Council on American–Islamic Relations

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is an advocacy group for Muslims in North America; its professed goals are to "enhanc[e] understanding of Islam, promot[e] justice and empower American Muslims."

CAIR has faced some criticism from those who believe the organization and its leadership have ties to militant Islamic extremist groups and ideologies. CAIR has called the allegations urban legends, and the critics themselves have been called "determined but unsuccessful".

Overview

Headquartered in Washington, D.C., with 32 regional offices and chapters in the U.S. and Canada, CAIR was founded in 1994 by Nihad Awad, Omar Ahmad, and Rafeeq Jaber of the Hamas front Islamic Association of Palestine.

Based on their 2006 annual budget report, the Washington Times estimated that CAIR has less than 1,700 members, and that based on their tax report figures, their membership dropped by 94% between 2001 and 2007. CAIR denies this report and attributes the discrepancy in budget and membership to recent free and low-cost membership drives. . According to CAIR, some 10,000 people attended CAIR fundraising events in 2007 alone. Also, the number of chapters have increased from 8 to 33 since 2001. Tax reports show about two dozen donors are donating $1-2 million total per year. As of May 2007 the CAIR web site had a 2004-2005 annual report available.

CAIR’s literature claims its vision as a Muslim civil liberties and advocacy group is to build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding. Its mission is based on 3 core goals – enhancing understanding of Islam, promoting Islamic justice and empowering American Muslims.

CAIR claims to work in close cooperation with other civic and civil liberties groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union, Amnesty International, NAACP, Hispanic Unity, Organization of Chinese Americans, Japanese American Citizens League, Sikh Mediawatch and Resource Task Force, among many others. In 2003, the Ohio chapter of the ACLU gave its annual Liberty Flame Award to the Ohio chapter of CAIR "for contributions to the advancement and protection of civil liberties."

CAIR has successfully formed partnership with the National Council of Churches and held dialogue with representatives of the National Association of Evangelicals.

CAIR has been critical of a number of U.S. criminal prosecutions, arguing, for example in one of many cases, that Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman, deemed the ringleader of the World Trade Center bombing in 1993, and convicted of conspiring to blow up the Lincoln Tunnel and other New York City landmarks, did not receive a fair trial.

At least five figures with ties to the group or its leadership have either been convicted or deported for links to what the United States government calls terrorist groups. CAIR often defends groups called "Islamic Charities", but which have been accused of sending money to terrorist groups in the Middle East. CAIR has issued a statement condemning the most recent indictments against members of the Islamic American Relief Agency, the American branch of which was closed in 2004 after being declared a global terrorist organization.

Funding

CAIR chapters were funded by members of CAIR until August 2007, mainly from the American Muslim community, but also many people of other faiths. CAIR banquets are attended by large number of supporters. In Los Angeles area for example, the CAIR banquet is considered to be the largest Muslim banquet in America. It attracts about 2,000 people and raises about $500,000. Similar fundraising dinners are held in each of the 33 cities where CAIR has offices and chapters.

In 1999, the Islamic Development Bank gave a 250,000 US dollar grant to CAIR to purchase land for a national headquarters.

In 2002, the World Association for Muslim Youth (WAMY), a Saudi government-funded organization, financed distributing books on Islam free of charge 2002 and an advertising campaign in American publications. This included a quarter page in USA Today each Friday, for a year, estimated to cost $1.04 million.

In 2003, Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal donated $500,000 to distribute the Koran and other books about Islam in the United States.

In 2006, Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and UAE Minister of Finance and Industry, financed the building of a property in the US to serve as an endowment for the organization. This gift is thought to generate income of approximately 3 million US dollars a year.

Projects

CAIR claims that it works to promote a positive image of Islam and Muslims in America through media relations, lobbying, education, and public advocacy. CAIR tries to get a Muslim voice represented in the media, and to present American Muslims' side of issues in current events. Its members often appear on news programs when a story involves Muslims in America. Over the years, CAIR has become an often-cited source for journalists who are seeking input or a quote from Muslim leaders or the Muslim community.

CAIR issues "Action Alerts" to its online subscribers to call attention to "hate crimes" or harsh statements against Islam and Muslims in the media. Often, it will encourage a letter-writing campaign to ask politicians or editors to condemn hate speech. It also publishes positive reports of interfaith cooperation and examples of businesses that reach out to Muslims, and often asks the subscribers to write letters of gratitude to those leaders and companies.

CAIR also focuses on the civil rights of Muslims in America. It advocates on behalf of Muslims and others who allege they have experienced religious discrimination, defamation, or hate crimes.

CAIR also conducts research on the American Muslim community, releasing annual reports on civil rights and statistics on the Muslim community. It also sponsors voter registration drives in communities and outreach and interfaith relations with other religious groups in America.

After 9/11 CAIR created a "library project" which sold packages of educational books and tapes about Islam (over $300 worth per library) for donation to public libraries in the United States. In 2002 Saudi Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal donated $500,000 to CAIR to support the program. The Washington Times noted in 2003 that although CAIR claimed to have sent 37 packets, the city had received only one. The libraryproject.org page was last updated in 2005 and the domain became defunct.

CAIR coordinated the release of a fatwa (religious pronouncement) that stated in part, “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.”

In 2005, following retracted media reports of the desecration of the Quran at Camp Delta in the Guantanamo Bay detainment camp, as well as negative stereotypes against Islam in the media, CAIR started an "Explore the Quran" campaign, intended to promote understanding of the Quran by distributing complimentary copies to any interested member of the American public.

