Deconstructing CAIR (Council on American-Islamic Relations)

The concept of Al Taqiyya, or deception, holds a central place in political Islam, and no organization embodies it better than the Council on American Islamic Relations, commonly known as CAIR. Taqiyya involves presenting outwardly a different belief from one’s inner convictions. In modern times, CAIR has honed this art, using it as a shield for extremists, suppressing opposing voices, and targeting specific victims.

Founded in 1994, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is a Washington, DC-based non-profit organization with a mission to be the leading American Muslim civil rights advocate in the United States. [1]

Real Mission: Imposition of Sharia Law in the US

However, its real agenda seems quite different from its stated mission. It appears to be all about promoting radical Islamism, supporting violent terrorists, and acting as a front for extremist groups. It works to give these terror groups a cover of deniability by portraying their members as innocent activists or, worse, as victims of the crimes they commit themselves.

CAIR’s ultimate goal appears to be making the United States an Islamist country where Shariah will reign supreme and people of all other faiths will have to succumb to the rule of Shariah, which generally translates to a stark edict – “Convert or Die.”

Omar Ahmed, the founder of CAIR, once boldly stated, “Islam isn’t in America to be equal to any other faith, but to become dominant,” and “The Koran, the Muslim book of scripture, should be the highest authority in America, and Islam the only accepted religion on Earth.”[2] Although Ahmed later denied making these statements, the journalist who first reported them stands by her account.

“The Koran, the Muslim book of scripture, should be the highest authority in America, and Islam the only accepted religion on Earth.” – Omar Ahmed, Founder of CAIR

Links with Terrorist Organizations

In a 2009 federal case, C.A.I.R. was found to have links with the terrorist organization Hamas.

It is noteworthy that a majority of CAIR’s activists openly admire the Taliban and its methods of implementing Shariah as the state law. Even more striking is that CAIR was listed as a terrorist organization by the Islamic State of UAE in 2014, along with ISIS, Taliban, etc.[3]

In 2004, CAIR initiated a Libel lawsuit against a group called Anti-CAIR over five statements made by this group. The lawsuit concluded two years later, with CAIR implicitly admitting the accuracy of Anti-CAIR’s claims [4], which stated:

“CAIR is a terrorist supporting front organization that is partially funded by terrorists.”
“CAIR is supported by terrorists supporting individuals, groups, and countries.”
“CAIR has proven links to, and was founded by, Islamic terrorists.”
“CAIR actively supports terrorists and terrorists supporting groups and nations.”

In a significant move, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis removed CAIR in September 2022 as a partner in the Faith and Community initiative. He cited CAIR’s deceptive practices and using falsehood to secure its recognition as a legitimate partner in the faith initiative. The Florida branch of CAIR had employed a self-generated thank you note for institutions that self-registered in this program. Governor DeSantis had previously expressed concerns about CAIR’s association with terrorism, underscoring the organization’s problematic history. [5]

Modus Operandi

CAIR has been able to entrench itself in the US by presenting the Muslim community as a victim of Islamophobia and resonating with unsuspecting people through a fake narrative of persecution, discrimination, and victimhood.

Using well-organized political infrastructure and a concentrated collection of Islamic groups, CAIR has worked to manipulate the Muslim vote and use it to advance its extremist agenda. They have successfully aligned with Leftist Democrats to gain a foothold in American politics, with potential repercussions for the non-Muslim religious minorities in the United States. This has brought Middle Eastern politics to the forefront of the nation’s political landscape, with far-reaching consequences for the American political trajectory. [6]

Favorite Targets

CAIR primarily targets three broad groups: Hindus, Jews, and moderate Muslims, especially those who do not agree with CAIR’s policies and views.

Attacks on the Hindu ecosystem

In recent years, Hindu-Americans have made significant strides in the United States, thanks to their hard work, dedication, higher education levels, respect for local culture, and ability to collaborate with diverse groups without adopting supremacist or bigoted ideologies. This success, however, seems to have garnered the attention of CAIR, an organization with a distinct inclination to target Hindu-Americans.

