Council On American Islamic Relations
Overview
The Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) is an “Islamic advocacy group,” based in Washington, D.C. that describes itself as a “nonprofit, grassroots civil rights and advocacy organization” and “America’s largest Muslim civil liberties organization.”
While the group’s stated mission is to “enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims,” the group lobbies on national, state and chapter levels, for various anti-Israel initiatives.
CAIR regularly issues “action alerts,” encouraging readers to send prepared letters to United States Members of Congress on various issues and pieces of legislation. The group also puts out press releases, writes op-eds and offers speakers as well as videos and studies meant to be used by the media.
As part of its activities the group has fought against the Anti-Semitism Awareness Act (AAA), promoted the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, demonized Israel and attempted to diminish American support for Israel.
CAIR has also partnered with a wide variety of other anti-Israel groups including Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and American Muslims for Palestine (AMP).
The group was founded “in 1994 by several leaders of the Islamic Association for Palestine (IAP), a now-defunct organization that was once described by the U.S. government as part of ‘Hamas’ propaganda apparatus.”
Many of CAIR’s leaders have also expressed hatred of Israel and Zionism.
In November 2014, CAIR, along with the Muslim American Society (MAS), was reportedly listed as a terrorist organization by the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Background
CAIR was founded in 1994 by three former officers of the Islamic Association of Palestine (IAP), an organization that, in 2004, was found liable for providing material support to Hamas through the now-defunct Holy Land Foundation (HLF). CAIR itself was listed as an “unindicted co-conspirator” in the case, where a number of individuals were found guilty of funneling funds to support terrorism.
Omar Ahmad, a co-founder of CAIR, was President of IAP from 1991-1994. Nihad Awad, a CAIR co-founder and as of September 2020, the CAIR National Executive Director, was IAP’s Public Relations Director. Another co-founder of CAIR, Rafeeq Jaber, was President of IAP from 1996-1998.
CAIR is headquartered in Washington, D.C., with chapters across the United States. According to its website: “CAIR’s national board of directors guides the organization, and each chapter is overseen by a board of directors and managed by an executive director.”
The group has chapters “established in some 20 states, with several states having multiple chapters to better serve large Muslim populations.” Employees include “more than 60 staff, more than 300 active volunteer board or executive committee members, and numerous interns.”
CAIR Staff
1. Nihad Awad, formerly IAP’s Public Relations Director, became CAIR’s first Executive Director, a position he retained as of October 2020. Awad, who is also a CAIR Co-Founder and National Board Member, has expressed [00:00:24] support for Hamas, accused the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) of controlling the U.S. government and tweeted in 2014 that Israel “is the biggest threat to world peace and security.”
2. Rabih Haddad, a fundraiser for CAIR Ann Arbor, was arrested in December 2001 and deported from the United States. Although not formally charged, Haddad was suspected of funneling funds to al-Qaeda through his work with the Global Relief Foundation (GRF), a charity Haddad co-founded, which was designated by the U.S. Treasury Department in October 2002 as a terrorist organization. GRF helped finance Al-Qaeda and other terrorist organizations.
3. Zahra Billoo, the executive director of the CAIR chapter in the San Francisco Bay Area (CAIR-SFBA), has spread anti-Semitism, defended Hamas and Hezbollah, has expressed support for terrorists and defended terror financiers. She has also equated Israel with ISIS, spread hatred of Israel, America and Zionism and demonized American Jewish institutions.
4. Hussam Ayloush, the executive director of CAIR in Los Angeles (CAIR-LA), has spread incitement against Israel, equated Israel with Nazi Germany and supported incitement to terror. He has also spread anti-Israel conspiracy theories, demonized Israel, promoted hatred of Zionists and is a supporter of the BDS movement.
5. Dawud Walid, the executive director of CAIR in Michigan, has spread anti-Semitism, as well as incitement, showed support for terrorist Leila Khaled, demonized Israel and is a supporter of the BDS movement.
6. Ghassan Elashi, the founder of CAIR’s Dallas, Texas chapter, was convicted in 2009 of providing more than $12.4 million to Hamas while he was running HLF.
