Irvine’s CAIR kerfuffle — is CAIR a terror-loving group or not?
An interesting kerfuffle has arisen in my hometown of Irvine over Council for American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and city council candidate, Todd Gallinger, who provides legal immigration counsel to the California Chapter of CAIR. In a September 23 blog entitled “Choi’s Shameful Smear” on the LiberalOC.com liberal Democrat blogger Dan Chmielewski takes Republican Irvine City Councilman Dr. Steven Choi to task for calling CAIR an “Islamic terrorist group.”Mr. Chmielewski then cuts and pastes a large portion of CAIR’s Orange County website to bolster his claim that CAIR is not a terrorist organization, including, “CAIR condemns all acts of violence against civilians by any individual, group or state.” Chmielewski then writes of Choi, “This is the sort of divide the community approach the people on this side of the ticket have tried to do the past few elections in Irvine. It’s hate speech coming from elected officials and candidates for office against Muslims…”
I have a different view – perhaps one a little more nuanced than Dr. Choi’s – but then, Councilmember Choi is running for reelection against CAIR-affiliated Mr. Gallinger and election season does tend to produce bold, black and white statements for public consumption.
I spent 24 years in the U.S. Army as an intelligence officer with a top secret clearance. I also studied Arabic and spent half a year at the American University in Cairo, Egypt. I’ve been to Israel four times, been shot at in Lebanon, and have traveled the West Bank. As such, I know a few things about Islam, CAIR, HAMAS, the Muslim Brotherhood, etc. I have no doubt that the local chapter of CAIR is filled with many caring people and diligent citizens – that said, I also have no doubt that CAIR has had its share of members who have supported terrorism and have raised money for terror (not too dissimilar to Irish-American groups in Boston who raised money for the IRA to attack the British in Northern Ireland).
In this light, it is very interesting to examine the recent interview on the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood website “Amlolammah” as reported by the BBC of Nihad Awad, CAIR’s Executive Director. Of 9/11, Awad said, “…we should not blame the United States alone for the 11 September 2001 attacks, but we should also blame the perpetrators.” That Awad levels any blame on America for the terror attacks of 9/11 is revealing as such is the beginning of a moral equivalency argument, “Al-Qaeda and America are both at fault…” And moral equivalency can lead to all kinds of rationalizations.
With this in mind, it is not surprising that just after 9/11 CAIR’s website was asking for money for Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development (HLF). HLS is a HAMAS-front group. HAMAS is the Palestinian terror group that now runs the Gaza Strip.
Mohammed Habib, the Muslim Brotherhood’s deputy chief, acknowledged recently that there is a link between the Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR. Federal prosecutors have been saying this for sometime in the HAMAS financial support case against the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development (HLF) when they named CAIR as a member of the Muslim Brotherhood’s “Palestine Committee.” The “Palestine Committee” is another name for HAMAS. Federal prosecutors clearly see CAIR as part of the HAMAS financial support umbrella.
As with HAMAS, CAIR’s Awad denies the right of the state of Israel to exist. Now, one can argue that this is a legitimate political view to hold in the context of American political discourse – not, however, when acting upon that view leads one to donate money to armed groups seeking to make the view a bloody and genocidal reality.
About the Presidential election, Awad revealingly told his Egyptian interviewers that he favors Sen. Obama over Sen. McCain – of course, Awad wants more than Obama appears willing to give, saying, “Public opinion polls among American Muslims point out that they support Obama more than they support McCain although Obama’s recent statements were unsatisfying. The Democrats should be more careful and should not sacrifice the votes of the Muslims.”
Awad’s equivocation on Sen. Obama was based on Obama’s early June speech to the members of the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) in which he supported Israel and voiced approval of a unified Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Obama later flip-flopped after his speech was panned by Muslim critics.
Lastly, whatever one thinks of Mr. Chmielewski’s assertion that Dr. Choi was improperly injecting religion into politics in his critique of Mr. Gallinger and CAIR, it is relevant to note in this discussion that none other than CAIR’s own Chairman Emeritus, Omar Ahmed, said the Muslim holy book, the Koran, should be the “highest authority in America, and the Islam the only accepted religion on earth.”
One can only imagine Mr. Chmielewski’s outrage at council candidate Choi if Choi uttered such about the Christian faith.
If you are still not convinced about the connections between CAIR and HAMAS, then don’t take my word for it, believe liberal California Senator Barbara Boxer who, in late 2006, took back an award she gave to CAIR official Basim Elkarra after she learned about Mr. Elkarra’s CAIR involvement. Sen. Boxer herself “expressed concern” about CAIR’s actions and past statements while her press secretary said that CAIR “gives aid to international terrorist groups.”
So, could Councilman Choi and Sen. Boxer be right and Mr. Chmielewski be wrong about CAIR and whether Mr. Gallinger’s close connection with them should be a matter of public discourse? It looks like it will be up to the voters of Irvine to decide on November 4.
You can assist Dr. Choi in his reelection effort by going to: http://stevenchoi.org/contribute/.
Choi’s running mates include Councilmember Christina Shea, who is running for mayor:
http://www.sheaformayor.com/contribute.pdf.
