in the National Journal is clearly offensive, and did not proceed through the normal channels within Boeing before production. 'We consider the ad offensive, regret its publication and apologize to those who like us are dismayed with its contents,' said Mary Foerster, Vice President of Boeing Integrated Defense Systems Communications. 'When the Company became aware of the advertisement we immediately requested that our partner's agency withdraw and destroy all print proofs of the advertisement and replace it with one that was appropriate,' Foerster said. 'Unfortunately despite our best efforts to have the ad replaced, a clerical error at the National Journal resulted in its publication this week.'"

Representatives of Bell Helicopter and National Journal also contacted CAIR to express regret for the publication of the ad. National Journal Executive Vice President Elizabeth Baker Keffer wrote: "[T]he advertisement for Boeing/Bell's V-22 Osprey that ran in the September 24 issue of National Journal was run as the result of a clerical error on our part. We had received specific direction from the agency representing Boeing/Bell to not run the ad. We have apologized to Boeing, their partner Bell, and their advertising agency for this mistake." A Bell statement sent to CAIR said in part: "We recognize that some organizations and individuals may have been offended by its content and regrets any concerns this advertisement may have raised. Bell and our partners are evaluating creative processes to prevent this from happening again."

The ad for the CV-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft depicted soldiers rappelling onto the roof of a building, labeled "Muhammad Mosque" in Arabic. The building has a dome, crescent moon and minaret, all common features of a mosque.

CAIR sent a letter yesterday to top officials of Boeing, Bell and Textron asking the companies to withdraw the advertisement and conduct an investigation into how it was approved for publication. (Bell Helicopter is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Textron.) "We thank Boeing, Bell and National Journal for their swift and decisive response to our concerns," said CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad. "Mistakes can happen, but the true test of a company's integrity comes in acknowledging and dealing with those mistakes." He said CAIR will follow up with all parties involved to determine how the ad was produced and to help prevent similar incidents in the future. Awad added that American Muslim groups are always ready to consult with corporations and media outlets on issues related to religious diversity and culturally-sensitive advertising.

CAIR, America's largest Muslim civil liberties group, has 31 offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050930/dcf064.html?.v=2

See here for the ad itself: http://www.cair.com/mosqueattackad.pdf. The CAIR mission statement at the end of the article is interesting in light of CAIR's support for Hamas.

[Petronas]

Victory over Terror?
March 20, 2006

Steve Emerson: ... In 1993, there was a seminal meeting in Philadelphia of Hamas leaders in the United States, as well as from outside the United States. It was a meeting that the FBI actually had wired and it’s been declassified since then. What was most interesting at this meeting was the general complaint among Hamas officials that they couldn’t raise money in the United States very effectively because Hamas had a “bad reputation.” Wonder why? One them said, “What do we do? We need to create a new entity.” I’ll paraphrase what one of them said, “Well, I know what we’ll do. We’ll create a human rights group because Americans are suckers for human rights.” And in fact that’s exactly what they did. They created CAIR, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, which was morphed out of the Hamas organization in the United States. ...

http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=21713

[Petronas]

Islamic Advocacy Group Silent on Afghan Apostasy Trial
March 22, 2006

(CNSNews.com) - What does the Council on American-Islamic Relations have to say about the trial of an Afghan Muslim who may get the death penalty for converting to Christianity? Nothing so far, noted a conservative, pro-family group.

"Ibrahim Hooper of the Council on American-Islamic Relations so far has been silent," the Family Research Council said in an email message on Tuesday. "Hooper is usually quick to decry any anti-Muslim slight. By not speaking out against this outrageous action, CAIR is dealing with the issue," said FRC President Tony Perkins.

CAIR, in an email message of its own on Tuesday, did not mention the case of Abdul Rahman, who converted to Christianity 16 years ago. The judge hearing Rahman's case was quoted as saying that Rahman could face the death penalty if he refused to return to Islam. Some of CAIR's leaders, along with other Muslims, met on Tuesday with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy Karen Hughes and top officials of the National Security Council. But the meetings focused on outreach efforts to the Muslim world and "how to address growing levels of Islamophobia in the West," CAIR said. CAIR recently launched a "Not in the Name of Islam" campaign, which seeks to distance Muslims from terrorism and "correct misperceptions of Islam."

The apostasy trial of Abdul Rahman has rallied American Christians. The American Family Association is circulating an online petition, urging readers to contact President Bush and request his intervention in the case. And the Family Research Council's Perkins said he's sent letters to President Bush, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) and Rep. Henry Hyde (R-Ill.), the respective foreign affairs committee chairmen, telling them that Americans have not given their lives in Afghanistan so Christians can be executed.

"The judge in Rahman's case soothingly assures us that all will be forgiven if he renounces his Christianity because 'Islam is a religion of tolerance.' Really?" asked Perkins. Perkins is particularly upset with comments made by White House spokesman Sean McCormack, who said on Tuesday, "Freedom of worship is an important element of any democracy and these are issues as Afghan democracy matures that they are going to have to deal with increasingly."

Said Perkins, "Religious freedom is not just 'an important element' of democracy; it is its cornerstone. Religious persecution leads inevitably to political tyranny. Five hundred years of history confirm this." Perkins has said that President Bush should send Vice President Cheney or Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to Afghanistan to read the Afghan government the riot act. "Americans will not give their blood and treasure to prop up new Islamic fundamentalist regimes," he said earlier this week.

http://www.cnsnews.com/news/viewstory.asp?Page=%5CCulture%5Carchive%5C200603%5 CCUL20060322a.html

[Petronas]

CAIR Settles A Libel Suit Against Critic
March 24, 2006

An Islamic group has settled a $1.35 million libel suit against one of its critics, who operates a Web site charging that the organization, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, has links to terrorism. The terms of the settlement between the Muslim group and Andrew Whitehead of Virginia Beach, Va., are confidential, but the Web site, www.anti-cair-net.org, still includes the statements Cair contended were libelous.

"Nothing has changed in that regard. It's as if this lawsuit had never existed," said Mr. Whitehead, 48, a former Navy sailor. An attorney for Mr. Whitehead, Reed Rubinstein, described the outcome as a victory for his client. "This is the first time somebody has stood up and stopped these folks," the lawyer said.

A spokesman for Cair, Ibrahim Hooper, confirmed that the libel case was dismissed earlier this month on the request of both parties. "It was settled out of court for an undisclosed amount," he said. Asked if he was suggesting that Mr. Whitehead paid the organization to drop the case, Mr. Hooper said, "We filed the suit." Asked again, the spokesman simply repeated the statement. An attorney for Cair, Jeremiah Denton III, declined to comment.

