Asaad Traina

On March 6, 2025, in a post introducing Traina as new chair of the CAIR-CA board, the outgoing chair, Musaab Attaras wrote that Traina had been an "active leader" in CAIR-CA, "serving for four years on CAIR-LA’s Governance Board, including one year as President."

In 2024 Traina wrote in his "Letter from the Chair" in CAIR-CA's annual report: "...our advocacy continues with a renewed commitment to the Palestinian people, whose faith and resilience in the face of genocide inspires us every day."

The term “genocide” was coined in 1942 and first used at the Nuremberg Trials of Nazi war criminals. Since Israel's founding in 1948, anti-Israel activists have accused Israel of "genocide" in an attempt to compare Jews to Nazis and delegitimize the creation of a Jewish state in the Land of Israel.

On October 21, 2023, Traina featured in a video posted on YouTube by the MCC East Bay (Muslim Community Center East Bay). Speaking at the MCC, Traina said: "...what's happening right now in Gaza, and we all know that it didn't start a week ago or two weeks ago, but our brothers and sisters there have been suffering occupation and brutality and the stealing of their land and ethnic cleansing now for over 75 years..."

The modern State of Israel was founded 75 years earlier, in 1948.

Anti-Israel activists spread antisemitism by denying Jewish history and religious rights to the Land of Israel in order to portray Jews as foreigners. The goal is to delegitimize restored Jewish sovereignty and justify terrorism. Terms they use include accusing Israel of "colonialism," "occupation," and "imperialism."

On October 7, 2023, Hamas murdered approximately 1,200 Israelis, kidnapped 251 and wounded thousands. War crimes included various systematic sexual crimes like gang rape and genital mutilation. Men and women were violated, even after being murdered. Victims who survived that day, including hostages, endured forms of humiliation and torture.

Gazans working in the targeted Israeli villages provided intelligence to Hamas on which families to kill and torture, including long-time employers. Many Palestinian civilians joined in and celebrated the attacks. Hamas livestreamed their crimes on social media, including to victims’ accounts for families to see. To learn more, see the Canary Mission page on Hamas.

Traina was one of a group of 11 University of California students, referred to as the “Irvine 11,” who were detained by police for disrupting a speech given by then-Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Oren, in February 2010.

Traina and nine of the other students were charged with and convicted of “one misdemeanor count of conspiracy to disturb a meeting and one misdemeanor count of the disturbance of a meeting,” and sentenced to three years of “informal probation” and 56 hours of court-approved community service.

The disruption was reportedly planned by members of the MSU at UCI (MSU-UCI). The MSU was suspended by the university after the incident.

CAIR describes itself as a “grassroots civil rights and advocacy group” and “America's largest Muslim civil liberties organization, with regional offices nationwide.” Its official mission is “enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.”

CAIR reportedly has “significant ties” to the Muslim Brotherhood, as well as Hamas. A number of former CAIR employees have been convicted on fraud and terrorism-related charges that resulted monetary fines, jail terms and, sometimes, deportation.

CAIR was founded in 1994 and opened its first office in Washington, DC, with the help of a $5,000 donation from the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development (HLF), a charity founded by Mousa Abu Marzook.

Marzook, who was listed as a "Specially Designated Terrorist" by the U.S. Treasury Department in 1995, is reportedly a senior member of Hamas.

In May 2007, CAIR was listed as an “unindicted co-conspirator” in a U.S.-filed action against the HLF for providing funds to Hamas.

CAIR was also listed as a terrorist entity by the United Arab Emirates in 2014.

On October 7, 2023, Hamas murdered approximately 1,200 Israelis, kidnapped 251 and wounded thousands. War crimes included various systematic sexual crimes like gang rape and genital mutilation. Men and women were violated, even after being murdered. Victims who survived that day, including hostages, endured forms of humiliation and torture.

Gazans working in the targeted Israeli villages provided intelligence to Hamas on which families to kill and torture, including long-time employers. Many Palestinian civilians joined in and celebrated the attacks. Hamas livestreamed their crimes on social media, including to victims’ accounts for families to see. To learn more, see the Canary Mission page on Hamas.