(AFDI, Washington, D.C., 10/31/2012) -- An anti-hate coalition of Jewish, Christian, Hindu and secular pro-freedom organizations is asking all people of conscience to contact the Washington Area Metropolitan Transit Authority (WMATA) and ask that it help mitigate the negative impact of deceptive Islamic supremacist advertisements now on display in DC-area metro stations. The ads strongly mislead the public about jihad terror and the Islamic supremacist threat. They are sponsored by the Hamas-linked Council on American-Islamic Relations, a designated unindicted co-conspirator in a terror funding case led by avowed Hamas supporter Nihad Awad.
Last week, the coalition sent a letter to WMATA Board Chair Catherine Hudgins asking to meet and discuss simple steps to help mitigate the impact of the deceptive Islamic supremacist ad. To date, the coalition has received no response from Hudgins or any other WMATA representative.
In its letter, the coalition requested that:
* WMATA work closely with organizations representing people who have been victimized by jihad and Sharia during all phases of the response and follow up to the CAIR ads.
* WMATA take a similar approach to that of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) in response to the CAIR ads by placing disclaimers that show that the deceptive speech promulgated by such ads is not representative of the view of WMATA.
* WMATA provide free space for counter ads, focused on promoting understanding of the nature and magnitude of the jihad threat to the Greater Washington DC Metropolitan area, and awareness of the harm caused by deceptive Islamic supremacist campaigns to demonize those fighting for human rights against jihad and Sharia.
The Hamas-linked CAIR ads severely mislead Americans about the nature of the jihad against free nations by quoting a peaceful passage of the Qur'an that many Islamic scholars believe has been abrogated by passages enjoining violence and hate. This masks the organization's true intentions and leads to complacency, when in reality CAIR operatives have repeatedly refused to denounce Hamas and Hizballah as terrorist groups. Several former CAIR officials have been convicted of various crimes related to jihad terror. CAIR's cofounder and longtime Board chairman (Omar Ahmad), as well as its chief spokesman (Ibrahim Hooper), have made Islamic supremacist statements. Its California chapter distributed posters telling Muslims not to talk to the FBI.
Hamas-linked CAIR's attempt to defame AFDI is consistent with its long record of pro-jihad duplicity, deception and thuggery. One member of this unsavory gang has even previously called for these ads to be defaced. Although it has received millions of dollars in donations from foreign Islamic entities, it has not registered as a foreign agent as required by the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), despite spreading Islamic supremacist propaganda within the United States.
Although it presents itself as a civil rights group, CAIR actually has numerous links to hateful and violent Islamic supremacist and jihad groups.
CAIR founders Omar Ahmad and Niwad Awad (who still serves as CAIR's executive director) were present at a Hamas planning meeting in Philadelphia in 1993 where they and other Hamas operatives conspired to raise funds for Hamas and to promote jihad in the Middle East. CAIR has steadfastly refused to denounce Hamas and Hizballah as terrorist groups.
Several former CAIR officials have been convicted of various crimes related to jihad terror:
-- Ghassan Elashi, founder of CAIR's Texas chapter, in 2009 received a 65-year prison sentence for funneling over $12 million from the Islamic charity known as the Holy Land Foundation to the jihad terrorist group Hamas, which is responsible for murdering hundreds of Israeli civilians
-- Mousa Abu Marzook, a former CAIR official, was in 1995 designated by the U.S. government in 1995 as a "terrorist and Hamas leader." He now is a Hamas leader in Syria.
-- Randall Royer, CAIR's former civil rights coordinator, in 2004 began serving a 20-year prison sentence for aiding al-Qaida and the Taliban against American troops in Afghanistan and recruiting for Lashkar e-Taiba, the jihadist group responsible for the 2008 Mumbai jihad massacres.
-- Bassem Khafagi, CAIR's former community relations director, was arrested for involvement with the Islamic Assembly of North America, which was linked to al-Qaida. After pleading guilty to visa and bank fraud charges, Khafagi was deported.
-- Rabih Haddad, a former CAIR fundraiser, was deported for his work with the Global Relief Foundation (which he co-founded), a terror-financing organization.
In 1998 Omar Ahmad, CAIR's co-founder and longtime Board Chairman, said: "Islam isn't in America to be equal to any other faith, but to become dominant. The Koran should be the highest authority in America, and Islam the only accepted religion on Earth."
After he received unwelcome publicity as a result of this statement, Ahmad denied saying it, several years after the fact. However, the original reporter, Lisa Gardiner of the Fremont Argus, stands by her story.
CAIR's spokesman Ibrahim Hooper once said: "I wouldn't want to create the impression that I wouldn't like the government of the United States to be Islamic sometime in the future."
The pro-freedom coalition is led by the human rights organization the American Freedom Defense Initiative (AFDI). Other members include Stop Islamization of America (SIOA); Stop Islamization of Nations (SION); Stop Islamisation of Europe (SIOE); the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA); Voice of the Copts; Former Muslims United (FMU); Traditional Values Coalition (TVC), Virginia Anti-Shariah Taskforce (VAST); Christian Seniors Association; Faith Freedom International, an organization of former Muslims; Akhand Hindusthan Morcha (a part of Vishwa Hindu Parishad), Sardar Kiranpal Singh Tyagi, President; Akhil Bhartiya Hindu Mahasabha, Sardar Raviranjan Singh (Member High Power Steering Committee); Sant Sipahi Vichar Manch, Sardar Hari Singh Matharu (Convener); Nanak Shahi Parivar, Sardar Jaspal Singh Manchanda (Head of the Organization).
Individual members include Lieutenant Alan T. DeVona (Retired), PAPD WTC 9/11/01 Patrol Sergeant; Steven M. Goldberg, National Vice Chairman of the Zionist Organization of America; Paul Schnee, President, Zionist Organization of America, Los Angeles Chapter; Dr. Naftali Moses, PhD, whose son was murdered in the jihad attack at the Mercaz HaRav library in Jerusalem in March 2008; Marine combat veteran Jesse Nieto, whose son was killed in the 2000 jihad attack on the USS Cole; Iraq ex-Muslim human rights activist Bushra Qader; and many others.
AFDI is one of America’s most prominent human rights organizations. Its mission is to defend the freedom of speech, the freedom of conscience, and equality of rights for all people – no special rights for special classes.
CONTACT: Pamela Geller at pamelageller@gmail.com; phone (917) 310-4710.
SOURCE: American Freedom Defense Initiative
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But please, exactly WHAT do these "deceptive Islamic supremacist advertisements" SAY? I cannot comprehend why they were not given in the article. One would simply like to know. Or am I missing some obvious issue here?...