The group's lawsuit, filed in a Virginia state court in March 2004, accused Mr. Whitehead of libeling Cair by calling it "a terrorist supporting front organization that is partially funded by terrorists." The suit also charged that Mr. Whitehead falsely claimed Cair was founded by supporters of a Palestinian Arab terrorist group, Hamas, and that the organization favored the "overthrow of the United States Constitution" and the imposition of Islamic law, known as Shariah.

In June, Cair amended its suit against Mr. Whitehead, dropping its challenge to several of the statements, including the claim that the group was started by Hamas members and has received funds from terrorists. Mr. Hooper said that despite the withdrawal of the suit, his organization, which describes itself as "a grassroots civil rights and advocacy group," still contends that Mr. Whitehead's assertions are false. "We've always denied them. We continue to deny them," the spokesman said.

Mr. Rubinstein said Cair's interest in settling the suit intensified late last year just as a judge was considering whether the group should be forced to disclose additional details about its inner workings, including its financing and its alleged ties to Hamas and other terrorist groups. "It would have opened up Cair's finances and their relationships and their principles, their ideological motivations in a way they did not want to be made public," said Mr. Rubinstein, who represented Mr. Whitehead without charge.

Mr. Rubinstein charged that the lawsuit was one of a series of suits filed by Cair and other Muslim organizations as part of a concerted effort to intimidate their critics. "It's part of a larger pattern groups like this have followed. If you say something some of those Muslim groups don't like, they sue you even though the cases have no merit," the attorney said. "You change people's behavior simply by bringing the lawsuit." "It looks like all they're really trying to do is stifle free speech," Mr. Whitehead said.

Mr. Rubinstein pointed to libel suits brought against several news outlets and journalists recently by the Islamic Society of Boston. The Islamic Society, which is seeking to build a new mosque on public land, alleged that the journalists and pro-Israel activists unfairly linked the religious group to terrorism.

Cair is pressing to revive a $2 million lawsuit it filed in 2003 against a former North Carolina congressman, Thomas Cass Ballenger, who asserted in a newspaper interview that the group was "the fund-raising arm of Hezbollah." He also said his wife was distressed by the presence of a Cair office near their home and by scenes of "hooded" women, wearing Islamic head coverings, going in and out of the office. Last year, a federal judge in Washington, Richard Leon, ruled that Mr. Ballenger's comments fell within the scope of his employment as a congressman. The ruling made the federal government the defendant in the case and led to its dismissal. Last week, Mr. Denton appeared before a federal appeals court panel to argue that the case should be reinstated.

Mr. Rubinstein said that after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Cair posted links on its Website leading visitors to make donations to two Islamic non-profit groups, the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development and the Global Relief Foundation. Both groups have had their assets frozen and seized by federal authorities over alleged ties to terrorism. A man who was a co-founder of the Holy Land Foundation and of Cair's Texas chapter, Ghassan Elashi, was convicted in 2004 on six counts of illegal trade with Syria. The FBI has charged that he also has links to Hamas.

"These are bad guys," Mr. Rubinstein said.

http://www.nysun.com/pf.php?id=29748&access=811579

[stewey]

Victory over Terror?
March 20, 2006

Steve Emerson: ... In 1993, there was a seminal meeting in Philadelphia of Hamas leaders in the United States, as well as from outside the United States. It was a meeting that the FBI actually had wired and it’s been declassified since then. What was most interesting at this meeting was the general complaint among Hamas officials that they couldn’t raise money in the United States very effectively because Hamas had a “bad reputation.” Wonder why? One them said, “What do we do? We need to create a new entity.” I’ll paraphrase what one of them said, “Well, I know what we’ll do. We’ll create a human rights group because Americans are suckers for human rights.” And in fact that’s exactly what they did. They created CAIR, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, which was morphed out of the Hamas organization in the United States. ...

http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=21713

Interesting...

[Petronas]

More details on the dismissal of the CAIR suit.

CAIR Libel Suit Against Anti-CAIR’s Andrew Whitehead Dismissed

A $1.35 million libel suit filed by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) against Andrew Whitehead of Anti-CAIR (ACAIR), who called CAIR a “terrorist front organization,” that was “founded by Hamas supporters,” and was working to “make radical Islam the dominant religion in the United States,” has been dismissed with prejudice. According to ACAIR’s Mr. Whitehead, who posts at www.anti-cair-net.org, “I am pleased to report the CAIR lawsuit has been dismissed after the parties reached a mutually agreeable settlement.”

Terms of the settlement are confidential. However, no apology was issued, no retraction or corrections made, and the statements that triggered CAIR’s suit remain on the ACAIR website.

CAIR’s suit was filed on March 31, 2004 after Mr. Whitehead posted the following statements:


“Let there be no doubt that CAIR is a terrorist supporting front organization that is partially funded by terrorists, and that CAIR wishes nothing more than the implementation of Sharia law in America.”
CAIR is an “organization founded by Hamas supporters which seeks to overthrow Constitutional government in the United States and replace it with an Islamist theocracy using our own Constitution as protection.”
“ACAIR reminds our readers that CAIR was started by Hamas members and is supported by terrorist supporting individuals, groups and countries.”
“Why oppose CAIR? CAIR has proven links to, and was founded by, Islamic terrorists. CAIR is not in the United States to promote the civil rights of Muslims. CAIR is here to make radical Islam the dominant religion in the United States and convert our country into an Islamic theocracy along the lines of Iran. In addition, CAIR has managed, through the adroit manipulation of the popular media, to present itself as the ‘moderate' face of Islam in the United States. CAIR succeeded to the point that the majority of its members are not aware that CAIR actively supports terrorists and terrorist supporting groups and nations. In addition, CAIR receives direct funding from Islamic terrorists supporting countries.”
“CAIR is a fundamentalist organization dedicated to the overthrow of the United States Constitution and the installation of an Islamic theocracy in America.”

CAIR claimed these statements were false, that Mr. Whitehead made them “with knowledge of their falsity,” and that the statements were actionable because “they impute the commission of a criminal offense.” CAIR claimed injury to its “standing and reputation throughout the United States and elsewhere,” and sought $1 million in compensatory damages, $350,000 in punitive damages, plus legal fees and interest.

