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Along with the Islamic Society of North America and the North American Islamic Trust.
At last the truth is coming out about CAIR. Maybe now the mainstream media will stop treating it as a moderate group, although the FBI seems determined to keep its blinkers on.
"Islamic Groups Named in Hamas Funding Case," by Josh Gerstein of the New York Sun, with thanks to Jeffrey Imm:
Federal prosecutors have named three prominent Islamic organizations in America as participants in an alleged criminal conspiracy to support a Palestinian Arab terrorist group, Hamas.Prosecutors applied the label of "unindicted co-conspirator" to the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the Islamic Society of North America, and the North American Islamic Trust in connection with a trial planned in Texas next month for five officials of a defunct charity, the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development.
While the foundation was charged in the case, which was filed in 2004, none of the other groups was. However, the co-conspirator designation could be a blow to the credibility of the national Islamic organizations, which often work hand-in-hand with government officials engaged in outreach to the Muslim community.
A court filing by the government last week listed the three prominent groups among about 300 individuals or entities named as co-conspirators. The document gave scant details, but prosecutors described CAIR as a present or past member of "the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood's Palestine Committee and/or its organizations." The government listed the Islamic Society of North America and the North American Islamic Trust as "entities who are and/or were members of the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood."
The secretary-general of the Islamic Society of North America, Muneer Fareed, said his group was surprised to be named in the Texas case. "I can tell you categorically that the current administration of ISNA, as well as its stakeholders, they have no connection to my knowledge with any Holy Land foundations," he said.
Mr. Fareed denied his group has any ties to Hamas, though he said it is difficult to police all 300 mosques under his umbrella. "We might have a kid whose dad was president of Hamas for all I know," he said. "How do you verify these things?"
Gee, I don't know, Fareed. Maybe ask members if they have any ties to Hamas, and make it clear that such ties are unacceptable?
The Islamic official expressed frustration at the lack of detail in the prosecution's filing. "Perhaps there's some evidence. I just don't really know what it is," he said.Spokesmen for CAIR did not respond to messages seeking comment yesterday. Efforts to contact the North American Islamic Trust were unsuccessful.
The identification of the alleged co-conspirators could aid prosecutors when the Holy Land Foundation and five of its officials, Shukri Abu-Baker, Mohammad El-Mezain, Ghassan Elashi, Mufid Abdulqader, and Abdulraham Odeh, go to trial on July 16 in Dallas. Statements by and about co-conspirators are exempt from rules barring hearsay....
The inclusion of the Islamic groups on the list of alleged conspirators could give ammunition to critics of the organizations. CAIR, in particular, has faced persistent claims that it is soft on terrorism. Critics note that several former CAIR officials have been convicted or deported after being charged with fraud, embargo violations, or aiding terrorist training. Spokesmen for the group have also raised eyebrows for offering generic denunciations of terrorism but refusing to condemn by name specific Islamic terrorist groups such as Hamas or Hezbollah.
In addition, one of the Holy Land Foundation defendants, Ghassan Elashi, founded CAIR's Texas chapter. CAIR's Washington office was also set up in 1994 with $5,000 in seed money from the foundation, according to congressional testimony by a researcher into Islamic extremism, Steven Emerson.
Last year, Senator Boxer of California, a Democrat, withdrew an award she gave to an official at a local CAIR chapter. She said she had concerns about statements by some CAIR officials and about claims of financial links to terrorism. Many FBI officials meet regularly with CAIR representatives and clerics from the Islamic Society of North America.
A New York Times article published in March said unidentified government officials believed that the criticism of CAIR was unwarranted. A former FBI official, Michael Rolince, said yesterday that the co-conspirator designation might prompt CAIR to be more direct in denouncing terrorism but was no reason to cut off all contact with the group.
"People could say the same thing about the FBI. They're not all choirboys," he said. "We don't go into this with blinders on."
Are you sure of that, Rolince? Are you saying that the FBI could be called an unindicted co-conspirator with a jihad terrorist organization? Are you saying that it's wise for the FBI to collaborate with a group that engages in cooperative efforts with groups that have called for death to America? Sure, we're not all choirboys. But we're not all dupes or tools of the enemy, either.
Posted by Robert at June 4, 2007 9:05 AM
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Yeah, CAIR is getting off too easily here. I suspect that because they are giving "sensitivity" training to the FBI, they have a free pass, so to speak.
Cheers,
http://doctorbulldog.wordpress.com
Posted by: Doctor Bulldog![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.jihadwatch.org/nav-commenters.gif)
at June 4, 2007 9:15 AM
Since this is a Federal case, I assume that there is little chance it will be dropped once it gets to "discovery'. It would be interesting to track cases brought by islamic organizations and dropped as they reach 'discovery' process, and if/when any counter-suits are brought to follow up with the most interesting points revealed through 'discovery' in future cases.
Boston Islamic group offers stay in defamation suit
As a previous JW comment stated
"I would LOVE to have an online [ anti-jihad ] legal reviewing organization"Posted by: justamomof4
at June 4, 2007 9:30 AM
"Are you saying that the FBI could be called an unindicted co-conspirator with a jihad terrorist organization?" BIFF!!! "Are you saying that it's wise for the FBI to collaborate with a group that engages in cooperative efforts with groups that have called for death to America?" BAM!!! Sure, we're not all choirboys. "But we're not all dupes or tools of the enemy, either." KA-POW!!!