As of September 2020, CAIR distanced itself from Elashi, stating on its website: “Elashi was never an employee of CAIR.”
Links to Terror-Financiers
In 1994, CAIR received a $5,000 donation from the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development (HLF), which was shut down in 2001 by the U.S. government for funneling donations to terrorist organizations.
In 2007, CAIR was named as an unindicted co-conspirator in a U.S.-filed action against the HLF for funneling funds to Hamas.
Documents from the HLF trial showed that CAIR was listed as a member of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Palestine Committee, with a mandate “to raise money to support HAMAS’ organizations inside the Palestinian territories.”
During the HLF trial, CAIR, along with MAS and other organizations, supported the individual defendants in the HLF trial by forming the “Hungry for Justice” coalition.
The five individuals indicted for funneling funds to Hamas in the guise of humanitarian aid were all convicted and sentenced in 2009 to federal prison terms, ranging from 15 to 65 years.
While serving as the president of CAIR’s Dallas chapter, Khalil Meek acted as the spokesman for Hungry for Justice and reportedly said: “‘This was an Israeli trial tried on American soil.’”
In 2008, following the HLF trial, the FBI instructed its field offices to “to significantly restrict non-investigative interactions” with CAIR, a significant change to the bureau's long-standing relationship with the organization.
During the 2008 trial of the HLF case, FBI Special Agent Lara Burns reportedly labeled CAIR “a front group for Hamas.”
Funding
CAIR is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that had an annual budget of around $3 million in 2018. The organization has had a similar budget since 2007, and has stated that “Each CAIR chapter is governed by an independent board and solicits its funding almost exclusively from its local community,” although it does “accept support from foreign nationals.”
In 2002, CAIR reportedly received a $250,000 donation “from a Saudi-financed institution” for its headquarters in Washington, D.C., as well as $500,000 from a Saudi prince.
In 2011, CAIR temporarily lost its nonprofit status for reportedly failing to file the appropriate paperwork. POLITICO reported that an attorney for CAIR told it that the loss of status “referred to a defunct arm of the nonprofit, and that CAIR and CAIR foundation were unaffected -- a claim that a review of the IRS documents did not support.”
POLITICO also reported that CAIR blamed the loss of its non-profit status on mistakes made by the IRS, but that CAIR could not deliver the requisite forms “which are required to be open for public inspection.”
CAIR re-gained its tax-exempt nonprofit status in 2012.
Defending a Terrorist
As of September 2020, two CAIR chapters in Chicago and Michigan were members of the Rasmea Defense Committee, a coalition of mostly anti-Israel organizations which campaigned for terrorist Rasmea Odeh. The coalition called Odeh a “hero” and claimed she was unjustly indicted and convicted of immigration fraud as part of “a larger campaign against Palestinian leaders, institutions, and community members; as well as an example of government repression waged against oppressed nationalities…”
Odeh was a key military operative [00:02:08]with the terrorist group the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). In 1969, Odeh masterminded a PFLP bombing that killed two college students in a Jerusalem supermarket. Odeh also attempted to bomb the British consulate.
Odeh confessed, in a highly detailed account, the day following her arrest. In a 2004 documentary, one of Odeh’s co-conspirators directly implicated [00:10:53] Odeh as the mastermind.
In 1970, an Israeli court tried and convicted Odeh for her involvement in both bombings and sentenced her to life imprisonment. However, Odeh was released 10 years later, in a prisoner swap and emigrated to the United States.
On November 10, 2014, a Michigan federal jury convicted Odeh for immigration fraud because she failed to disclose her prior conviction and life sentence on her immigration application. On March 12, 2015, she was sentenced to 18 months in prison.
In 2017, after an appeal and a lengthy court battle, Odeh admitted to immigration fraud, was stripped of her U.S. citizenship ,deported to Jordan and banned from re-entering the U.S.
Promoting BDS
CAIR frequently promotes BDS on social media, tagging “@BDSmovement” and using the “#BDS” hashtag, as well as campaigning against federal and state-level anti-BDS legislation.
In 2019, CAIR issued a statement through its “Action Center” in support of pro-BDS bill H.Res.496, including a sample letter for readers to send to their Members of Congress.