On June 20, 2005, and following submission of discovery requests by Mr. Whitehead’s counsel, Reed D. Rubinstein of Greenberg Traurig LLP’s Washington, D.C. office, seeking information regarding CAIR’s finances, its relationship to Hamas, and its ties to Saudi Arabia and other Islamic radicals, CAIR dropped nearly all of its original claims. The revised complaint alleged only the following statements to be false and defamatory:


“Let their (sic) be no doubt that CAIR is a terrorist supporting front organization….”
“[CAIR] seeks to overthrow constitutional government in the United States….”

Subsequently, Mr. Whitehead’s counsel filed papers demonstrating the extensive links between, and actions taken by, CAIR and its principal leaders with and on behalf of Hamas terrorists, foreign Islamic radicals, and domestic Islamic extremists. Among other things, the pleadings showed how CAIR had used its website to exploit the 9/11 atrocities, funneling money to the notorious Hamas front group the “Holy Land Foundation” (HLF). HLF, organized and operated by a CAIR-Austin, Texas board member who was a close and long-time associate of CAIR’s executive officers, financed Hamas, and was shut down by the United States government in December, 2001. HLF was also shown to have provided funds to CAIR.

Shortly after Mr. Whitehead’s counsel filed these papers, and shortly before a court hearing on Mr. Whitehead’s request for access to CAIR’s financial data and relationship with Hamas and Islamic radicals was to be held, the case was settled and dismissed with prejudice.

http://www.anti-cair-net.org/Dismissed

[Petronas]

CAIR, Assault and Videotape?
By Patrick Poole
FrontPageMagazine.com | August 8, 2006

An attendee of the “Stop the Terror Rally” sponsored by the Council for America-Islamic Relations – Ohio held at the Federal Courthouse in downtown Columbus, Ohio, on Friday July 28 says she was twice assaulted by CAIR’s National Vice-Chairman, Dr. Ahmad Al-Akhras, when she asked too many questions about the organization’s apparent support for Hezbollah terrorists. Fortunately, she caught it all on tape and has put the video online so the public can see the reaction of one of CAIR’s top officials.

The alleged assault victim, who chooses to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation, but who posts under her nom de guerre “ciaospirit” at Little Green Footballs, describes herself as an independent filmmaker and “new media” journalist. And she is no stranger to Dr. Al-Akhras. In June she conducted an extensive interview with him at the “Eyes Wide Open” antiwar event on the grounds of the Ohio Statehouse, where she recorded his thoughts on the war in Iraq, U.S. foreign policy, and the implementation of Shari’a in America. At one point in the video, Dr. Al-Akhras is asked by one of his associates who she is, and he mentions aloud the name of ciaospirit’s employer – a fact she says she had never disclosed to him or anyone else.

In a phone interview shortly after the incident, “ciaospirit” described the events that precipitated the unprovoked attacks by Dr. Al-Akhras.

"I went to the event because CAIR had advertised that it was open to the public, and regardless, it was held on a public sidewalk in front of a Federal building. I had every right to be there. It was clear that they had a message they wanted to express, and I hoped to get them to speak beyond their scripted press release comments…to get some straight answers about how they really feel about the violence and terrorism committed by Hezbollah that provoked the Israeli response.

"I wasn’t there more than a couple of minutes when I began to interview a gentleman wearing a kafiyyeh that concealed everything but his eyes. I was asking him about his support for Hezbollah when Dr. Al-Akhras approached us and began telling everyone in the vicinity not to speak to me. I then asked him what his message and I kept rolling as he explained how they were there opposing terror. He was clearly agitated. It was when several of them were telling me about Israel bombing innocent civilians, and I responded by asking them about Hezbollah missiles being fired into Israel killing innocent civilians that Al-Akhras lunged at me and grabbed ahold of my camera as I was filming."

At 5’3” and 100 pounds, “ciaospirit” is not a physically intimidating figure. Yet she says Dr. Al-Akhras assaulted her a second time as she was filming him as he addressed the rally – again, all captured on a video she made available on her blog.

"I was really surprised because I didn’t go to the rally anticipating this kind of aggressive behavior. These speakers made it clear that they had a message to deliver, and so I asked them what they had to say. They clearly felt that my questioning was threatening, but I never could have anticipated the second attack. He really scared me when he came at me from more than 10 feet away, grabbed my camera again and gave it a good shove that almost sent me sprawling. I was in shock, because I didn’t know what he intended to do. Was he going to smash my camera? Was he going to try to take it away from me, because he had a pretty good hold of my camera?"

Prior to the first alleged assault, Dr. Al-Akhras can be heard in the video directing subordinates to find a sign to hold in front of her camera to block her view. The video also shows that immediately after the second alleged assault, “ciaospirit” was surrounded by sign-wielding CAIR staff members and supporters that prevented her from filming Al-Akhras. In apparent compliance with his directive, one of the signs held in front of her to obstruct her view is in the colors of the Israeli flag – white and blue – and prominently features a swastika where the Star of David would appear.

She described CAIR’s tactics as intimidating and its message on terror as contradictory:

"His people – all male and much larger than me – swarmed me and wouldn’t let me tape, and I was concerned about what they intended to do. All I could do was to remind them that this was a public event held on a public sidewalk in front of a public building and that I had as much right to be there as they did. And I really believe that someone there had to ask the hard questions. All day the speakers were screaming about Israel killing innocent Lebanese civilians, but no mention was ever made about the targeting of Israeli citizens by Hezbollah or the kidnapping of Israeli military personnel in violation of international law. I was told by one CAIR spokesman at the rally that Hezbollah isn’t a terrorist organization because they run hospitals and schools (which I caught on tape). Not one mention of innocent children in Israel that have been killed in indiscriminate Hezbollah rocket attacks. No one there wanted to confront the glaring contradiction of their position. They apparently think that if they don’t answer the question that the question doesn’t exist. There’s clearly an agenda they want to hide. They were condemning Israel all day long, but not one word about Hezbollah violence. Their statements condemning terrorism clearly run only one way – towards Israel."

She says that throughout the rest of the rally, Dr. Al-Akhras followed her closely, instructing people not to talk to her as she tried to interview them. At one point in her video, one woman can be seen taping her.

Even before last month’s rally, Dr. Al-Akhras has made no reservation about publicly expressing his thoughts on Israel. In April 2001, while he was serving as CAIR-Ohio’s president, he was responsible for having the city of Gahanna, a Columbus suburb, take down the Israeli flag that was flying at the Gahanna City Hall in commemoration of Holocaust Remembrance Day. “Americans cannot, without a strong sense of hypocrisy, praise the principles of Holocaust remembrance on the one hand, and turn a blind eye to the daily atrocities committed by Israel on the other,” he said in an official CAIR press release.

