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|leader_title = Executive Director | |leader_title = Executive Director | ||
|leader_name = ] | |leader_name = ] | ||
|key_people = Roula Allouch, |
|key_people = Roula Allouch, Chairwoman<br>], Executive Director<br>], National Communications Director | ||
|num_staff = |
|num_staff = 200+ | ||
|num_volunteers = |
|num_volunteers = 1000+ | ||
|website = | |website = | ||
|remarks = | |remarks = | ||
}} | }} | ||
The '''Council on American–Islamic Relations''' ('''CAIR''') is a ] ].<ref name=prnewswireactivism/> It is headquartered on ] in ], with regional offices nationwide. Through media relations, |
The '''Council on American–Islamic Relations''' ('''CAIR''') is a ] civil rights and ].<ref name=prnewswireactivism/> It is headquartered on ] in ], with 30 regional offices nationwide. Through media relations, civic engagement, and education, CAIR promotes Islamic perspectives to the American public and promotes social and political activism among ]. | ||
== History == | == History == | ||
=== Early years (1994–2001) === | === Early years (1994–2001) === | ||
CAIR was founded in June 1994<ref name="north american muslim resource guide">. Mohamed Nimer, Taylor & Francis, 2002, ISBN 978-0-415-93728-3.</ref> by |
CAIR was founded in June 1994<ref name="north american muslim resource guide">. Mohamed Nimer, Taylor & Francis, 2002, ISBN 978-0-415-93728-3.</ref> by ] and ]. | ||
CAIR's first office was located in Washington D.C., as is its present-day headquarters on ]. Its founding was partly in response to the film '']'', starring ] which Arab and Muslim groups condemned for its acclaimed stereotyping of Arab and Muslim villains.<ref name="jack shaheen">], "Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies a People," 2001, ISBN 1-56656-388-7, Olive Branch Press</ref> The offices opened a month before the film's release. CAIR's first advocacy campaign was in response to an offensive greeting card that used the term " |
CAIR's first office was located in Washington D.C., as is its present-day headquarters on ]. Its founding was partly in response to the film '']'', starring ] which Arab and Muslim groups condemned for its acclaimed stereotyping of Arab and Muslim villains.<ref name="jack shaheen">], "Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies a People," 2001, ISBN 1-56656-388-7, Olive Branch Press</ref> The offices opened a month before the film's release. CAIR's first advocacy campaign was in response to an offensive greeting card that used the term "Shia" to refer to human excrement. CAIR led a national campaign and used activists to pressure the greeting card company, which eventually withdrew the card from the market.<ref name="north american muslim resource guide" /><ref>. Islamic Voice. Retrieved on 2011-03-19.</ref><ref>Noakes, Greg. "CAIR Counters Anti-Islam Card." Washington Report on Middle East Affairs November/December 1994: 62–64</ref> | ||
In 1995, CAIR handled its first case of ] (the headscarf worn by Muslim women) discrimination, in which a Muslim employee was denied the right to wear the hijab |
In 1995, CAIR handled its first case of ] (the headscarf worn by Muslim women) discrimination, in which a Muslim employee was denied the right to wear the hijab.<ref>. Hadda, Yazbeck, and Smith, Jane I. p. 35, Rowman Altamira, 2002, ISBN 0-7591-0218-X, 9780759102187, accessed November 30, 2009.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w2rc0RI7EqYC|title=The Arab Americans|first=Randa A.|last=Kayyali|date=1 January 2006|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|via=Google Books}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YQgsMbB7y38C&pg=PT50&dq=cair+%22Council+on+American-Islamic+Relations%22&lr=&as_drrb_is=q&as_minm_is=0&as_miny_is=&as_maxm_is=0&as_maxy_is=&num=100&as_brr=3&ei=Z9kTS7OOEJPKywS4yoSNDQ#v=onepage&q=cair%20%22Council%20on%20American-Islamic%20Relations%22&f=false |title=Muslim women in America: the challenge of Islamic identity today |first= Yvonne |last=Yazbeck Haddad |first2= Jane I. |last2=Smith |first3= Kathleen M. |last3=Moore |page= 40 |publisher= ]|location= US |year= 2006 |isbn= 978-0-19-517783-1 |accessdate=November 20, 2009}}</ref> | ||