In July 2019, U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar sponsored, and U.S. Representative Rashida Tlaib co-sponsored H.Res. 496, which has been referred to as a “pro-BDS” resolution. Omar described the bill as “an opportunity for us to explain why it is we support… the BDS movement.”
Also in 2019, CAIR issued a statement through its “Action Center” in opposition to Massachusetts state legislation against BDS, including a sample letter for readers to send to State Representatives in opposition to the bill.
That same year, CAIR issued a similar statement through its “Action Center” in opposition to anti-BDS legislation in Oklahoma, as well as Georgia.
In 2020, CAIR issued a statement through its “Action Center” in opposition to anti-BDS legislation in Arizona, along with a sample statement for readers to send to State Senators in opposition to the bill.
In April 2020, CAIR joined with AMP to “boycott Israeli dates,” encouraging people to “choose occupation-free dates.”
On June 30, 2020, CAIR issued a statement in opposition to “Israel’s planned annexation” that called on “all Americans to urge their members of Congress… to cut or condition the $4 billion in U.S. taxpayer-funded giveaway to the Israeli government so that our country is not responsible for supporting the planned annexation and enabling a system of apartheid.”
In the spring of 2020, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that Israeli sovereignty would be applied to certain areas of the West Bank. The annexation plan was postponed in August 2020.
On July 9, 2020, CAIR issued a similar call to action for the U.S. Senate to pass an amendment to “prohibit the use of any U.S. military funds to be used by the government of Israel in the annexation of Palestinian territories.”
On August 14, 2020, CAIR shared a “press release” in opposition to a peace deal between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Israel, writing that they “condemned the latest attempt by President Trump, Israel, and the United Arab Emirates to undermine international Muslim solidarity in the struggle for peace and freedom in the region.”
On August 18, 2020, CAIR called “on every American to urge their elected representative to co-sponsor and support the Israeli Annexation Non-Recognition Act, a bill to prohibit the United States from formally recognizing or providing aid to any area of the occupied West Bank annexed by Israel in violation of international law.”
Promoting Incitement
CAIR has also promoted incitement against Israel on Twitter. On July 30, 2020, CAIR National tweeted: “Israeli Settlers Storm #AlAqsa Mosque on Day of #Arafah…”
The allegation that Jews “threaten” to destroy the Al-Aqsa Mosque has been a traditional pretext for Arab attacks on Jews long before the existence of the modern Jewish state.
Such propaganda served as the excuse for an upsurge in Palestinian violence that flared in the fall of 2015 and incited Palestinians to attempt mass casualty attacks on Israeli civilians in July 2016.
CAIR’s tweet included a link to an article titled: “More than 900 Jewish settlers storm Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque.” The article claimed: “Hundreds of Jewish settlers forced their way into Jerusalem’s flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque complex on Thursday… ‘accompanied by Israeli police,’... where they tried to perform Talmudic rituals.”
The article CAIR tweeted also condemned Jewish visitors to the Temple Mount and said that “extremist Jews [were] raiding the mosque”
Allied Organizations
CAIR has frequently used its Twitter and Facebook account to promote anti-Israel organizations including SJP, AMP and JVP. CAIR also frequently tags AMP in posts on CAIR’s Twitter account.
CAIR chapters have also worked with other anti-Israel organizations.
In 2020, CAIR-Pittsburgh became a coalition member of the “Pittsburgh Coalition to End the Deadly Exchange.” In 2017, JVP launched the “Deadly Exchange” campaign that accused American Jewish organizations of promoting human rights abuses. JVP also released a video that blamed [00:04:04] Jewish organizations for violence that occurs against Black and Brown communities, immigrants and activists in the U.S.
In 2018, AMP’s Hatem Bazian was hosted by CAIR at their National Leadership and Policy Conference. Hatem Bazian is the founder of the anti-Israel organizations Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and AMP. Bazian has a decades-long history of incitement and of using classic anti-Semitic tropes to demonize Israel.
