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Islamophobia, From Screen to Capitol Hill.
Last week saw the preposterous spectacle of members of Congress calling for an investigation of the allegedly seditious activities of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR). Republicans Sue Myrick, John Shadegg, Paul Broun, and Trent Franks, who accused CAIR of planting interns to work as spies on Capitol Hill, based their charges on the book Muslim Mafia. The book was published by WND Books, the publishing arm of World Net Daily, which solidified its reputation for McCarthy-esque tinfoil hat "journalism" long before Glenn Beck's tears were even a twinkle in Roger Ailes' eye.
Now the Clarion Fund, producer of the film The Third Jihad -- which also peddles the alleged Holy Land and Muslim Brotherhood connections -- is calling for an investigation, too. The Third Jihad charges that Muslim groups like CAIR intend to supplant the Constitution with sharia law, and have links to jihadists.
CAIR and numerous other Muslim organizations were identified as unindicted co-conspirators in a case the United States brought against the Holy Land Foundation, which earlier this year was found guilty of illegally financing Hamas. In 2008, the government introduced a document as an exhibit to a brief -- contrary to Department of Justice policy -- publicly identifying these alleged "unindicted co-conspirators." The policy is not to publicly identify unindicted co-conspirators because it contravenes constitutional protections guaranteeing the accused the right to defend itself in court.
The Clarion Fund, which has ties to the ultra-Orthodox Jewish group Aish Hatorah, promotes its films to neoconservative and Christian-right audiences, who no doubt hear a familiar ring to the charges of Myrick et al. But despite its efforts to make these charges seem like a "moderate" view, they are far outside the mainstream. When I wrote about the Clarion Fund and its films last year, Paul Barrett, an editor at Business Week and author of American Islam: The Struggle for the Soul of a Religion, told me, "Saying that organizations like CAIR and ISNA aim to institute Islamic religious law in the United States is similar to saying that Jewish or Catholic religious organizations aim to institute rabbinic or church law in the U.S. The notion that they are threat to the republic, a fifth column, is both laughable and very pernicious.”
--Sarah Posner
COMMENTS (3)
Long before "Muslim Mafia" was published several members of Congress had warned of CAIR's disturbing origins. One of the first consistent and fearless critics of CAIR has been Democrat Senator Charles Schumer who said: "We know [CAIR] has ties to terrorism…intimate links with Hamas." Senator Schumer made these statements during a September 2003 Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Terrorism, Technology and Homeland Security where the evidence against CAIR was laid out in detail. CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad was invited to testify at this gathering, but chose to avoid the meeting and instead submitted a crude and absurd written statement listing CAIR's "accomplishments" and childishly attacking critics.
Senator Schumer continues to give unapologetic support in efforts to investigate and exclude CAIR from involvement in government programs, including "training" the FBI. In February of 2009, Senator Schumer joined Senators Kyl and Coburn in contacting the FBI to state their support for the FBI severing ties to CAIR saying "We certainly support that action..."
Democrat Senator Barbara Boxer has also called out CAIR. She recalled an award to CAIR's Basim Elkarra when she researched and learned of his involvement with CAIR and CAIR's ties to Hamas. In addition to recalling the award, Senator Boxer also told CAIR to remove her statement endorsing CAIR from their web site. CAIR blasted Senator Boxer saying her actions were rooted in "Islamophobia." Senator Boxer made clear her feelings about CAIR when she said: "To praise [CAIR] because they haven't been indicted is like somebody saying, 'I'm not a crook'"
Posted by: dale | October 20, 2009 5:44 PM
Response to dale's comments.:
DON'T BELIEVE THE HYPE !!
Why.?, because if you do... you'd be similar into believing beautiful statements that Enron CEO said at its height, meanwhile CEO/CFO knows for sure that they're cooking up the accounting ledgers taking you as the victim.
Or, you'd be believing Bernie Madoff's reputation until its biggest clients could not withdraw billions $$ that the clients rightfully owned.
Side note:
I've been a muslim all my life. You should believe what Paul Barret said as I believed he does more unbiased research that a glimpse of ill-willed powerful group try to convince the simpleton people.
Posted by: adit | October 21, 2009 2:55 AM
Response to dale's comments.:
DON'T BELIEVE THE HYPE !!
Why.?, because if you do... you'd be similar into believing beautiful statements that Enron CEO said at its height, meanwhile CEO/CFO knows for sure that they're cooking up the accounting ledgers taking you as the victim.
Or, you'd be believing Bernie Madoff's reputation until its biggest clients could not withdraw billions $$ that the clients rightfully owned.
Side note:
I've been a muslim all my life. You should believe what Paul Barret said as he does reflected more precisely my honest opinion as american muslim.
Posted by: adit | October 21, 2009 2:57 AM