CAIR continued its advocacy work in the aftermath of the April 19, 1995 ] of the Murrah Federal Building. Following the attack, Muslim-Americans were subjected to an upsurge in harassment and discrimination, including a rise in hate crimes nationally;<ref>A Rush to Judgment: A Special Report on Anti-Muslim Stereotyping. Harassment and Hate Crimes Following the Bombing of Oklahoma City's Murrah Federal Building, April 19, 1995 (Washington, D.C.: Council on American-Islamic Relations, 1995), 9–20.</ref><ref>"Arab-Americans Suffer Hatred after Bombing," Chicago Sun-Times, May 13, 1995</ref> 222 hate crimes against Muslims nationwide were reported in the days immediately following the bombing.<ref>Richard Roper (April 24, 1995). . '']''.{{subscription required}}</ref><ref>James Brooke, (August 28, 1995) ] (accessed May 16, 2012)</ref> The bombing gave CAIR national stature for their efforts to educate the public about Islam and religious bias in America; their report was featured on the front page of '']'' on August 28, 1995 and was subsequently mentioned on '']''.<ref name="north american muslim resource guide" /> | CAIR continued its advocacy work in the aftermath of the April 19, 1995 ] of the Murrah Federal Building. Following the attack, Muslim-Americans were subjected to an upsurge in harassment and discrimination, including a rise in hate crimes nationally;<ref>A Rush to Judgment: A Special Report on Anti-Muslim Stereotyping. Harassment and Hate Crimes Following the Bombing of Oklahoma City's Murrah Federal Building, April 19, 1995 (Washington, D.C.: Council on American-Islamic Relations, 1995), 9–20.</ref><ref>"Arab-Americans Suffer Hatred after Bombing," Chicago Sun-Times, May 13, 1995</ref> 222 hate crimes against Muslims nationwide were reported in the days immediately following the bombing.<ref>Richard Roper (April 24, 1995). . '']''.{{subscription required}}</ref><ref>James Brooke, (August 28, 1995) ] (accessed May 16, 2012)</ref> The bombing gave CAIR national stature for their efforts to educate the public about Islam and religious bias in America; their report was featured on the front page of '']'' on August 28, 1995 and was subsequently mentioned on '']''.<ref name="north american muslim resource guide" /> | ||
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In 2006, during the ], CAIR responded by launching an educational program "Explore the Life of Muhammad", to bring "people of all faiths together to learn more about the Islamic Prophet Muhammad and to use mutual understanding as a counterweight to the tensions created by the cartoon controversy".<ref>. CAIR. Retrieved on 2011-03-19.</ref><ref>. PRNewswire.com. February 14, 2006. Retrieved on 2011-03-19.</ref> It provided free copies of a DVD or book about the life of Muhammad to any person who requested it. Almost 16,000 Americans requested materials.<ref name="ReferenceB"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.muslimnews.co.uk/news/news.php?article=10642|title=http://www.muslimnews.co.uk/news/news.php?article=10642|publisher=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cair.com/Muhammad/page.asp?pageid=pressclip&pressclipid=18|title=http://www.cair.com/Muhammad/page.asp?pageid=pressclip&pressclipid=18|publisher=}}</ref> In June 2006, CAIR announced a $50 million project to create a better understanding of Islam and Muslims in the US. ($10 million per year for five years), in a project to be spearheaded by ], a former US Congressman.<ref>{{cite news|author=Javid Hassan|title=Media Campaign in US to Dispel Islamophobia|url=http://www.arabnews.com/?article=84122|publisher=]|date=June 21, 2006}}</ref> | In 2006, during the ], CAIR responded by launching an educational program "Explore the Life of Muhammad", to bring "people of all faiths together to learn more about the Islamic Prophet Muhammad and to use mutual understanding as a counterweight to the tensions created by the cartoon controversy".<ref>. CAIR. Retrieved on 2011-03-19.</ref><ref>. PRNewswire.com. February 14, 2006. Retrieved on 2011-03-19.</ref> It provided free copies of a DVD or book about the life of Muhammad to any person who requested it. Almost 16,000 Americans requested materials.<ref name="ReferenceB"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.muslimnews.co.uk/news/news.php?article=10642|title=http://www.muslimnews.co.uk/news/news.php?article=10642|publisher=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cair.com/Muhammad/page.asp?pageid=pressclip&pressclipid=18|title=http://www.cair.com/Muhammad/page.asp?pageid=pressclip&pressclipid=18|publisher=}}</ref> In June 2006, CAIR announced a $50 million project to create a better understanding of Islam and Muslims in the US. ($10 million per year for five years), in a project to be spearheaded by ], a former US Congressman.<ref>{{cite news|author=Javid Hassan|title=Media Campaign in US to Dispel Islamophobia|url=http://www.arabnews.com/?article=84122|publisher=]|date=June 21, 2006}}</ref> | ||