In 2017, CAIR was listed as a “participating organization” in AMP’s “National Rally for Jerusalem” against the U.S. government’s decision to formally recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and to relocate the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
Hosting Anti-Israel Agitators
In 2019, CAIR hosted U.S. Congresswoman Ilhan Omar and anti-Israel agitator Linda Sarsour at its 25th anniversary annual gala.
Ilhan Omar was elected to the U.S. Congress in 2018. In February 2019, top Congressional leaders denounced Omar for tweeting anti-Semitic remarks. She has also demonized Israel and endorsed BDS, including introducing a pro-BDS resolution in the U.S. Congress.
Linda Sarsour has frequently used the word “Zionist” as a pejorative and has tweeted that “nothing is creepier than Zionism.” She has aligned with noted anti-Semite Louis Farrakhan, dismissed [00:07:45] those who see her alignment with Farrakhan as problematic and slammed the “Jewish Media” for calling attention to it.
CAIR Lobbying, Issues and Actions
On August 12, 2020, CAIR issued a press release denouncing the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and calling “on allies to stop working” with the ADL.
The ADL was founded in 1913 “in response to an escalating climate of anti-Semitism and bigotry, its timeless mission is to protect the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment for all.”
That month, CAIR joined over 100 anti-Israel organizations, including AMP and the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights (USCPR) to launch a campaign called: “Drop the ADL.”
CAIR described the ADL as having a “‘history and ongoing pattern of attacking social justice movements,’ particularly those led by ‘immigrants, Muslims, Arabs, and other marginalized groups, while aligning itself with police, right-wing leaders, and perpetrators of state violence.’”
The CAIR anti-ADL campaign featured a letter to be signed by anti-Israel groups to recruit progressive institutions to cut their ties with the 107-year-old Jewish advocacy organization.
The campaign also included “a primer” that criticized the ADL for its support for Israel and accused the ADL of “repressing Palestinian rights, smearing critics of colonialism as ‘anti-Semites,’ Support for actual anti-Semites ...and other right-wing, racist influencers, Islamophobia/Anti-Muslim Racism and Campus Repression…” as well as “Trampling anti-racist, immigrant, queer, and other justice movements.”
On May 3, 2019, CAIR issued an “Action Alert” in support of H.R.2407, including a sample letter for readers to send to their U.S. Members of Congress in opposition to the bill.
U.S. Representative Betty McCollum stated her bill, H.R.2407, was to end “abusive Israeli military detention practices” related to Palestinian children and that it “amends a provision of the Foreign Assistance Act… to prohibit funding for the military detention of children in any country, including Israel.”
NGO Monitor reported that the bill is “based largely on the lobbying efforts and accusations of Defense for Children International-Palestine (DCI-P), who has “Numerous individuals with alleged ties” to the terror organization the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).”
NGO Monitor also reported that H.R.2407 “includes several inaccurate factual claims and distortions of international law” and that it “misquotes a number of [U.S.] State Department reports.”
On June 18, 2018, CAIR issued an “Action Alert” to announce its opposition” to the Anti-Semitism Awareness (ASA) of 2018. CAIR stated: “S. 2940/H.R. 5924] which incorrectly conflates legitimate First Amendment protected discussion on American campuses about Israel’s human rights abuses against Palestinians with the vile bigotry of anti-Semitism.”
H.R.5924 - The Anti-Semitism Awareness Act (AAA) of 2018 directed the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) to use the U.S. State Department’s definition of anti-Semitism when evaluating hostile environment complaints.
CAIR issued similar condemnations of 2019’s AAA, which similarly directed the U.S. Department of Education (ED) to use the definition of anti-semitism, as set by the International Holocaust Remembrances Alliance (IHRA).
CAIR Chapter Activities
In 2019, CAIR-LA awarded JVP their “Champion of Justice” designation.
Also in 2019, CAIR’s Georgia chapter called for an end to the Georgia International Law Enforcement Exchange (GILEE), due to their cooperation with Israeli security services. GILEE is “a joint project of Georgia State University and local, state, federal, and international law enforcement and public safety agencies.”
On July 8, 2019, CAIR’s New Jersey (NJ) chapter issued a press release in opposition to state bill S.100, which “Prohibits anti-Semitism in public schools and institutions of higher education.”
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