And former Irvine Police Officer Pat Rodgers who is running for Council at: http://www.patrodgers.org/contribute/contribute.html.
Tags: CAIR, election, Irvine, Islam, Muslim Brotherhood
September 24th, 2008 at 1:17 pm
This is a fantastic blog entry. Thank you, Assemblyman DeVore.
The second round in the Holy Land Foundation Hamas funding trial has resumed this week. The Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) are both listed as unindicted co-conspirators despite their repeated attempts to be removed from the list.
September 24th, 2008 at 2:18 pm
CAIR has a huge burden of proof to distance themselves from supporting terror groups, of which Hamas IS one. And CAIR has provided proof none other than their single cliche sentence on not advocating violence.
Sorry CAIR, I don’t buy it, and you are, in my book, considered highly suspicious and to be wiretapped and surveillance’d as much as any other single group.
September 24th, 2008 at 2:38 pm
Hi, your email and statement is a bit over my head but bottom line, and I trust your endorsement here in Irvine, are we voting for Choi, Shea and Rodgers? That is what I am assuming. Thanks for all of your help in figuring this out!
KH
September 24th, 2008 at 3:23 pm
When will we wake up to realize we are in a religious war - Freedom against muslim/islam dictorial tyranny. Although there are many muslims who are pacifists, (as there were in Germany during Hitler’s time), but the religion is controlled by terrorists.
We should do all we can to rid our nation of these people who would undermine our democracy and freedoms.
Personally I can’t bend my knees, so I can’t bow to mecca and mohammed. End of discussion.
September 24th, 2008 at 6:06 pm
You are RIGHT, and groups like this need to be monitored 24X7. They inflitrate society quietly, and they are happy to wait years to take every opportunity of polical correctness to get a Muslim foothold into our society.
In Afghaistan recently, heroic UK bomb disposal expert Gary O’Donnell was killed by a terrorist bomb. In London. Islamic fanatic. Anjem Choudary is filmed ranting that Muslims must take over Britain and bring in Sharia Law. British hospitality and political correctness were the ideal breeding ground.
It starts innocently with genuinely peaceful muslim folk, but extremists will wait years to quitely infest such groups and then they will grab every opportunity to change us into them.
It’s too late for Britain; don’t let them get ANY foothold here.
September 26th, 2008 at 4:53 pm
For a thorough review of Hamas, see the article entitled ‘Green Tide Rising - Hamas Ascends’ (w/ comments) at http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/010618.php
October 9th, 2008 at 9:24 pm
CAIR insists that they are not affiliated with extremeist elements, but I note that Ibrihim Hooper will not condemn Hezbollah and Hamas as terror organizations. He will only say (as his organization does) that CAIR condemns all acts of terror-which implies that Israel is on a moral plane with Islamic terrorists.
CAIR is an unindicted co-conspirator in the Homeland Foundation prosecution. Steven Choi says they are a dangerous organization, and CAIR objects. I think it is safe to say at this point that CAIR is a definitely a suspicious organization.
Given that, I find it impossible to support Todd Gallinger, who is their local attorney, for Irvine City Council.
gary fouse
fousesquawk
October 12th, 2008 at 7:13 pm
I have posed a couple of questions to Mr Gallinger on the Red County Blog regarding his work with CAIR and the organization’s beginnings and associations. He has “responded” to me in a dismissive way, but I am being persistent.
If Mr Gallinger wants to be on the Irvine City Council, he can respond to legitimate questions in a public forum like Red County. If he chooses not to answer the questions, he should be held up to public ridicule.
gary fouse
fousesquawk
October 20th, 2008 at 10:54 am
Chuck,
Kudos to you for doing the research and shining a light of clarity on the issue. The moral equivalency that CAIR tries to sell as moderation and “even handedness” is far from benign. It is the seed of a cancer they are sowing in our community in order to undermine one of the core principles of why Americans have always been such a good people… that is our “moral clarity”. To think that friends of terrorists could be on our wonderful city’s counsel is appalling.
I and all my staff (small biz here in Irvine) and ALL my cul-de-sac neighbors stand resolutely in your corner!
I am forwarding this article to everyone on my list.
Asher
October 20th, 2008 at 3:12 pm
You are right on, Assemblyman DeVore! I don’t know what it will take for “CAIRphyllics” to wake up and smell the coffee. Several of CAIR’s officers are serving time in prison or have been deported for terrorism-related activities. As noted by other responders, above, this organization has been identified as an unidicted co-conspirator in the Holy Land Foundation trial. That in itself should give pause to anyone still believing in its “benevolent” intent. The more CAIR tries to paint itself as a benevolent organization, the more I understand what “taqiyya” means. Bottom line: CAIR IS a dangerous organization and anyone believing otherwise is not dealing with reality.
October 20th, 2008 at 11:01 pm
Thank you Assemblyman DeVore, once again, for standing up against those who would destroy the freedom and rights we in the West still enjoy.
You and Dr. Choi have my full support. And I will no longer be voting for Agran and Krom, since they are aligning themselves with CAIR via sharing a ticket with Gallinger. It is especially disconcerting to see fellow Jews, such as Agran and Krom, condoning an organization associated with anti-Western and anti-Semitic groups and individuals.