California Senator ] in December 2006 withdrew a "certificate of accomplishment" originally given to former CAIR official Basim Elkarra after Boxer's staff looked into CAIR, and she became concerned about some of CAIR's past statements and actions, and statements by some law enforcement officials that it provides aid to international terrorist groups.<ref name=tro /><ref>{{cite news |first=Michael |last=Isikoff |first2=Mark |last2=Hosenball |title=CAIR Play |work=Newsweek |date=December 29, 2006 |url=http://www.newsweek.com/id/44338/page/1 |accessdate=December 30, 2006}}</ref> | |||
In May 2007, the U.S. filed an action against the ] (the largest Muslim charity in the United States at the time<ref name =mistrial/>) for providing funds to Hamas, and federal prosecutors filed pleadings. Along with 245 other organizations, they listed CAIR (and its chairman emeritus, ]),<ref name="NYSun">{{cite news|url=http://www.nysun.com/national/islamic-groups-named-in-hamas-funding-case/55778/|title=Islamic Groups Named in Hamas Funding Case|last=GERSTEIN|first=Josh|date=2007-06-04|publisher=]|accessdate=November 10, 2009}}</ref> ] (largest Muslim umbrella organization in the United States), ] and ] as ]s, a legal designation that can be employed for a variety of reasons including grants of ], pragmatic considerations, and evidentiary concerns. While being listed as co-conspirator does not mean that CAIR has been charged with anything, the organization was concerned that the label will forever taint it.<ref name=NationalLawyers>{{cite news|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/16/us/16charity.html|title=Muslim Groups Oppose a List of 'Co-Conspirators'|last=MacFARQUHAR|first=Neil|date=2007-08-16|publisher=The New York Times|accessdate=January 21, 2010}}</ref> | |||
In 2007, the organization was named, along with 245 others, by U.S. Federal prosecutors in a list of ] in a ] funding case involving the ],<ref> – June 4, 2007 – ''The New York Sun'' (2007-06-04). |
In 2007, the organization was named, along with 245 others, by U.S. Federal prosecutors in a list of ] in a ] funding case involving the ],<ref> – June 4, 2007 – ''The New York Sun'' (2007-06-04). This issue was settled by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and the U.S. Department of Justice in CAIR's favor. | ||
On October 20, 2010, Judges Garza, Benavides, and Crone of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals found that the U.S. Department of Justice violated the Fifth Amendment rights of the North American Islamic Trust (NAIT), and by implication the rights of more than 300 similarly-named Muslim organizations and individuals, such as CAIR, when it included them on the publicly-filed un-indicted co-conspirator list in 2007. | |||
The court also ruled that inclusion on the list was the result of "simply an untested allegation of the Government made in anticipation of a possible evidentiary dispute that never came to pass." The listing is simply part of tactical pre-trial maneuvering and not an indicator of guilt. | |||
In August 2007 Newsweek reported, "According to one senior law-enforcement official (who asked not to be named talking about an ongoing case), the listing of ISNA, CAIR and other groups as 'unindicted co-conspirators' was largely a tactical move by the government." (Newsweek, 8/08/2007) A June 2008 ACLU press release also reports, "The prosecutor also acknowledged that the public labeling was simply a 'legal tactic' intended to allow the government to introduce hearsay evidence against HLF later at trial." | |||
The three-judge court of appeals panel was the final arbiter and takes precedence over an earlier ruling by district Judge Jorge Solis. | |||
In 2011, Attorney General Eric Holder indicated that Department of Justice officials determined after "looking at the facts and the law, a prosecution would not be appropriate." This conclusion was reached after two reviews conducted under both the Bush and Obama administrations. | |||
