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CAIR
By oceanguy | July 18, 2007
Again, the Council on American Islamic Relations has grabbed press attention which by FAR outweighs CAIR’s actual influence in America’s Islamic community… at least judging by it’s meager and dwindling membership numbers. However, while CAIR may not represent but a tiny majority of Muslims in America, they deserve heightened scrutiny for two main reasons.
First of all CAIR is the only Muslim group in the rolodexes of reporters and legislators everywhere. There simply is no other group that even claims to represent Muslim-Americans. Since that is the case, whenever CAIR garners headlines its statements need to be scrutinized very closely and, more importantly, their ACTIONS need to be publicized. So with that in mind, let’s take a look at yesterday’s news about CAIR’s sponsorship of a symposium on “Islamophobia”.
Foremost are their ACTIONS, since they usually speak louder than words… but not necessarily in this case if you read any MSM reports. I’m anxious to see some of the background on this but according to remarks by David Keene while addressing the symposium,
We are meeting today at the National Press Club which is in a way a living memorial to the freedom of the press that is so important a part of the American tradition. The platform on which we speak is open to all because we believe in the right even of those with whom we disagree to speak their minds; it is a right that extends to all in this country and involves the need for mutual respect for those with opposing views.
But some reporters have been barred by CAIR from covering this panel because by criticizing CAIR or its policies they have been condemned as anti-Muslim when they are, in fact, simply reporters doing their job.
My first reaction was, why is the National Press Club even allowing the event to take place if that is true? Who was banned and what did they report or what did they say to deserve being banned from the National Press Club? That alone seems newsworthy to me… Don Surber agrees. It ought to be newsworthy because the actions of CAIR led to a club, which ostensibly represents the free press in America, censoring some of the journalists… Why?
CAIR’s incessantly crying wolf about mistreatment of Muslims is doing nothing but painting all Muslims with the same brush, and David Keene explains why:
In the past, CAIR has attacked as ant-Muslim such disparate groups and organizations as The New Republic, US News & World Report, the Washington Times, the Dallas Morning News, the Tampa Tribune and even Al Gore and our Weekly Reader. The breadth of CAIR’s attacks would seem to indicate that there is a widespread, deep bi-partisan conspiracy against Muslims in this country or CAIR is guilty over-reaching.
I would suggest that the latter is the case.
In a free society, individuals must expect to be treated as individuals rather than as members of favored or disfavored groups. No free society has ever achieved this completely, but those desiring to benefit from living in such a society have to realize that in asking fairness for oneself, one has to grant fairness to others.
Thus, the Muslim seeking respect for his or her views must respect the views of others. It is not enough to condemn those non-Muslims who mischaracterize Islam or unfairly attack Muslim’s as a group. It requires one to disassociate oneself form those who rightly or wrongly speak as Muslims to condemn other religions or unfairly attack other groups.
The Muslim who attacks Jews and Christians as “pigs” or “crusaders” is as responsible for the breakdown in civility in the modern world as the non-Muslim who implies that all Muslims harbor a desire to kill a Christian or Jew.
If CAIR wants respect as representing the best of Islam to the west, it must shun the role of enabler by siding with the enemies of terror and intolerance wherever they are found. The Washington Post reported that CAIR in one of its annual reports on “hate crimes” directed against Muslims listed the US apprehension and imprisonment of Sheik Omar Abdul Rahman as evidence of US bias against Muslims.
The question we have to ask is whether Rahman was acting in furtherance of legitimate Islamic beliefs in plotting to blow up the World Trade Center in 1993 or was he not…if he was, we all have a problem; if he wasn’t why would arresting him be an anti-Muslim act?
In every case we can ask the question, “Was {Violent Muslim} acting in furtherance of legitimate Islamic beliefs in committing {Violent Act} or was he not?” Also in every case, CAIR labels those who even dare to ask that question… or those who point out possible answers to it… as Islamophobic. The knee jerk predictability of CAIR’s response makes it entirely reasonable to wonder if CAIR is in league with the terrorists. By unfailingly tossing the Islamophobic label, even at its friends, CAIR is asking us to treat all Muslims the same… that’s absolutely ludicrous.
Does CAIR really want us to believe that all American Muslims are no different from the relatively small percentage of violent Muslims who are waging a terrorist global war against western society? If not, then why isn’t CAIR acting to actually IMPROVE relations between American Muslims and the rest of America? Dan Riehl discusses this in the light of Dr. Parvez Ahmed’s statement that we are being driven by “irrational” fear.
Ahmed’s arguments are either ignorant, or intentionally designed to deflect from the real threat of radical Islam to America. While that threat could one day be large body counts, or an individuals fear of death by terrorism were radical Islamists to come into possession of bio or nuclear weapons, America is already seeing tremendous damage from this threat resulting from the costs and initiatives required to guard against future attacks.
CAIR does nothing to foster better relations between non-Muslims and moderate Muslims and they need to be treated more as a political organization, or perhaps even a front group for the most radical groups of Islamists, than as a group seeking to be helpful to moderate Muslims in America.
He’s right. Either: Ahmed really believes that no Muslims are a threat, or he is covering for those that are. There is no other explanation. And regardless of Ahmed’s intentions, CAIR’s actions do more to hurt relations between moderate Muslims and non-Muslims than they do to help. In effect CAIR is an advocacy group for those violent Muslims who wish harm on Americans. CAIR accuses us of irrational Islamophobia while acting to deflect attention from radical and violent Muslims… effectively serving as an advocate for terrorism. By representing the Islamists, CAIR does immense damage to moderate Muslims in America. So why then does the MSM and even the President, give CAIR any influence at all?
The fact is CAIR receives attention far in excess of their influence. Unfortunately it is also a fact that no other group is speaking for moderate Muslims. Why not? The longer CAIR is allowed to speak for moderates, the more damage will be done to Muslim - non-Muslim relations. As long as CAIR’s actions are in opposition to its rhetoric, as long as they use their influence to protect and defend terrorists, there will be increasing distrust of CAIR and all Muslims it claims to represent.
CAIR needs to disappear from our national discourse. While I am on board with most of his ideas about CAIR, I’m not sure I agree with Scott at Power Line, about David Keene dignifying CAIR by even attending the symposium. At least through Keene’s appearance we were given the chance to learn of the National Press Club’s cowardice in defending free speech… it was not Keene’s fault that the rest of the Media chose to gloss over that. Only by shining the light on CAIR’s actions do we have a chance to mitigate the undue influence CAIR exercises today. Absent Keene’s, or any other critics’, appearance at the event, there would be no reason to question the assumption that CAIR is a peaceful Muslim civil rights advocacy group as it claims… And CAIR should be questioned… at every opportunity.
Topics: Islamic Fascism, Moderate Islam Watch |
July 19th, 2007 at 10:08 pm
I keep hearing that there are “moderate” Muslims out there - but the few who do break ranks and speak up are roundly condemned by the rest of the community to the point of death threats. So, how many “moderates” are there? If there are quite a few - they aren’t talking and that’s not a good thing for relations with non-muslims at all.
July 24th, 2007 at 1:45 am
CAIR no more represents American Muslims than Al Sharpton represents the African-American community. Its shameful record of excusing and defending terrorist activity makes it a far more serious matter than Sharpton, however. Kudos to Keene for calling CAIR on the carpet.
September 2nd, 2007 at 11:33 am
[…] How long will it take the government and media to remove their CAIR card from their Rolodexes? […]