The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) attacked the “March Against Sharia” rallies that occurred in 20+ cities around the country yesterday and called the sponsoring organization, ACT for America, a “hate group.”
.@ACTforAmerica is a hate group. #Marchagainstsharia is a hate rally. Full stop. #counterACThate
— CAIR National (@CAIRNational) June 10, 2017
Protesters at #MarchAgainstSharia opposed to Sharia, not Islam; @PeteHegseth reports. https://t.co/tCYiePidrb pic.twitter.com/d1bsoLuDnC
— Fox News (@FoxNews) June 11, 2017
But as the president of ACT for America noted, CAIR was designated a terrorist organization by the United Arab Emirates in November 2015:
https://twitter.com/ACTBrigitte/status/873579391116132358
And others noted that CAIR had been implicated in the largest terrorism financing trial in American history for its role in a conspiracy to support the designated terrorist group Hamas:
This is coming from the people who fund Hamas and have had actual terrorists work for them https://t.co/qOEvApPLfC
— Ben McDonald (@Bmac0507) June 10, 2017
The UAE terror designation of CAIR is not some kind of state secret:
UAE designates 83 organization as terrorist groups,including Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR in UShttp://t.co/JvQHHx515R pic.twitter.com/8yW27PTfTL
— Naser al-tamimi ناصر التميمي (@nasertamimi) November 15, 2014
US group CAIR named terrorist organization by United Arab Emirates http://t.co/wXSGO3CeHA via @perrych
— Fox News (@FoxNews) November 17, 2014
Ties to Muslim Brotherhood land U.S. groups on UAE's terror blacklist http://t.co/qzjYwVe8Pf pic.twitter.com/PWmoVAYcnR
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) November 20, 2014
United Arab Emirates Designates Two American Muslim Groups As Terrorist Orgs http://t.co/UEzIod1iSu
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) November 15, 2014
CAIR even acknowledged its own terror designation:
CAIR-Oklahoma shocked by terrorist designation for Islamic group; Rep. John Bennett urges investigation. http://t.co/Q82n1PPFGJ
— Tulsa World (@tulsaworld) November 20, 2014
And CAIR pressured the Obama administration to try (unsuccessfully) to intervene with the UAE to get themselves removed from the terrorist designation list:
U.S. Government Pledges to Work with #CAIR, MAS on #UAE Designation
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 12/22/14) –- The Council… http://t.co/5CP2FRj01d
— CAIR National (@CAIRNational) December 22, 2014
UAE official says groups may appeal against inclusion on terror list http://t.co/Hc4GrO8KzR
— Matthew Levitt (@Levitt_Matt) November 21, 2014
But, in fact, the UAE doubled down on CAIR’s designated terror group status.
UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan reportedly said in an interview at the time:
We cannot accept incitement or funding. For many countries, the definition of terror is that you have to carry a weapon or terrorize people. For us, it’s far beyond that. We cannot tolerate even the smallest amount of terrorism.
And it was precisely CAIR’s identified role in the largest terrorism trial in American history that exposed the organization’s longtime support for terrorism.
Ellison: Anti-Sharia Marchers ‘are the Folks Who are Imposing Their Religion on America’
In Justice Department court filings in the Holy Land Foundation (HLF) case, CAIR is specifically identified as part of the conspiracy operated by the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood’s Palestine Committee to provide “media, money and men” to support the designated terrorist group Hamas:
REWIND: Justice Dept in federal court filing says CAIR was part of MoBro conspiracy to provide "media, money and men" to terror org Hamas pic.twitter.com/etELIGV0yi
— Patrick Poole (@pspoole) June 11, 2017
When federal prosecutors named CAIR as unindicted co-conspirators in the HLF case, they specifically identified the organization as part of the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood’s Palestine Committee:
When Justice Dept named CAIR as unindicted co-conspirator in the HLF case they noted CAIR was part of US MoBro PalCom raising Hamas support pic.twitter.com/qyu78YmHMP
— Patrick Poole (@pspoole) June 11, 2017
During the trial, FBI Agent Lara Burns testified that CAIR was a front for Hamas:
REWIND: FBI Agent Lara Burns testifies during Holy Land Foundation trial that CAIR is a front for terror org HAMAS https://t.co/y2PeD4FU8T
— Patrick Poole (@pspoole) June 11, 2017