In 2006, during the worldwide Muslim outrage over the publication of cartoons visually depicting Muhammad, CAIR responded by launching an educational program "Explore the Life of Muhammad" aimed at providing free copies of a DVD or book about the life of the Muhammad to any person who requests it. Over 16,000 requests were received as of September 2006.

In June 2006, CAIR announced a $50 million project to influence the American media ($10 million per year for five years). According to the article, the project will be spearheaded by Paul Findleya former US Congressman. Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal was going to be contacted to help fund the project.

Complaints about media depictions of Muslims

CAIR has criticized several recent films and television shows featuring Muslim terrorists. For instance, it lobbied against the film The Sum of All Fears in a campaign lasting two years, during which time CAIR was in contact with Paramount Pictures and Mace Neufeld. The campaign was ultimately successful and the Islamist terrorists which had featured in the original book were replaced with neo-Nazis in the film version.

CAIR also issued a complaint on September 29, 2005, following an ad for the Bell/Boeing CV-22 aircraft which portrayed soldiers storming a mosque. The following day, Boeing sent a formal apology to CAIR, and Bell and the National Journal contacted CAIR to express their regret.

On January 26, 2006, CAIR issued a complaint following a segment on Los Angeles radio program The Bill Handel Show which allegedly mocked the deaths of Muslims in a recent Hajj stampede. CAIR had been monitoring the program for "anti-Muslim material" and had previously filed complaints over another inflammatory incident in 2004, which resulted in a formal apology issued on-air by the station (KFI).

Criticism

Main article: Criticism of the Council on American-Islamic Relations

CAIR has received criticism from governmental and non-governmental sources, for actions it has taken and people and organizations it has been involved with.

Critics have accused CAIR of having ties to terrorist organizations, and of "pursuing an extreme Islamist political agenda". It has been asserted that four former CAIR officials have been charged with terrorism-related offenses. However, this assertion is disputed by CAIR, which notes that only one of the individuals mentioned was ever employed by CAIR, and his arrest was on a weapons charge, not a terrorism charge, and took place after the period of his employment by CAIR.

Critics claim CAIR is a spin-off of the Islamic Association for Palestine, which is alleged to be a front group for Hamas.

Crtics allege CAIR was founded with funding from the Hamas group Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development. The Holy Land Foundation was later closed as a money-laundering scheme for terrorist support. Hamas is still denominated as a "Designated Foreign Terrorist Organization" by the United States Department of State.. CAIR disputes allegations that it was started with "seed money" from the Holy Land Foundation

In 2007 U.S. federal prosecutors named CAIR an "unindicted co-conspirator" in a plot to fund the designated terrorist organization Hamas

CAIR Chairman Emeritus (Omaer Ahmad) once said that Islam isn't in America to be equal to any other faith, but to become dominant, that the Koran should be the highest authority in America, and that Islam should be the only accepted religion on Earth.

Critics have also taken aim at CAIR's fundraising and sources of funds. Shortly after the 9/11 attacks, CAIR's website solicited donations for what it called the "NY/DC Emergency Relief Fund." However, clicking on the donation link led to the web site for Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development (HLF). Later that year, HLF was later designated as a terrorist organization by the European Union and U.S. because of alleged connections to Hamas, and shut down by executive order. At trial in 2007, a jury found the Holy Land not guilty on all counts, although the case is being retried due to a mistrial on 2 counts.

CAIR has also been accused of doctoring photographs and reporting fraudulent statistics about the Muslim population of the United States in support of its own private agenda. Finally, another source of criticism is that CAIR attempts to suppress criticism of Islamic terrorism and intolerance through accusations of racism and anti-Muslim bias.

Investor's Business Daily publicly condemned CAIR as being "the PR machine of militant Islam" after CAIR "dispatched its henchmen" to try to shut down the first Secular Islam Summit.

Among the numerous books donated to libraries in CAIR's "library project" was former congressman Paul Findley's 'Silent No More', which includes positive statements about convicted terrorist Abdul Rahman al-Amoudi. In 2002 Saudi Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal donated $500,000 to CAIR to support the program. [4] The Washington Times noted in 2003 that although CAIR claimed to have sent 37 packets, the city had received only one. The libraryproject.org page was last updated in 2005 and the domain became defunct.

Criticism of CAIR is confronted by the organization itself. It claims that "even a cursory examination of the statements and agendas of our detractors will show that they represent the extremes in our society." It also claims a meeting with the FBI where, according to CAIR, an agent allegedly said "false claims originate from one or two biased sources." These sources, according to CAIR, are primarily organizations such as Jihadwatch. According to CAIR, one senior FBI official said that CAIR will just have to live with what CAIR calls "urban legends."

Other articles

Other Muslim/Arab advocacy organizations in the U.S.:

Muslim Public Affairs Council

American Muslim Council

Muslim Women's League

American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee

External links

• Council of American-Islamic Relations official website

News articles

• CAIR's legal troubles, 2003
• $50M Saudi-funded CAIR media initiative

Criticism

• Daniel Pipes
• Anti-CAIR
• CAIRwatch
• CAIR-The Nation's Loudest Baby
• Anti-Defamation League's CAIR Profile
• Saudi Support for Islamic Extremism in the United States (PDF): 2003, "Testimony of Matthew Epstein Before the United States Senate Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on Terrorism, Technology, and Homeland Security"
• Secular Islam Summit