After Holder, the chief law enforcement officer in America, stated this fact, internet rumor held that a prosecution had been suppressed due to political interference. | |||
This allegation has also been put to rest. | |||
James Jacks, the U.S. Attorney who led the prosecution of the Holy Land Foundation issued a statement that was partially reproduced in the Dallas Morning News: "'The decision to indict or not indict a case is based upon an analysis of the evidence and the law,' wrote. 'That's what happened in this case.'" | |||
The Dallas Morning News (U.S. attorney in Dallas says Obama's White House didn't meddle in case, April 29, 2011) went on to report the following: | |||
"Nathan Garrett, a former FBI agent who was also a prosecutor in the Holy Land case until he left for private practice in 2007, said 'politics played no role' in determining who was prosecuted when he was there. | |||
"'Decisions were hashed out in often tough and pressure-filled situations and conditions, but always -- in my experience -- grounded in evidence and law,' he said. 'The process was what the American people would want and expect it to be.'" | |||
Garret's assertion was later mirrored by special agent in charge of the Dallas FBI Field Office, Robert E. Casey Jr. The Dallas office did the investigating preceding the HLF indictments. Reflecting on his twenty-six years in the FBI, Casey said, "...I've never been told to stop doing something that was legitimately authorized because of some political or other agenda." (Source: Jason Trahan, "FBI's top North Texas agent looks back at his career," Dallas Morning News, March 1, 2012.) | |||
Finally, there is no legal implication to being labeled an unindicted co-conspirator, since it does not require the Justice Department to prove anything in a court of law. Merely claiming someone is guilty without due process is both un-Constitutional and offensive to the principles of our justice system. | |||
In response, ] and ] sent a letter to Attorney General ], saying that the move to list the largest Muslim organizations in America as unindicted co-conspirators was an effort to smear the entire Muslim community. They also stated that the list breached the department's own guidelines against releasing the names of unindicted co-conspirators.<ref name=NationalLawyers/> | In response, ] and ] sent a letter to Attorney General ], saying that the move to list the largest Muslim organizations in America as unindicted co-conspirators was an effort to smear the entire Muslim community. They also stated that the list breached the department's own guidelines against releasing the names of unindicted co-conspirators.<ref name=NationalLawyers/> |
Revision as of 06:07, 23 June 2016
300pxs | |
Formation | June 1994 by Omar Ahmad |
---|---|
Type | Non-profit, NGO |
Purpose | Muslim activism |
Headquarters | Washington, D.C. |
Location |
|
Region served | United States |
Executive Director | Nihad Awad |
Key people | Roula Allouch, Chairwoman Nihad Awad, Executive Director Ibrahim Hooper, National Communications Director |
Staff | 200+ |
Volunteers | 1000+ |
Website | cair.com |
The Council on American–Islamic Relations (CAIR) is a Muslim civil rights and advocacy group. It is headquartered on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., with 30 regional offices nationwide. Through media relations, civic engagement, and education, CAIR promotes Islamic perspectives to the American public and promotes social and political activism among Muslims in America.
History
Early years (1994–2001)
CAIR was founded in June 1994 by Omar Ahmad and Nihad Awad.
CAIR's first office was located in Washington D.C., as is its present-day headquarters on Capitol Hill. Its founding was partly in response to the film True Lies, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger which Arab and Muslim groups condemned for its acclaimed stereotyping of Arab and Muslim villains. The offices opened a month before the film's release. CAIR's first advocacy campaign was in response to an offensive greeting card that used the term "Shia" to refer to human excrement. CAIR led a national campaign and used activists to pressure the greeting card company, which eventually withdrew the card from the market.
In 1995, CAIR handled its first case of hijab (the headscarf worn by Muslim women) discrimination, in which a Muslim employee was denied the right to wear the hijab.