The federal judge hearing the case agreed with federal prosecutors, saying they had provided “ample evidence” of CAIR’s association with Hamas:
REWIND: Federal Judge Jorge Solis agreed with Justice Dept, ruling they gave 'ample evidence' of CAIR's association with terror group Hamas pic.twitter.com/qmXC2WO4HJ
— Patrick Poole (@pspoole) June 11, 2017
More emphatically, he wrote in a ruling later unsealed that the trial evidence created a “prima facie case” of CAIR’s support for Hamas:
Federal Judge Jorge Solis ruled that Justice Dept trial evidence created 'prima facie case' of CAIR's role in conspiracy to support Hamas pic.twitter.com/pDjtAuH8i8
— Patrick Poole (@pspoole) June 11, 2017
Notes from a Palestine Committee meeting showing the then-newly founded CAIR’s role in the Hamas support network were submitted to the federal court:
Justice Dept submitted evidence in federal court showing CAIR was part of US Muslim Brotherhood conspiracy to support terror group Hamas pic.twitter.com/huBDeh1ayA
— Patrick Poole (@pspoole) June 11, 2017
When CAIR submitted briefs in other terrorism-related cases, federal prosecutors had to remind federal courts of exactly who CAIR was and its longtime support for terrorism:
REWIND: In Sabri Benkhala appeal Justice Dept said CAIR was founded by Muslim Brotherhood, then conspired w/other MB orgs to aid terrorists pic.twitter.com/KfVJAteItW
— Patrick Poole (@pspoole) June 11, 2017
In federal deportation proceedings against CAIR national board of directors member Nabil Sadoun, ICE agents presented to the court graphics showing CAIR’s relations to the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood’s Palestine Committee conspiracy to support Hamas:
When ICE deported CAIR board member Nabil Sadoun, they prepared this graphic showing CAIR's role in US MoBro conspiracy to support Hamas pic.twitter.com/E8KZBDTZc2
— Patrick Poole (@pspoole) June 11, 2017
When the federal judge handed down sentences in the HLF case in 2009, the Justice Department noted in its press release that the successful prosecution was built on the acknowledgement of the Palestine Committee’s conspiracy to support Hamas in which CAIR played a crucial role:
Holder (!!) Justice Dept describes the US Muslim Brotherhood conspiracy to support Hamas DOJ said CAIR involved in https://t.co/fWSrxCCpnE pic.twitter.com/J22YUbxQ2r
— Patrick Poole (@pspoole) June 11, 2017
Following the HLF trial and convictions, the FBI officially cut ties with CAIR:
POLITICS: FBI Cuts Ties With CAIR Following Terror Financing Trial http://tinyurl.com/djk98v
— Fox News (@FoxNews) January 30, 2009
But when Congress asked for the background information on CAIR that led to severing their relationship, the FBI inexplicably slow-walked the request:
POLITICS: Congressman 'Deeply Disappointed' By FBI's Lack of Answers on CAIR's Questionable Ties http://tinyurl.com/cl2fr5
— Fox News (@FoxNews) March 11, 2009
And in a story I broke here at PJ Media, which was later confirmed by Rep. Peter King and Attorney General Eric Holder, I noted that one of the first acts of the Obama Justice Department was to stop the second round of prosecutions following the successful HLF case:
After 2008 HLF convictions Obama DOJ political appointees scuttle 2nd round of prosecutions including CAIR leaders https://t.co/AHvSGo53Wo
— Patrick Poole (@pspoole) June 11, 2017
CAIR then became deeply tied to the Obama administration:
We Do CAIR: Administration admits to 'hundreds' of meetings with jihad-linked group – http://t.co/JR3SoDIh
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) June 8, 2012
This is alarming……Hamas-associated CAIR applauded by White House – http://j.mp/fgL9Mf #TCOT #GOP
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) March 18, 2011
It was only because of the direct intervention of top Obama administration political appointees that CAIR’s leadership wasn’t prosecuted for their role in supporting Hamas.
Still, FBI officials had to concede when directly confronted by members on Congress under oath that CAIR was directly tied to terrorism.
https://twitter.com/foxnation/status/48740556075040768
Thus, the UAE was only acting on the basis of information related to CAIR’s support of terrorism that had been established in U.S. federal court.
So when CAIR publicly attacks other organizations as “hate groups,” it must do so only intentionally ignoring that one of the closest U.S. Arab Muslim allies in the Middle East has recognized and acknowledged CAIR’s history of terror support.
Stones, glass houses, and all that…
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