Nor is this the first time that Dr. Al-Akhras has expressed his ideas on “free speech,” like when he spoke out during the Danish Cartoon controversy earlier this year. According to a Columbus Dispatch article (which in an Orwellian moment identified him as a “free speech advocate”), Al-Akhras likened the published cartoons to a physical assault, saying, “Your fist should stop where my chin is.”

But according to “ciaospirit,” Al-Akhras didn’t honor his views on free speech or physical abuse:

"The amazing thing is that he attacks me twice in one day. If he says that he believes in free speech, why does he engage in intimidation and acts of violence?…After the first time he lunged at me and grabbed my camera, no one was shocked more than I was. But when the second attack came, I was even more surprised. I would have thought that after the first attack he would have taken a moment to compose himself and think about what he was doing. He knew I was taping. That’s what made the second attack so bizarre. It seemed that he was in an uncontrolled rage. That really had me worried about what he was going to do to me."

Since both incidents were captured on videotape, “ciaospirit” told me that she is still considering pressing charges against Dr. Al-Akhras. On July 29, I e-mailed Dr. Al-Akhras, Ibrahim Hooper, national spokesman for CAIR, and Adnan Mizra, president of CAIR-Ohio, asking them for comment on the attacks at the CAIR rally, but none of them responded to my inquiries.

http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=23745

[Petronas]

Did CAIR founder say Islam to rule America?
December 11, 2006

It's a citation used frequently by critics to argue the highly influential Council on American-Islamic Relations is an extremist organization – founder Omar Ahmad's alleged 1998 assertion that Islam must one day dominate the U.S. – but now Muslim leaders have confronted Ahmad, expressing concern that someone from their community could voice such radical sentiments.
Ahmad told the Muslim leaders – and WND in an interview – the attribution is a "total fabrication" and assured them the newspaper, the Fremont Argus in California, issued a "clarification" after he "challenged" reporter Lisa Gardiner.

That seemed to satisfy the Muslim leaders, but Gardiner told WND she continues to stand by the story, and Editor Steve Waterhouse said he's confident she got it right. After hearing that news Thursday, one of the Muslim leaders immediately resurrected the issue with his colleagues, declaring Ahmad and CAIR need to find a way "to extinguish this fire." "She was a good, solid reporter," Waterhouse said of Gardiner. "She was absolutely certain about what he said and what she reported."

Gardiner, who now works for a non-profit group, told WND last week she's 100-percent sure Ahmad was the speaker and that he made those statements, pointing out nobody challenged the story at the time it was published eight years ago.

"She's lying," Ahmad said upon hearing Gardiner's defense of the story. "Absolutely, she's lying. How could you remember something from so long ago? I don't even remember her in the audience."

CAIR, which has enjoyed access to the White House as the country's largest Islamic advocacy group, recently defended the six imams removed from a US Airways flight because they were deemed a potential security threat. Ahmad, who stepped down as CAIR chairman last year, maintained to WND he "never uttered those words." ...

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=53303

[The man]

http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles...e.asp?ID=23745

you use a hate site to justify other hate, hummmm......

[Atlas]

http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles...e.asp?ID=23745

you use a hate site to justify other hate, hummmm......

and the mukhabarat chimes in

[Petronas]

SENATOR BOXER RESCINDS AWARD TO CAIR
December 22, 2006

Americans Against Hate (AAH), a civil rights organization and terrorism watchdog group, appreciates the decision made by United States Senator Barbara Boxer to rescind the award her office had presented to the Executive Director of CAIR-Sacramento Basim Elkarra.

Both CAIR and Elkarra have exhibited the type of extremist behavior that is not worthy of awards or accolades. Former officials from CAIR are currently in prison, serving time for terrorist-related crimes involving Hamas and Al-Qaeda. In fact, CAIR can thank Mousa Abu Marzook, the second in command of Hamas today, for its very existence.

Unfortunately, too many in America's government, media and religious institutions have made CAIR out to be a legitimate group, rarely mentioning its numerous ties to terrorism. AAH and its subdivision CAIR Watch were created to expose CAIR and others like it for having these ties.

AAH Chairman Joe Kaufman stated, "We are proud of Senator Boxer. By taking back this award, the Senator has shown that she is conscious of the 'extreme' problems that Basim Elkarra and his group, CAIR, pose to the public. We only hope that others recognize this, as well, and never again think about granting CAIR or its representatives any type of award."

http://www.americansagainsthate.org/press_releases/PR-BoxerRescindsAward.php

[Petronas]

CAIR’s voice extreme
Saturday, 13 January 2007

... While newspapers and schools seemed frightened not to give CAIR a voice, the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Terrorism, Technology and Homeland Security found in September 2003 that the “ideological and organizational roots of the Council on American-Islamic Relations can be found in the extremist Muslim Brotherhood and its violent Palestinian offshoot, Hamas. … CAIR leaders have been heard expressing their support for Hamas both in public and on FBI surveillance tapes. CAIR has received support from, and lent support to, Hamas financial conduits in the United States. Several CAIR officers and employees have been recently indicted on terrorism-related charges.”

In March, CAIR had to drop a defamation lawsuit in a Virginia Circuit Court against Andrew Whitehead of Anti-CAIR because it could not refute his statements, “Let there be no doubt that CAIR is a terrorist-supporting front organization” and that CAIR “seeks to overthrow constitutional government in the United States.”

http://tracypress.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=emailform&id=7025&itemid=2

[Petronas]

Feds Defend Partnership With Islamic Group Under Scrutiny
January 16, 2007

Federal government agencies are defending their continuing cooperation with a high-profile Islamic organization at a time when its alleged ties to terrorists have come under renewed scrutiny.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has historic links to a U.S.-based group charged with terrorist funding, and several individuals associated with CAIR have been jailed for terror-related offenses (See Related Story).

Its critics also charge that while CAIR officials condemn terrorist attacks, they commonly refuse to condemn terror groups by name, particularly the Palestinian Hamas and Lebanese-based Hizballah.

U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) is the latest lawmaker to criticize the organization, based on concerns raised in law enforcement circles that CAIR gives aid to international terrorist groups.

At the same time, CAIR describes itself as the "go to" civil rights organization for federal agencies that deal with Muslims.

CAIR works on "sensitivity training" projects and outreach programs with the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and other agencies.

That's a situation some believe should change. "We wish the federal government was more aggressive at looking into CAIR, or at least stop working with them and providing them a platform," said Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch, a government watchdog group in Washington. "CAIR is not a legitimate ... civil rights organization," Fitton said in an interview. "The federal government needs to stop treating it as if it is."