CAIR continued its advocacy work in the aftermath of the April 19, 1995 Oklahoma City bombing of the Murrah Federal Building. Following the attack, Muslim-Americans were subjected to an upsurge in harassment and discrimination, including a rise in hate crimes nationally; 222 hate crimes against Muslims nationwide were reported in the days immediately following the bombing. The bombing gave CAIR national stature for their efforts to educate the public about Islam and religious bias in America; their report was featured on the front page of The New York Times on August 28, 1995 and was subsequently mentioned on ABC World News Tonight.
In 1996, CAIR began "CAIR-NET", a read-only e-mail listserve aimed to help American Muslims identify and combat anti-Muslim prejudice in the U.S. and Canada. CAIR-NET contains descriptions of news, bias incidents or hate speech and hate crimes, often followed by information as to whom readers may contact to influence resolution of an issue. CAIR also held its first voter registration drive in 1996; CAIR continues to encourage active political participation by American Muslims, for them to address political candidates and elected representatives with greater frequency.
In 1996 CAIR published a report The Usual Suspects regarding its perception of anti-Muslim rhetoric in the media after the crash of TWA Flight 800. Their research showed 138 uses of the terms "Muslim" and "Arab" in the 48 hours after the crash in Reuters, UPI, and AP articles covering the incident. The official NTSB report said that the probable cause was mechanical.
In 1997 CAIR objected to the production of sneaker made by Nike with a design on the heel similar to the Arabic word for "Allah". As part of an agreement reached between CAIR officials and Nike representatives, Nike apologized to the Muslim community, recalled the products carrying the design, launched an investigation as to how the logo came about, and built a number of children's playgrounds near some Islamic centers in America.
In 1997, as depictions of Mohammed are seen as blasphemous by most Muslims, CAIR wrote to United States Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist requesting that the sculpted representation of the Prophet Muhammad on the north frieze inside the Supreme Court building be removed or sanded down. The court rejected CAIR's request.
Post-9/11 (2001–present)
CAIR increased its advocacy work again after the September 11 attacks. In October 2001 CAIR stated that it was opposed to the US's Afghan campaign. By January 2002, four months after the attacks, the CAIR said that it had received 1,658 reports of discrimination, profiling, harassment, and physical assaults against persons appearing Arab or Muslim, a three-fold increase over the prior year. The reports included beatings, death threats, abusive police practices, and employment and airline-related discrimination."
CAIR has conducted investigations, issued reports, held press conferences, filed lawsuits, and organized political action to protest aspects of U.S. counterterrorism policy.
From 2002 to 2004 CAIR organized the Library Project, an effort to provide resources about Islam to US libraries. The initiative sent a set of 18 books and tapes to public libraries written by Muslim and non-Muslim authors on Islamic history and practices, as well as an English translation of the Quran. As of December 2004, CAIR received 7,804 sponsorships for the $150 set. The project was funded in part by a $500,000 donation from Saudi Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud.
In 2003 CAIR employee Randall "Ismael" Royer was arrested for his role in the Northern Virginia jihad terrorist network.
In 2005 CAIR coordinated the joint release of a fatwa by 344 American Muslim organizations, mosques, and imams nationwide that stated: "Islam strictly condemns religious extremism and the use of violence against innocent lives. There is no justification in Islam for extremism or terrorism. Targeting civilians' life and property through suicide bombings or any other method of attack is haram or forbidden—and those who commit these barbaric acts are criminals, not martyrs." The fatwa cited passages from the Quran and hadith that prohibit violence against innocent people and injustice, and was signed by the Fiqh Council of North America. Authors Kim Ezra Shienbaum and Jamal Hasan felt it did not go far enough in that it did not address attacks on military targets.
Also in 2005, following the Qur'an desecration controversy of 2005 at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp, CAIR initiated an "Explore the Quran" campaign, aimed at providing free copies of the Quran to any person who requested it. Nearly 34,000 Americans requested a copy.
In 2006, during the protests over cartoons depicting Muhammad, CAIR responded by launching an educational program "Explore the Life of Muhammad", to bring "people of all faiths together to learn more about the Islamic Prophet Muhammad and to use mutual understanding as a counterweight to the tensions created by the cartoon controversy". It provided free copies of a DVD or book about the life of Muhammad to any person who requested it. Almost 16,000 Americans requested materials. In June 2006, CAIR announced a $50 million project to create a better understanding of Islam and Muslims in the US. ($10 million per year for five years), in a project to be spearheaded by Paul Findley, a former US Congressman.