What seems to trouble CAIR is that many Hindu Americans proudly embrace both their Hindu identity and their American citizenship without any conflict. This harmonious coexistence of identities disrupts CAIR’s agenda of religious supremacism and its goal of transforming the United States into a Shariah state.

CAIR has chosen to distinguish between Hindutva and Hinduism, much like their differentiation between Zionism and Judaism. This distinction is used to insinuate that Hindutva oppresses Muslims and is distinct from Hinduism, camouflaging CAIR’s true intentions.[7] This tactic is borrowed from Indian leftist groups that employ a similar strategy to target individuals or groups they detest.

In a notable display of hostility towards Hindu-Americans, CAIR openly endorsed a highly controversial event in 2021 known as “Dismantling Global Hindutva.”[8] This conference, organized by leftist and jihadi groups, aimed to target Hindus and engage in blatant Hinduphobia. Support for this event also came from Indian political parties known for their Muslim appeasement policies to secure vote banks.

CAIR has also launched online attacks against Hindus and Hindu organizations, often promoting the views of rabid anti-Hindu extremists like Pieter Fredrich in widely promoted events.[9] Peter Friedrich, a Christian missionary, works closely with the Khalistan Separatist group under the banner of ‘OFMI (Organization for Minorities in India.[10] The latter organization has deep connections with Pakistan’s ISI, from which these groups receive funding to destabilize India.

As part of CAIR’s onslaught against Hindus and India, it has repeatedly called on the State Department to designate India a ‘Country of Particular Concern.’[11] In recent times, India is continuously on CAIR’s radar for India’s decisive against Islamist radical groups and its efforts to protect its citizens of all faiths from jihadi terrorists. One of the most glaring examples of CAIR’s hostility towards Hindu Americans and India was its attempt to prevent the White House from honoring India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi with a state dinner and a joint session of Congress.[12] The sole reason for this opposition was Modi’s unapologetic practice as a proud Hindu.

In December 2022, CAIR reportedly took offense at the display of the names of the LeT terrorists and scenes from the deadly 26/11 terror attack on a mobile billboard truck in New Jersey. While calling the vehicle’s movement ‘deliberate and well-coordinated,’ CAIR criticized the broadcast of 26/11 footage as ‘messages of hate’[13] even though the billboard presented nothing but the truth. CAIR was quick to jump on the Islamophobia bandwagon instead of condemning one of the deadliest terrorist attacks on India that was orchestrated by Islamic terrorists from Pakistan and claimed hundreds of lives. This underscores CAIR’s intense efforts to perpetuate anti-Hindu propaganda in the US.

Anti-Semitism

With this organization openly taking a stand against Israel and showing support for Hamas[14], CAIR’s actions have raised serious questions regarding its rabidly anti-Semitic posture.

In a speech delivered to a Muslim audience in November, Zahra Billoo, the executive director of CAIR’s San Francisco office, made alarming statements branding Zionist synagogues and essentially all Jews—as “your enemies,” “Islamophobic,” and opponents of “human rights.” Rather than disavowing her hateful remarks, CAIR claimed Billoo was “misquoted” and was a victim of an “online smear campaign.” [15]

Additionally, concerning financial ties have emerged. Shortly after its formation, CAIR, listed as a “working organization” by the Palestine Committee, received a $5,000 check and a $5,000 wire transfer a few weeks later —from the Holy Land Foundation (HLF). [16] The HLF was convicted in 2008 of providing over $12 million to Hamas, a US State Department-designated foreign terrorist organization.[17] This conviction was hailed by the FBI as “the largest victory against terrorist financing in the US since the 9/11 attacks.” Furthermore, the founders of HLF received life sentences, and CAIR was listed by the FBI as an unindicted co-conspirator, serving as the public relations arm of a network of terrorist-affiliated groups.[18]