The TSA recently reproduced on its own official website an unedited CAIR press release. In the release, CAIR praised the TSA for providing sensitivity training to airport workers ahead of the Hajj, or the annual Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca. Judicial Watch and others criticized the TSA's publication of the press release, arguing that taxpayer dollars were being misused to subsidize the group's public relations message.

TSA spokeswoman Amy Kudwa told Cybercast News Service the posting of the unedited release had been a mistake, resulting from "a miscommunication with technical personnel."

"Hajj training is a policy we've had in place for some time," Kudwa said. "This is not a new policy." For example, U.S. airport security staff were advised on how to explain the rules on carrying liquids or gels to Muslim travelers who brought holy water back from Mecca, she added.

CAIR's partnership with government agencies goes a lot further. Officials with the organization - which has 32 local chapters and more than 50,000 members - have met with Bush administration officials, members of Congress, state lawmakers and local officials across the country. The organization points to numerous cases of working closely with federal law enforcement, including:


After the August 2006 arrest in Britain of men accused of planning bomb attacks on U.S. bound airliners, the FBI invited CAIR along with other Muslim organizations to participate in a joint press conference;
In July 2006, CAIR-New York sponsored a meeting between some 50 Muslim leaders and officials from the FBI and Immigration Customs Enforcement;
CAIR conducted sensitivity training and education programs for FBI offices in Florida, Kentucky, Missouri, Arizona and Michigan;
FBI officials attended CAIR-Arizona's annual banquet;
FBI and officials from the U.S. attorney's office in St. Louis visited a mosque open house;
In July 2004, CAIR conducted a sensitivity and diversity training workshop at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., which was broadcast live to all NASA employees;
In 2003, CAIR officials spoke at a joint press conference with the FBI in Miami urging residents to assist law enforcement; and
In November 2002, the State Department hosted a Ramadan dinner that included several Muslim groups, including CAIR.


While collaborating in these ways, CAIR also opposes certain U.S. policies, including the USA Patriot Act, which was passed by Congress to counter the terrorism threat. CAIR also is a party in a lawsuit demanding that the federal government do away with the National Security Agency's domestic surveillance program. Last month, the group hosted a meeting featuring speaker Imad Moustapha, the Syrian ambassador to the United States, who criticized the U.S. war in Iraq.

CAIR is proud of its work with the government, said the group's spokesman Ibraham Hooper. "I can't tell you the number of times we have done sensitivity training when we've worked with the TSA, the DHS," Hooper told Cybercast News Service. "I can't keep up with the number of meetings we've had with the FBI. They never bring these [terrorism] issues up. They know who we are, and they know what we do." As for the CAIR statement reproduced on the TSA website, Hooper explained that the federal agency simply informed its employees about Islamic traditions in a bid to avoid any "unfortunate incident."

Working with CAIR is an important part of the counter-terrorism campaign, said FBI spokesman Bill Carter. "Law enforcement doesn't operate in a vacuum," Carter told Cybercast News Service. "The FBI works with them to investigate civil rights matters and to ask for their cooperation in fighting the war on terror at home.

"There are elements in any group that might be a concern," Carter added. "You could say that about every group. Just because some are criminals doesn't mean everyone is a criminal."

Boxer recently became the latest lawmaker to level criticism at CAIR. She had previously referred to CAIR as "an advocate for justice and greater understanding," but when she asked her staff in December to research the group, the senator rescinded a "certificate of accomplishment" awarded earlier to a CAIR official. Boxer's press office did not provide a statement to Cybercast News Service, but in an earlier one provided to CNN, Boxer explained that "we reached out to CAIR because we wanted to send a message about community and inclusiveness. But I believe when a mistake is made it has to be set straight."

Other congressional critics include Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) who has been quoted describing CAIR as a group "which we know has ties to terrorism," and Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), who reportedly said CAIR is "unusual in its extreme rhetoric and its associations with groups that are suspect."

Though CAIR regularly dismisses critics as bigots or "Islamophobes," Hooper said the senators had been duped. "Politicians have been misled by anti-Muslim smears. You throw enough smears against the wall and something will stick," he said. "Politicians don't call us to refute the charges. They don't check the charges. They have a lack of knowledge and are unwilling to stand up to the anti-Muslim bigots."

At least one organization that believes the U.S. government should be more careful about partnering with CAIR is itself a Muslim group. "The federal government should not be associating with any Muslim group until it gets the lay of the land first," said M. Zhudi Jasser, chairman of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy, a body that calls for reform in Islam. "CAIR is more of a political organization than a civil rights organization," he said.

http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewNation.asp?Page=/Nation/archive/200701/NAT20070116a.html

[Petronas]

Written Testimony of
Nihad Awad
Before the
Senate Subcommittee on Terrorism, Technology and Homeland Security
“Terrorism: Two Years After 9/11, Connecting the Dots”
“American Muslim Community under Siege”
September 10, 2003

"MYTH: In a recent congressional hearing, Mr. Emerson proclaimed that, “…[CAIR] received some of its initial seed money from the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development (HLFRD)…”

FACT: This is an outright lie. Our organization did not receive any seed money from HLFRD. CAIR raises its own funds and we challenge Mr. Emerson to provide even a shred of evidence to support his ridiculous claim."

http://www.anti-cair-net.org/awadTestimony2003.html
http://www.anti-cair-net.org/

[pixikill]

what can you expect?
moslems religion demands thatits followers be liars.

[Petronas]

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

MICHAEL SAVAGE, Plaintiff,

vs.

Counsel on American-Islamic Relations, Inc.

http://www.savage-productions.com/Savage_CAIR_suit.html

[Petronas]

CAIR: Civil rights advocates or radical Islamists?
Posted: December 1, 2007 1:00 a.m. Eastern

The Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, says its aim is "to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding."

Maybe so, but federal prosecutors have also named the group an "unindicted co-conspirator" in a plot to fund the terrorist group Hamas, several of CAIR's leaders have been convicted on terror charges since 9/11, and one of its founders has reportedly declared that America should be governed by Islamic sharia law.

Adding to the controversy over the high-profile lobby group, CAIR is now being sued by radio talk show host Michael Savage over CAIR's attacks on him and what he says constitute illegal use of his broadcasts. The lawsuit alleges CAIR is a "political vehicle of international terrorism" that seeks to do "material harm to those voices who speak against the violent agenda of CAIR's clients." Filed in U.S. District Court in California, the suit seeks damages equal to the ongoing donations from CAIR supporters "who expect CAIR to act in this manner in exchange for continuing financial support" as well as "actual damages according to proof."