In 2007, the organization was named, along with 245 others, by U.S. Federal prosecutors in a list of unindicted co-conspirators or joint venturers in a Hamas funding case involving the Holy Land Foundation,Cite error: A <ref>
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(see the help page). CAIR stated that the reason for the mistrial, and no convictions on any of the charges, was that the charges were built on "fear, not facts."
In 2008, the FBI discontinued its long-standing relationship with CAIR. Officials said the decision followed the conviction of the HLF directors for funneling millions of dollars to Hamas, revelations that Nihal Awad had participated in planning meetings with HLF, and CAIR's failure to provide details of its ties to Hamas. During a 2008 retrial of the HLF case, FBI Special Agent Lara Burns labeled CAIR "a front group for Hamas." In January 2009, the FBI's DC office instructed all field offices to cut ties with CAIR, as the ban extended into the Obama administration.
U.S. Congressmen Sue Myrick (R-N.C.), Trent Franks (R-Ariz.), John Shadegg (R-Ariz.), and Paul Broun (R-Ga.) wrote Attorney General Eric Holder on October 21, 2009, that they were concerned about CAIR's relationships with terrorist groups, and requesting that the Department of Justice (DOJ) provide a summary of DOJ's evidence and findings that led DOJ to name CAIR an unindicted co-conspirator in the Holy Land Foundation terrorism trial. The four Congressmen also wrote House of Representatives Sergeant at Arms Wilson Livingood a letter the same day asking that he work with members of the House Judiciary, Homeland Security, and Intelligence Committees to determine if CAIR was successful in placing interns in the committees' offices, to review FBI and DOJ evidence regarding CAIR's Hamas ties, and to determine whether CAIR is a security threat. Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez (D-Calif.), "appalled", said "I urge the rest of my colleagues to join me in denouncing this witch hunt." She was echoed by Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), the first Muslim elected to the U.S. Congress, in a speech that included a statement by the House's Tri-Caucus. The four Republican Congressmen, joined by Senator Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) and Congressman Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.), then wrote IRS Commissioner Douglas H. Shulman on November 16, 2009, asking that CAIR be investigated for excessive lobbying and failing to register as a lobbying organization.
CAIR condemned the Fort Hood shooting and expressed prayers for the victims and condolences for their families.
CAIR pointed to an arrest of five men in Pakistan on December 10, 2009, as a "success story" between Muslims and Muslim community organizations (like CAIR) and American law enforcement authorities. When the five men left Washington for Karachi on November 28, the families of the men discovered an extremist videotape. Worried, they contacted CAIR, which set up a meeting with the FBI on December 1, and the families shared their sons' computers and electronic devices with FBI agents. A U.S. law enforcement official described them as models of cooperation. CAIR hoped the event would ease "strained" relations of American Muslims with the FBI.
Hours after it was announced by President Barack Obama that Osama bin Laden had been killed, CAIR put out a statement: "We join our fellow citizens in welcoming the announcement that Osama bin Laden has been eliminated as a threat to our nation and the world through the actions of American military personnel. As we have stated repeatedly since the 9/11 terror attacks, bin Laden never represented Muslims or Islam. In fact, in addition to the killing of thousands of Americans, he and Al Qaeda caused the deaths of countless Muslims worldwide. We also reiterate President Obama's clear statement tonight that the United States is not at war with Islam."
In June 2011, CAIR briefly lost its federal tax-exempt status, along with over 275,000 nonprofit organizations, for failure to file the appropriate 990 forms. (This does not apply to the local chapters, however.) A spokesman blamed it on an incorrect filing. The federal tax-exempt status was reinstated. CAIR is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.
In January 2012 CAIR's Michigan chapter took a stance along with the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee in defending four Muslim high school football players accused of attacking a quarterback during a game. The players were allegedly targeted for criminal prosecution over the attack because of their ethnic origin. A judge later dropped the charges after deciding they had no merit.