When CAIR initially faced allegations in US Senate testimony of receiving seed money from the HLF, the CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad vehemently denied it, calling it an “outright lie.” However, when confronted with a copy of the check, Awad revised his testimony, characterizing the $5,000 check received less than three weeks after CAIR’s incorporation as “a donation like any other.”[19]

Furthermore, the founders of HLF received life sentences, and CAIR was listed by the FBI as an unindicted co-conspirator, serving as the public relations arm of a network of terrorist-affiliated groups

Recent events have further underscored concerns about CAIR’s connection with Hamas. On October 7, 2023, Hamas conducted a highly coordinated terrorist attack on Israel, resulting in the mass killing of civilians, including children and women. The terrorist attack involved taking numerous hostages and subjecting captured women to degrading treatment.

In another incident that occurred on January 15, 2023, four individuals, including a rabbi, were held hostage at a synagogue in Texas, USA.[20] The hostage-taker demanded the release of Aafia Siddiqui, the infamous al-Qaeda woman terrorist, who is currently incarcerated in a US prison located just 15 miles from the synagogue where the incident happened. The hostage-taker was later neutralized, and the hostages were freed. What is noteworthy is that exactly two months before this incident, CAIR had actively advocated for Siddiqui’s release and held events in her support. [21]

Action against Critics

In addition to targeting Hindus and Jews, CAIR is known for its aggressive pursuit of critics. Since 2009, this organization has harnessed the power of Big Tech to anonymously create, fund, and feed a disinformation campaign facilitated by keyboard warriors.

One of the notable accusations against CAIR is its alleged involvement in hiding behind an anonymous website known as “LoonWatch” to target its critics. Staffers at the Chicago Chapter of CAIR are accused of establishing and maintaining LoonWatch, a website that allowed anonymous authors to launch attacks on critics of Muslim extremism from 2009 to 2018. The website gradually evolved into what Asra Q. Nomani, a former Wall Street Journal reporter making these allegations, refers to as “a watering hole” for extremists. [22]

Nomani further shed light on the connections between CAIR and the LoonWatch website. As a co-founder of the Muslim Reform Movement, she asserts that Muhammad Tauseef Akbar, a staffer from CAIR’s Chicago office operating under the pseudonym “Garibaldi,” used to post critical articles about her and other individuals on the website. [23]

The primary objective of the LoonWatch website and its supporters was the complete discrediting of Muslim reformers, all to promote beliefs that contradict democratic values and principles. According to Nomani, CAIR’s self-proclaimed identity as a ‘civil rights’ organization stands in stark contrast to its actions, which include using underhanded tactics to stifle discussions concerning gender-based violence within Muslim communities. [24]

Notably, CAIR’s Executive Director, Nihad Awad, and other influential members have also faced allegations of sexual harassment, assault, and discrimination against Muslim women employees.[25]

Conclusion

Hindus in the United States must remain vigilant and informed about the true intentions and strategies employed by CAIR, an organization that has been known to weaponize progressive agendas to slyly advance the narratives and objectives of radical and intolerant Islamist groups.

CAIR operatives employ various tactics, including exploiting caste issues, spreading disinformation, and highlighting isolated incidents of unrelated crimes in India or the U.S., to portray Hindus as an intolerant collective. Their primary targets are influential Hindu voices, attempting to silence them using their time-tested tactic of crying wolf. Therefore, it is imperative for Hindus to come together and resist these attempts to depict them as malevolent forces seeking to undermine their hard-earned successes achieved through determination and perseverance.

“Deceit can only succeed if the deceived party is willing, in some way, to be deceived” – Ben Macintyre.[26]

In a larger context, in the clash between civilizations marked by tolerance and civility and those driven by intolerance, civilized societies often stand to lose more even when they emerge victorious in specific battles. This is because the intolerant factions typically enter these conflicts with nothing to lose, making it even more essential for the tolerant and civilized communities to protect their values, unity, and shared principles.