The focal point of the lawsuit is a series of audio clips CAIR has been using in its promotions and fundraisings. Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for CAIR, told WND the group would not comment on the action until the document had been reviewed.

Although the news media generally have portrayed CAIR as a legitimate civil rights group, the organization has had a hard time maintaining its squeaky clean image.

For instance, as WND has reported, Ghassan Elashi, a board member of CAIR's Texas chapter, was convicted in 2005 of channeling funds to a high-ranking official of Hamas – which the U.S. government officially designates a terrorist organization. As WND reported in October 2006, Elashi was sentenced to nearly seven years in prison for financial ties to a high-ranking Hamas terrorist and for making illegal computer exports to countries that back terrorism.

Other CAIR figures convicted since 9-11 are Randall Todd "Ismail" Royer, a former communications specialist and civil rights coordinator, and Bassem Khafagi, former director of community relations. Royer was sentenced to 20 years in prison on charges he trained in Virginia for holy war against the United States and sent several members to Pakistan to join Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Kashmiri terrorist group with reported ties to al-Qaida. In a plea bargain, Royer claimed he never intended to hurt anyone but admitted he organized the holy warriors after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the U.S. After his arrest, Royer sought legal counsel from Hamas lawyer Stanley Cohen, who said after 9-11 he would consider serving as a defense lawyer for Osama bin Laden if the al-Qaida leader were captured.

Khafagi was arrested in January 2003 while serving with CAIR and convicted on fraud and terrorism charges.

Current CAIR leaders also have made statements in support of Hamas and the domination of the U.S. by Islam.

As WorldNetDaily reported, CAIR's chairman of the board, Omar Ahmad, was cited by a California newspaper in 1998 declaring the Quran should be America's highest authority. He also was reported to have said Islam is not in America to be equal to any other religion but to be dominant.

Just this past June, CAIR itself was named, along with two other prominent U.S. Islamic groups, as an "unindicted co-conspirator" in a plot to fund Hamas. Federal prosecutors also cited the Islamic Society of North America and the North American Islamic Trust as participants in a plot with five officials of the defunct Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development.

CAIR is a spinoff of the defunct Islamic Association for Palestine, launched by Hamas leader Mousa Abu Marzook and former university professor Sami al-Arian, who pleaded guilty last year to conspiracy to provide services to Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

Last March, the House Republican Conference urged House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to cancel an event hosted on Capitol Hill by CAIR, calling the group "terrorist apologists."

And the group's regular meetings with the Justice Department and FBI have prompted complaints from case agents, who say the bureau rarely can make a move in the Muslim community without first consulting with CAIR, which sits on its advisory board. CAIR has even conducted "sensitivity" and cultural training with federal agencies such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement and with the military. In June of last year, a senior Department of Homeland Security official from Washington guided CAIR officials on a behind-the-scenes tour of Customs screening operations at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport in response to CAIR complaints that Muslim travelers were being unfairly delayed as they entered the U.S. from abroad.

Last year, Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., withdrew an award she gave to a local CAIR official, saying she was concerned about some statements by CAIR leaders.

Savage's lawsuit follows a CAIR campaign to influence advertisers to abandon the popular talker's program. CAIR's recent announcement said OfficeMax, a leading office products retailer, had joined "a growing list of companies" withdrawing advertising from Savage's program because of his opinions regarding Islam.

That prompted the group ACT for America to launch an alert suggesting people call OfficeMax to encourage the company to reverse its decision. "Call the OfficeMax office headquarters … and when you get an operator, in a polite but firm manner, tell the operator you have heard about the company's decision to stop advertising on the Michael Savage program because of the pressure from CAIR. Tell them you will no longer shop at OfficeMax until OfficeMax reverses this ill-advised decision," the advisory said. "If CAIR can succeed in this effort to silence Michael Savage, consider the chilling effect this will have on every talk radio host in America," wrote American Congress for Truth founder Brigitte Gabriel in the alert.

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=58977

[Petronas]

Probably the best single article detailing CAIR's unsavory connections I have come across.

CAIR called 'turnstile' for terrorist suspects
Posted: December 4, 2007 1:00 a.m. Eastern

As the Council on American-Islamic Relations lobbies Congress to help strike its name from a list of co-conspirators in a federal terror case, WND has learned the Muslim group's ties to terrorism and extremism are far more extensive than first believed.

Although CAIR is a nonprofit organization, it does not disclose complete directories of its staff or advisory boards, and even refuses to make its federal tax filings readily available to the public. But a review of federal criminal court documents, past IRS 990 tax records and Federal Election Commission records detailing donor occupations, reveals that Washington-based CAIR has been associated with a disturbing number of convicted terrorists or felons in terrorism probes, as well as suspected terrorists and active targets of terrorism investigations.

"Their offices have been a turnstile for terrorists and their supporters," said one FBI veteran familiar with recent and ongoing cases involving CAIR officials.

As previously reported, three CAIR officials have been linked to terrorism. But WND has learned that at least 11 other CAIR officials have been caught up in terror investigations, bringing the total to 14.

Congressional leaders say they are warning lawmakers and other Washington officials to disassociate from the group due to its growing terror ties. "Groups like CAIR have a proven record of senior officials being indicted and either imprisoned or deported from the United States," said U.S. Rep. Sue Myrick, R-N.C., co-founder of the House Anti-Terrorism/Jihad Caucus.

CAIR itself recently was named as an unindicted co-conspirator in an alleged scheme to funnel $12 million to the terrorist group Hamas. In the Holy Land Foundation case, federal prosecutors also listed CAIR as a member of the U.S. branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, a worldwide jihadist movement that gave rise to Hamas, al-Qaida and other terrorist groups. The government will retry the Holy Land case, which ended in a hung jury. "There was a lot of evidence presented at the recent Holy Land Foundation trial which exposed CAIR and others as front groups for the Muslim Brotherhood in the United States," Myrick said.

Still, CAIR is lobbying House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers and other sympathetic members of Congress to pressure the Justice Department to expunge its name from the case, arguing the negative publicity has hurt membership and fundraising.

The federal judge during the trial refused a written request by the group to strike its name from the list of co-conspirators. The petition is still pending before the court.