In November 2014 it was listed as a terrorist organization by a foreign government, United Arab Emirates. The United States government declared that CAIR is not a terrorist organization. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2014/11/17/why-the-u-a-e-is-calling-2-american-groups-terrorists/
The Washington Post wrote: "CAIR and the Muslim American Society are not alone in their shock. Diverse groups across Europe were also added to the list, leaving many observers perplexed at the scope and sheer scale of the list. Norway's foreign ministry has already publicly requested an explanation as to why one of the country's largest Islamic groups, the Islamic Organization, was included, and on Monday, the U.S. State Department said they would be seeking more information from the U.A." https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2014/11/17/why-the-u-a-e-is-calling-2-american-groups-terrorists/
In November 2015, Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) introduced legislation to the Senate designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. The legislation explicitly identifies CAIR as U.S. Muslim Brotherhood entities and includes evidence tying them to a Hamas support network. The chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, Ron Johnson (R-WI), endorsed a companion bill in the House of Representatives.
Projects and media
CAIR conducts research on the American Muslim community, releasing annual reports on public opinion and demographic statistics on the community, as well as annual Civil Rights reports concerning issues such as hate crimes, discrimination, and profiling. It also sponsors voter registration drives and outreach, and interfaith relations with other religious groups in America.
Local CAIR chapters such as the Michigan chapter organized a "Remember Through Service" campaign which was a video and billboard media campaign which featured positive representations of Muslim-Americans including a Muslim first responder during the September 11th World Trade Center events.
Allegations of ties to Hamas
Critics of CAIR have accused it of having ties to Hamas. Federal Judge Jorge A. Solis said that there was evidence to show that CAIR has an association with the Holy Land Foundation, Islamic Association for Palestine, and Hamas. However, Judge Solis acknowledged that this evidence predates the official designation of these groups as terrorist organizations.
Critics of CAIR, including six members of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate, have alleged ties between the CAIR founders and Hamas. The founders, Omar Ahmad and Nihad Awad, had earlier been officers of the Islamic Association of Palestine (IAP) and were described by a former FBI analyst and a US Treasury Department intelligence official as "intimately tied to the most senior Hamas leadership." Both Ahmad and Awad participated in a meeting held in Philadelphia on October 3, 1993, and this meeting involved senior leaders of Hamas, the IAP, and the Holy Land Foundation (which was designated in 1995 by Executive Order, and later designated in court, as an organization that had raised millions of dollars for Hamas). Based on electronic surveillance of the meeting, the FBI reported that "the participants went to great length and expended much effort hiding their association with the Islamic Resistance Movement ."
One participant at the meeting, former Holy Land CEO Shukri Abu Baker, said more secular, mainstream organizations were needed in America, "which can benefit from a new atmosphere, one whose Islamic hue is not very conspicuous." Critics also point to a July 1994 meeting identifying CAIR as one of the four U.S. organizations comprising the working organizations of the Palestine Committee of the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood, the parent organization and supporter of Hamas.
The Anti-Defamation League states that CAIR's work as a civil rights organization is tainted by past links to Hamas, sometime failure to condemn terrorist organizations by name, and the presence of anti-Semites at some of its rallies. Steven Emerson has accused CAIR of having a long record of propagating anti-Semitic propaganda. Journalist Jake Tapper criticizes CAIR for refusing to condemn specifically Osama bin Laden and Islamic extremism, but rather making only vague and generic criticisms. CAIR acknowledges that Nihad Awad declared support for Hamas in 1994. It notes that Hamas was only designated a terrorist organization in January 1995 and did not commit its first wave of suicide bombings until late 1994, after Awad made the comment. Since then CAIR has denounced violence by Hamas, and in 2006 Nihad Awad said, "I don't support Hamas today ... we condemn suicide bombings."
As of 2007, FBI officials attended CAIR events. In 2009, Fox News said that the FBI broke off formal outreach contacts with CAIR, and shunned all of its local chapters, concerned about CAIR's ties to Hamas. In 2011, the New York Times said that while the FBI and CAIR had no "formal relationship", CAIR officials and chapters worked regularly with FBI officials.
