CAIR The Enemy Within

[Annie]

http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=ZjU4ZDUyNDg2NTkzMzA1MDNjMjRmNzJiZGZiODQ2NjQ=

Thursday, August 10, 2006

If CAIR's so Upset... [John Podhoretz]
...maybe it can make a point of not employing and working with people who are later arrested for their links with terrorism. From wikipedia.org:

In December, 2001, Rabih Haddad, a CAIR fundraiser, was charged and deported from the United States because he was the executive director and co-founder of Global Relief Foundation, a terrorist front organization that for financing Al-Qaeda and other terrorist organizations.

On December 18, 2002, Ghassan Elashi, a founding board member of CAIR-Texas and a co-founder of the Holy Land Foundation, was arrested by the FBI on charges of having ties with front groups that fund Islamic terrorism. In 2005, Elashi and two of his brothers were convicted on 21 counts of federal terrorism charges related to funding Hamas and the illegal export of electronics equipment to U.S. State Department-designated state sponsors of terrorism.

According to the Washington Times, In January 2003, CAIR's director of community relations and founder of the Islamic Assembly of North America, Bassem Khafagi, was arrested by the FBI on charges of having ties to front groups that fund Islamist terrorism. Khafagi pleaded guilty to charges of visa and bank fraud, and agreed to be deported to Egypt.

The Washington Times however went on to point out that CAIR could not be categorically held responsible for the independent actions of one of its members, and commended it for its condemnation of extremism and terrorism, while at the same time suggesting that "unsettling connections between certain CAIR officials and extremist groups" continued to exist and that CAIR's defense of high-ranking members convicted of terrorism amounted to a "dishonest campaign to create the sense of a widespread inquisition against Muslims and Arabs in America that simply doesn't exist."

In August 2003, CAIR's former civil-rights coordinator, Randall "Ismail" Royer, along with ten other men known as the "Virginia jihad group" were indicted on 41 counts, including training and participating in jihad activities overseas. The group had connections with Lashkar-e-Taiba and five of them possessed AK-47-style rifles and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. Four of the men plead guilty while the other seven were charged with 32 new counts, including conspiring to provide material support to al Qaeda and to the Taliban. He pleaded guilty and is now serving 20 years in federal prison.​

There's contempt. There's beneath contempt. And then there's CAIR.
Posted at 7:50 PM

 

[Annie]

Whoops, what prompted the above:

http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=ZGU1OTkwZmQwYmIxMmVmNzNhNDM5MGRkNGRmYjMyOWM=

They Don't CAIR (Con't) [Kathryn Jean Lopez]
This is from CAIR's e-mail blast this evening

U.S. MUSLIMS CONCERNED ABOUT BUSH'S USE OF 'ISLAMIC FASCISTS' - TOP
CAIR: 'Today you equated the religion of peace with the ugliness of fascism'

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 8/10/06) - A prominent national Islamic civil rights and advocacy group today expressed concern over President Bush's use of the term "Islamic fascists" in a news conference about the arrest of 21 suspects in a plot to bomb airliners flying between Britain and the United States.

SEE: Religious Group Bristles at Bush Term 'Islamic Fascists' (Reuters)
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14290351/

In a letter to President Bush, Parvez Ahmed, board chairman of the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) wrote in part:

"American Muslims have consistently condemned all acts of terrorism, whether carried out by individuals, groups or states. We repudiate anyone who plans or carries out a terrorist act. The American Muslim community remains dedicated to the protection of our nation's security. . .

"Unfortunately, your statement this morning that America 'is at war with Islamic fascists' contributes to a rising level of hostility to Islam and the American-Muslim community. Just today, Gallup released a poll indicating that four out of ten Americans feel 'prejudice' toward Muslims.​

SEE: Anti-Muslim Sentiments Fairly Commonplace
http://poll.gallup.com/content/?ci=24073

"You have on many occasions said Islam is a 'religion of peace.' Today you equated the religion of peace with the ugliness of fascism.

"The use of ill-defined hot button terms such as 'Islamic fascists,' 'militant jihadism,' 'Islamic radicalism,' or 'totalitarian Islamic empire,' harms our nation's image and interests worldwide, particularly in the Islamic world. It feeds the perception that the war on terror is actually a war on Islam. . .

"American Muslims stand ready to serve as a bridge of understanding to the Islamic world. We can best fulfill that role by offering advice that can help prevent misperceptions and misunderstandings between different nations and cultures."
​

CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 32 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.