CAIR denies supporting terrorism and continues to claim to be a "moderate" voice for Muslims in America. The group says its critics are the extremists, including radio personality Michael Savage, whom the group is now attacking with a boycott campaign. So far it has convinced Wal-Mart, OfficeMax, AT&T, JCPenney and other companies to stop advertising on Savage's popular show. In response, Savage last week filed a lawsuit against CAIR, accusing the organization of being a "political vehicle of international terrorism" that seeks to do "material harm to those voices who speak against the violent agenda of CAIR's clients." Ibrahim Hooper, communications director for CAIR, told WND the group would not comment on Savage's action until the document had been reviewed.

CAIR, which runs 33 offices and chapters nationwide, also recently helped defeat an anti-terror plan by Los Angeles police to map the local Muslim community for extremist neighborhoods. Now it's pressuring GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney to back down from his position against appointing a Muslim to his Cabinet.

Critics counter that CAIR has no legitimate voice to make such complaints, because the group is itself an extremist organization that has employed or appointed to its boards of directors and advisers an inordinate number of radical co-conspirators, suspected and convicted terrorists, and other criminals.

Indeed, the list is long and growing, and includes:


Muthanna al-Hanooti: The CAIR director's home was raided last year by FBI agents in connection with an active terrorism investigation. Agents also searched the offices of his advocacy group, Focus on Advocacy and Advancement of International Relations, which al-Hanooti operates out of Dearborn, Mich., and Washington, D.C. FAAIR claims to be a consulting firm raising awareness of Sunni grievances in Iraq, but investigators suspect it's a front supporting the Sunni-led insurgency. Al-Hanooti, who emigrated to the U.S. from Iraq, formerly helped run a suspected Hamas terror front called LIFE for Relief and Development. Its Michigan offices also were raided last September. In 2004, LIFE's Baghdad office was raided by U.S. troops, who seized files and computers. Al-Hanooti is related to Shiek Mohammed al-Hanooti, an unindicted co-conspirator in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. He currently leads prayers at a Washington-area mosque that aided some of the 9/11 hijackers. The FBI alleges al-Hanooti, an ethnic-Palestinian who also emigrated from Iraq, raised money for Hamas. In fact, "Al-Hanooti collected over $6 million for support of Hamas," according to a 2001 FBI report, and was present with CAIR and Holy Land officials at a secret Hamas fundraising summit held last decade at a Philadelphia hotel. Prosecutors recently added his name to the list of unindicted co-conspirators in the Holy Land case. Al-Hanooti denies supporting Hamas, although he's praised Palestinian suicide bombers as "martyrs" who are "alive in the eyes of Allah." Earlier this year, his younger brother, Hamid al-Hanooti, was found dead in Iraq after reportedly being held by local security forces as a suspected terrorist.


Laura Jaghlit: A civil-rights coordinator for CAIR, her Washington-area home was raided by federal agents after 9/11 as part of an investigation into terrorist financing, money laundering and tax fraud. Her husband Mohammed Jaghlit, a key leader in the Saudi-backed SAAR network, is a target of the still-active probe. Last decade, Jaghlit sent two letters accompanying donations – one for $10,000, the other for $5,000 – from the SAAR Foundation to Sami al-Arian, now a convicted terrorist. In each letter, according to a federal affidavit, "Jaghlit instructed al-Arian not to disclose the contribution publicly or to the media." Investigators suspect the funds were intended for Palestinian terrorists via a U.S. front called WISE, which at the time employed an official who personally delivered a satellite phone battery to Osama bin Laden. The same official also worked for Jaghlit's group. In addition, Jaghlit donated a total of $37,200 to the Holy Land Foundation, which prosecutors say is a Hamas front. Jaghlit subsequently was named an unindicted co-conspirator in the ongoing case.


Abdurahman Alamoudi: Another CAIR director, he is serving 23 years in federal prison for plotting terrorism. Alamoudi, who was caught on tape complaining bin Laden hadn't killed enough Americans in the U.S. embassy bombings in Africa, was one of al-Qaida's top fund-raisers in America, according to the U.S. Treasury Department.


Nihad Awad: For the first time, wiretap evidence from the Holy Land case puts CAIR's executive director at a Philadelphia meeting of Hamas leaders and activists that was secretly recorded by the FBI. Participants allegedly hatched a plot to disguise payments to Hamas terrorists as charitable giving. During the meeting, according to FBI transcripts, Awad was recorded discussing the propaganda effort. He mentions Ghassan Dahduli, whom he worked with at the time at the Islamic Association for Palestine, another Hamas front. Both were IAP officers. Dahduli's name also was listed in the address book of bin Laden's personal secretary, Wadi al-Hage, who is serving a life sentence in prison for his role in the U.S. embassy bombings. Dahduli, an ethnic-Palestinian like Awad, was deported to Jordan after 9/11 for refusing to cooperate in the terror investigation. Awad's and Dahduli's phone numbers are listed in a Muslim Brotherhood document seized by federal investigators revealing "important phone numbers" for the "Palestine Section" of the Brotherhood in America. The court exhibit shows Hamas fugitive Mousa Abu Marzook listed on the same page with Awad.


Omar Ahmad: U.S. prosecutors also named CAIR's founder and chairman emeritus as an unindicted co-conspirator in the Holy Land case. Ahmad too was placed at the Philly meeting, FBI special agent Lara Burns testified at the trial. Prosecutors also designated him as a member of the Muslim Brotherhood's "Palestine Committee" in America. Ahmad, like his CAIR partner Awad, is ethnic-Palestinian. (Though both Ahmad and Awad were senior leaders of IAP, the Hamas front, neither of their biographical sketches posted on CAIR's website mentions their IAP past.)


Nabil Sadoun: A current CAIR board member, Sadoun has served on the board of the United Association for Studies and Research, which investigators believe to be a key Hamas front in America. In fact, Sadoun co-founded UASR with Hamas leader Marzook. The Justice Department added UASR to the list of unindicted co-conspirators in the Holy Land case.


Mohamed Nimer: CAIR's current research director also served as a board director for UASR, the strategic arm for Hamas in the U.S. (Tellingly, CAIR neglects to mention Nimer's and Sadoun's roles in UASR in their bios.)


Rafeeq Jaber: A founding director of CAIR, Jaber was the long-time president of the Islamic Association for Palestine. In 2002, a federal judge found that "the Islamic Association for Palestine has acted in support of Hamas." In his capacity as IAP chief, Jaber praised Hezbollah attacks on Israel. He also served on the board of a radical mosque in the Chicago area.


Rabith Hadid: The CAIR fund-raiser was a founder of the Global Relief Foundation, which after 9/11 was blacklisted by Treasury for financing al-Qaida and other terror groups. Its assets were frozen in December 2001. Hadid was arrested on terror-related charges and deported to Lebanon in 2003.