Criticism
Some Muslims criticize CAIR for taking a conservative religious approach on many issues. These critics claim that statements by the organization (for example, that all Muslim women are required to veil) often follow conservative Saudi religious doctrine and do not capture diverse religious perspectives.
In 2004 an FBI agent said "false claims originate from one or two biased sources," and that a senior FBI official said CAIR would just have to live with them. In early 2007, the New York Times wrote that "more than one described the standards used by critics to link CAIR to terrorism as akin to McCarthyism, essentially guilt by association." At that time (prior to the Holy Land trial), the Times called efforts to link the organization to Hamas and Hezbollah "unsuccessful," citing a retired FBI official who was active through 2005 and who suggested that while "of all the groups, there is probably more suspicion about CAIR", you don't get "cold hard facts" although the article goes on to cite the suspicious background of some of CAIR's donors as a source of contention within members of the organization itself. The Times also noted that even though a handful of its former members had faced prosecution, no criminal charges had at the time ever been linked to CAIR.
Senator Boxer's 2006 decision to withdraw a "certificate of accomplishment" originally given to former CAIR official Basim Elkarra on grounds of suspicions about the organization's background "provoked an outcry from organizations that vouch for the group's advocacy, including the ACLU and the California Council of Churches. "They have been a leading organization that has advocated for civil rights and civil liberties in the face of fear and intolerance, in the face of religious and ethnic profiling," said Maya Harris, executive director of the ACLU of Northern California.
Litigation
A book entitled Muslim Mafia: Inside the Secret Underworld That's Conspiring to Islamize America by Paul David Gaubatz and Paul Sperry was published in October 2009. According to the Charlotte Observer, it portrays CAIR "as a subversive organization allied with international terrorists."
Consequently, CAIR brought a federal civil lawsuit against Dave Gaubatz and his son (who had obtained the book's CAIR source documents as a CAIR intern) for allegedly stealing the documents. U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly concluded that the Gaubatzs "unlawfully obtained access to, and have already caused repeated public disclosure of, material containing CAIR's proprietary, confidential and privileged information," which CAIR says included names, addresses, telephone numbers and e-mail addresses of CAIR employees and donors. As a result, the judge ordered Gaubatz to remove certain documents from his website. Judge Kollar-Kotelly also said that CAIR's employees have reported a dramatic increase in the number of threatening communications since the release of Mr. Gaubatz's book.
Operations
CAIR's literature describes the group as promoting understanding of Islam and protecting Muslim civil liberties. It has intervened on behalf of many American Muslims who claim discrimination, profiling, or harassment. CAIR is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization with affiliates in 20 states (many of which manage multiple offices), and 33 chapters in the US. CAIR and its affiliates are managed by board members from 50 American cities, and combined employ more than 70 full-time staff.
Foreign funding
CAIR has an annual budget of around $3 million (as of 2007). It states that while the majority of its funding comes from American Muslims, it accepts donations from individuals of any faith and also foreigners. In the past CAIR has accepted donations from individuals and foundations close to Arab governments. Within CAIR there is debate regarding foreign funding, and several CAIR branches have criticized the national office for accepting foreign donations.
In April 2011, Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Va. cited a 2009 letter sent from CAIR's executive director, Nihad Awad, to Muammar Gaddafi asking Gaddafi for funding for a project called the Muslim Peace Foundation at a U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations sub-committee hearing with Robert Mueller. The letter also said, in part, "I am pleased to send to Your Excellency in my name most solemn assurances of thanks and appreciation for the efforts you exert in the service of Islam, Muslims and all mankind through your initiative to teach Islam, spread the culture of Islam, and solve disputes, for which you are known internationally." Steven Emerson called the funding request "hypocritical," while CAIR spokesman, Ibrahim Hooper, said that the organization didn't receive any money from the Libyan government and also that CAIR was one of the first American organizations to call for a no-fly zone.
See also
- American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee
- American Muslim Council
- Arab American Institute
- Canadian Council on American-Islamic Relations
- Islamic Information Center (IIC)
- Muslim Public Affairs Council
- Muslim American Society
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External links
- Official website
- Profile on CAIR controversy with U.S. government, a special report/factsheet on CAIR
- FBI file on CAIR at the Internet Archive