Responding to the recent controversy about the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) holding a panel discussion on Islam and the West in a Capitol meeting room, the New York Times had an article in yesterday paper entitled: Scrutiny Increases for a Group Advocating for Muslims in U.S. Although on the surface it appears to be a balanced article focusing both on those who believe CAIR’s intention are good as well as those who claim their ties to terrorist orginization, the article falls short in depicting why CAIR has been accused of being a “terrorist sympathist”.

As evidenced by a Front Page Mag article back in 2003, it is not only the “religious right” who believe CAIR’s organization may be a terrorist front:

Senator Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat who has been steadfast in his efforts to uncover the nexus of Hamas front groups in the U.S., was ruthless in his portrayal of CAIR as part of an international terror network. In his opening remarks, Senator Schumer stated that prominent members of CAIR—referring specifically to Nihad Awad and Omar Ahmed—have “intimate links with Hamas.” Later, he remarked that “we know [CAIR] has ties to terrorism.”

The article goes on to say:

As luck would have it, just hours before the hearing, news services reported that former CAIR official Bassem K. Khafagi had pleaded guilty to charges of visa and bank fraud in federal court in Detroit. The charges were brought against Khafagi for his role with the Islamic Assembly of North America, a group that has advocated violence against the United States and is believed to have funneled money to organizations with terrorist connections. At the time of his arrest, Khafagi was Community Affairs director with CAIR.

In 2004 FrontPageMag.com had another article entitled The CAIR-Terror Connection in which it lists those connections which the NY Times reffers to as “alleged”:

In September of 2001, just following the worst terrorist attack ever suffered in modern history, CAIR placed on its website, under a picture of the World Trade Center in flames, a plea for donations. It read, “Donate to the NY/DC Emergency Relief Fund.”

Yet, when people clicked on the link, it did not take them to any NY/DC Emergency Relief Fund. No, it took them straight to the website of the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development, an Islamic ‘charity’ that was soon to be shut down by the United States for “raising millions of dollars annually for HAMAS.”

Later that month, on September 25, 2001, CAIR changed the link to explicitly ask persons to “Donate through the Holy Land Foundation.” And in addition, CAIR added a new link to its site, soliciting persons to “Donate through the Global Relief Foundation.”

The Global Relief Foundation, like the Holy Land Foundation, was soon to be shut down by the U.S. government on terrorism related charges. As stated by the Treasury Department, “The Global Relief Foundation has connections to, has provided support for, and has provided assistance to Usama Bin Ladin, the al-Qaeda Network, and other known terrorist groups.”

Ironically one of the organizations the New York Times mentions who vouch for CAIR, is the American Civil Liberties Union. Although the ACLU has not been accused of aiding terrorists, their policies and associations certainly would raise a few red flags.

In 2005 the ACLU turned down a donation from United Way because it objected to being asked to pledge they are not involved with anyone on a federal terrorism watch list.

Mohammed Abdrabboh, a Palestinian attorney and ACLU of Michigan Board Member, has represented and continues to represent people the government has suspected of allegedly having some link to terrorism or terrorist organizations

The ACLU fought to have Tariq Ramadan allowed into the US even though Ramadan was banned from entering France in 1996 on suspicion of having links with an Algerian Islamist who had recently initiated a terrorist campaign in Paris (check the link for other reasons DHS did not want him here)

In October of 2004, the ACLU turned down $1.15 million in funding from two of it?s most generous and loyal contributors, the Ford and Rockefeller foundations, saying new anti-terrorism restrictions demanded by the institutions make it unable to accept their funds.

ACLU Urged To Free Terrorist Who Later Pleads Guilty

There have been many other incidents which raise question marks as to whose side the ACLU is on in the war on terror, I urge you to look research yourself.

The question remains however, if the ACLU is vouching for CAIR, who will vouch for the ACLU?

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ACLU, CAIR, Terrorism