"Today you equated the religion of peace with the ugliness of fascism." If a mainstream Muslim group can't see or make the distinction between RADICAL/MILITANT/FASCISM Islam and thinks any of those terms are interchangable with Islam, we are in pretty bad shape, indeed.
Posted at 7:42 PM

and this:

http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=NjExMGE3Njc4OTRkN2U3ZTk3ZWY4MDRmOGU2MmIwYmY=

RE: ISLAMIC FASCISTS [Kathryn Jean Lopez]
An e-mail:

Dear Kathryn,

I'd like to know what exactly it is that CAIR, representing the concerns of a diverse body of Muslims, doesn't "get"? Who do you see as the enemy, and can you justify why you implicate CAIR when talking about that enemy?

Talk about ill-defined terminology; I don't follow your argument here:

"Fight this semantic battle, because it's at the heart of what this war is about. "

Or here:

"... we need to focus on what we're fighting and who the enemy is if we want to ever win this thing."

What enemy do you mean, specifically, and can you describe them in a way that is clear that you're not talking generally about Muslim Americans? Also, can you explain why the NRO Blog has repeatedly referred to members of CAIR as "Islamists" or associated them with that movement?

I am genuinely anxious to hear what you have to say. If you really believe this is not "ill-defined terminology," then by all means, please define it.

ME: We are fighting militant Islam. Our leaders should be clear about this and for heaven's sake, moderate Muslims need to help us in that endeavor. Again, Andy McCarthy has clearly articulated this again and again. And, to his credit, Senator Rick Santorum, has clearly articulated this of late. That's the kind of leadership we need right about now (something I hope Pennsylvania voters appreciate).
Posted at 4:34 PM

and what really started it all:

http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=ZTk0ZjIxNTUzZTIwYjYwZTYxMTYwNGIxNGFhMmU2NGY=

They Don't CAIR to Get It [Kathryn Jean Lopez]
More from our friends at CAIR:

(WASHINGTON D.C., 8/10/06) - The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today issued the following statement at a news conference in Washington, D.C., in response to the arrests of 21 individuals for allegedly plotting to use liquid explosives on passenger flights traveling from the United Kingdom to the United States. (NOTE: CAIR's news conference was taped for later broadcast by C-SPAN.)

In its statement, CAIR said:

"American Muslims have consistently condemned all acts of terrorism, whether carried out by individuals, groups or states. We repudiate anyone or any group that plans or carries out a terrorist act. We welcome early actions by law enforcement authorities against credible threats to the safety of the traveling public.

"The American Muslim community has always been dedicated to the protection of our national security. It is also important that our fellow Americans understand that Muslims are law-abiding citizens who should not be targeted or singled out because of their faith or national origin.

"We have been contacted by federal law enforcement authorities who are taking steps to ensure that there is no backlash against the American Muslim community. We commend them for their pro-active efforts. We ask local Muslim communities to step up security measures at mosques and other Islamic institutions. We also urge local law enforcement agencies to coordinate with Muslim leaders to deter hate crimes.

"It is important, based on past counterterrorism cases that did not lead to terror convictions, that we withhold judgment until all the facts of this case come to light. We also ask public officials and commentators to avoid using stereotypical and ill-defined terminology when referring to this and similar cases.

"As the largest American Muslim civil rights and advocacy group, it is our religious and civic duty to reach out to all Americans to reaffirm Islam's teachings of peace, justice and tolerance for all."
​

CAIR, America's largest Muslim civil liberties group, has 32 offices, chapters and affiliates 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.

ME: What do they mean by "stereotypical and ill-defined terminology." I believe they are talking to NRO, Rick Santorum, and George W. Bush. According to one newsroom source I'm in contact with, a CAIR spokesman on the scene said more: "The term 'fascist' is being broadened to include millions and millions of Muslims worldwide." I'm told a spokesman for CAIR specifically noted the president's use of the term today and asked that everyone "avoid using hot button terms" such as that one.

He added, I'm told: "We do not associate Christianity with fascism," he added, even though fascists have been Christians, he evidently explained.

Another thirdhand quote from the press conference: "we cannot attach the behavior of these people (terrorists) to the religion of peace."

My advice to President Bush & co. Fight this semantic battle, because it's at the heart of what this war is about. As Santorum explains (and Andy McCarthy has been for ages), we need to focus on what we're fighting and who the enemy is if we want to ever win this thing.Something both GW and Condi are having problems with in the past week.
Posted at 1:43 PM

 

[William Joyce]

The enemy within is the Jews, starting with John Podhoretz. Islamics are an enemy without.