Siraj Wahhaj: A member of CAIR's board of advisers, Wahhaj was named as an unindicted co-conspirator in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. The radical Brooklyn imam was close to convicted terrorist Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman, and defended him during his trial.


Randall "Ismail" Royer: The former CAIR communications specialist and civil-rights coordinator is serving 20 years in prison in connection with the Virginia Jihad Network, which he led while employed by CAIR at its Washington headquarters. The group trained to kill U.S. soldiers overseas, cased the FBI headquarters, and cheered the space shuttle Columbia tragedy. Al-Qaida operative Ahmed Abu Ali, convicted of plotting to assassinate President Bush, was among those who trained with Royer's Northern Virginia cell.


Bassam Khafagi: Another CAIR official, Khafagi was arrested in 2003 while serving as CAIR's director of community affairs. He pleaded guilty to charges of bank and visa fraud stemming from a federal counterterror probe of his leadership role in the Islamic Assembly of North America, which has supported al-Qaida and advocated suicide attacks on America. He was sentenced to 10 months in prison and deported to his native Egypt.


Ghassan Elashi: One of CAIR's founding directors, he was convicted in 2004 of illegally shipping high-tech goods to terror state Syria, and is serving 80 months in prison. He's also charged with providing material support to Hamas in the Holy Land Foundation trial. He was chairman of the charity, which provided seed capital to CAIR. Elashi is related to Hamas leader Marzook.


Hamza Yusuf: The FBI investigated the CAIR board member after 9/11, because just two days before the attacks, he made an ominous prediction to a Muslim audience. "This country is facing a terrible fate and the reason for that is because this country stands condemned," Yusuf warned. "It stands condemned like Europe stood condemned because of what it did. And lest people forget, Europe suffered two world wars after conquering the Muslim lands."

CAIR, which receives financial backing from Saudi and Emirati royalty, denies charges that it has a secret agenda to Islamize America. But a Muslim Brotherhood document declassified in the Holy Land case reveals that CAIR's parent was among Muslim organizations enlisted in a secret plot to destroy the American system from within and eventually take over the country.

Written early last decade in Arabic, the manifesto lays bare the subversive role of CAIR's forerunner, the Islamic Association for Palestine, and other Muslim groups in America to carry out a "grand Jihad in eliminating and destroying the Western civilization from within and sabotaging its miserable house by the hands of the believers, so that it is eliminated and Allah's religion is made victorious over all other religions."

CAIR's founder Ahmad, while claiming to be a moderate and patriotic American, last decade told a group of Muslims in Northern California that they are in America to help assert Islam's rule over the country.

"Islam isn't in America to be equal to any other faith, but to become dominant," a local reporter quoted him as saying, adding, "The Koran, the Muslim book of scripture, should be the highest authority in America, and Islam the only accepted religion on Earth."

Ahmad insists he was misquoted. However, an FBI wiretap transcript quotes Ahmad agreeing with terrorist suspects gathered last decade at the secret Philly meeting to "camouflage" their true intentions. He compared it to the head fake in basketball. "This is like one who plays basketball: He makes a player believe that he is doing this, while he does something else," Ahmad said. "I agree with you. Like they say, politics is a completion of war."

What's more, Hooper, CAIR's communications director, also has expressed his wish to overturn the U.S. system of government in favor of an "Islamic" state. "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," Hooper said in a 1993 interview with the Minneapolis Star Tribune. "But I'm not going to do anything violent to promote that. I'm going to do it through education." Though conceding he made the remark, Hooper argues that he's never advocated violence. He says he and Muslims like him should work instead through the media and use "education" to help turn America into an Islamic state.

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=59026

[Petronas]

Devil May CAIR
Friday, February 08, 2008 4:20 PM PT

CAIR's boosters on the Hill, where it's headquartered just three blocks from the Capitol, have known for some time that several people in positions of power within the group have been directly connected to terrorism and have either been prosecuted or thrown out of the country. Yet lawmakers have gone right on singing CAIR's praises and doing its bidding. That agenda includes suing John Doe witnesses, censoring critics of Islamism and denying the FBI antiterror tools.

These cheerleaders, who include a handful of Republicans (see box), also know by now that CAIR was named an unindicted co-conspirator in a Hamas terror-fundraising case last year. And that FBI wiretaps revealed that CAIR's founder, Omar Ahmad, and executive director, Nihad Awad, last decade attended a secret meeting in Philadelphia with Hamas leaders and other terrorist sympathizers. In fact, Ahmad himself was named an unindicted co-conspirator in the terror case, which counts a CAIR founding director among its criminal defendants.

But now, in a separate case involving a senior CAIR official who trained to kill American soldiers in jihad, prosecutors are tying CAIR even closer to terror. In court papers filed in December, federal prosecutors described CAIR as not just an apologist or sympathizer, but a supporter of terrorists.

"From its founding by Muslim Brotherhood leaders," the filing states, "CAIR conspired with other affiliates of the Muslim Brotherhood to support terrorists." The government also cited evidence "the conspirators used deception to conceal from the American public their connections to terrorists."

Perhaps some members of Congress had been fooled by CAIR's deception. But now they have no excuse. Now Sen. Barbara Mikulski, who saluted CAIR's "important work," and Sen. Paul Sarbanes, who applauded "CAIR's mission," know better.

The criminal briefing should also disabuse Rep. John Conyers, who's trumpeted CAIR's "long and distinguished history." Rep. John Dingell, who said "my office door is always open" to CAIR, now has an obligation to slam it shut.

No red-blooded American lawmaker wants to do anything that would facilitate the support of terrorists, not even Rep. Dennis Kucinich, who's gushed "CAIR has much to be proud of."

Continued support of CAIR plays right into its hands. Such endorsements are promptly posted on its Web site in an attempt to legitimize itself in the media. It also uses outreach events with the government as a kind of insurance policy against investigation.

But CAIR's tricks are wearing thin. Now it is resorting to thinly veiled threats, warning presidential candidates to avoid any "anti-Muslim rhetoric" or suffer a backlash at the polls. The group already attacked former GOP hopeful Rudy Giuliani for using the phrase "Islamic terrorism." Democrats, typically, have taken the hint. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama won't even describe the enemy as terrorists, let alone Islamic.

To continue to embrace CAIR and cater to its demands is the equivalent of legitimizing the Muslim Brotherhood, a group which gave birth to Hamas and al-Qaida.



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