Yowch! That's gonna leave a few marks. All well deserved and earned over time.
at June 4, 2007 9:38 AM
Having been identified as a co-conspirator, WHY HASN'T CAIR been indicted?
Posted by: justamomof4 at June 4, 2007 9:42 AM
Don't hold your breath waiting for any of these folks/organizations to be prosecuted (Although, if it was a group of Christian gun owners suspected to be involved in acts of this sort they'd already be dead). I will be shocked if anything is done at all.
Posted by: livefreeordie!
at June 4, 2007 9:43 AM
I really hate "CAIR." There shouldn't be any "CAIR." I hate that the acronym sounds like "CARE."
Disgusting. And that Hooper, a convert to Islam, total loser. Anyone who converts to Islam from another religion is an automatic loser.
Anyone know what religion Hooper was originally?
Posted by: darcy at June 4, 2007 9:51 AM
Last year, Senator Boxer of California, a Democrat, withdrew an award she gave to an official at a local CAIR chapter. She said she had concerns about statements by some CAIR officials and about claims of financial links to terrorism.
You mean...that Barbara Boxer finally did something right?
CAIR should have been run out of town years ago.
They should be run out od town now...
at June 4, 2007 10:34 AM
I personally believe that organizations like the FBI have to talk to the bad guys in order to find bad guys. To think that they should not talk to the bad guys is the thinking that went on in the Clinton administration. Our citizens and allies were being attacked all the time while that was the time when the intelligence agencies were also being gutted - and that was what Bush inherited.
I don't believe the FBI have a total clue as to what they let in though - one of those stinks that one cannot get rid of unless they just junk the car and buy a new one.
A book I read when I first started reading on islam/muslims was 'Infiltration'. It tells of what the FBI was doing - hiring muslims to translate Arabic papers and not hiring Jews. (seems like hiring muslims to translate something that would put islam in a bad light was the wrong thing to do) And the one thing that the Jews can do very well is translate. For centuries they have not been able to hold lands, have been discriminated against in other ways they have become expert translators, merchants, money changers, etc. Translators being a key word here.
The FBI, I would suspect, is still doing the above - not hiring Jews because the muslims don't want them around. (whatever happened to racism and prejudice in the work place?!) And what is still happening is the FBI, and other government places such as the Pentagon, etc (paid for by us), are giving them prayer rooms, foot washing places, etc. All of this being the epitome of racist and prejudiced practices since it is only for one group of people who are totally intolerant of others.
at June 4, 2007 10:34 AM
CAIR has been accused of ties to terrorism for quite some time. Nothing has happened to them. And they get funds from Saudi Arabia - and like others who get funds from Saudi Arabia (the Universities, politicians, some governments both local and federal, etc) do their bidding by advancing islam - the wahabbi form of islam.
Right now I have been writing our governor (Arnie) and asking why UCLA is publishing a wahabbi newsletter - al-talib. It is not only anti-American and anti-Semetic (which seems to be the thing to do these day to hate America and Jews), but it is also pro wahabbi. It incites hatred and that should be not tolerated. By tolerating these intolerant groups - it only incites radicals to be more emboldened.
I suspect that UCLA is getting funds from Saudi Arabia - it is a common theme running through our Universities these days - they get funds from the Saudis, then they enable the radicals to practice their intolerance on our campuses. If we don't stop it - no one else will. Or, I suppose, we could sit back and 'hope'.
Posted by: R_not at June 4, 2007 10:43 AM
I hope that the FBI's apparent reluctance to realize that CAIR is the enemy is a mere ploy to facilitate infiltration. Unfortunately, I doubt it.
Posted by: JSobieski at June 4, 2007 11:22 AM
Rolince, you don't work for the FBI anymore...so you don't speak for them either.
Quit openin' your yap!!!
Posted by: Miss_Anthrope at June 4, 2007 12:06 PM
Robert:
Gee, I don't know, Fareed. Maybe ask members if they have any ties to Hamas, and make it clear that such ties are unacceptable?
If CAIR realised that Hamas ties were really unacceptable, I have no doubt they will start developing a 2-prong policy: Publically say they have no links with Hamas (and stay silent instead of denouncing them) but privately maintain their contacts.
Posted by: UK Infidel Lover at June 4, 2007 12:07 PM
The answer as to why CAIR is identified as an 'unindicted' co-conspirator . . .Quoting Daniel Pipes:
What is an unindicted co-conspirator? Someone by and about whom hearsay is permissible in the courtroom. Here is a definition by legal journalist Stuart Taylor, discussing an entirely unrelated case:
The prosecutor is saying in essence in court … that we believe this man was part of the criminal conspiracy, along with the people who are on trial. We haven't indicted him but the relevance of that for the purposes of the trial is that [it] lets them get in more evidence about the unindicted co-conspirator's … out-of-court statements than they otherwise could. It's a way around the hearsay rule. … For example, if they want … one of their witnesses, to talk about what [a person] said to him, ordinarily that would be barred by the so-called hearsay rule. You can't … testify in a trial about what somebody else said out of court. That rule has a lot of exceptions. One of the exceptions is if the person who you're trying to quote … is named by the prosecution as an unindicted co-conspirator, then you can talk about what he said out of court.Posted by: justamomof4
at June 4, 2007 12:50 PM
Shortly after September 11, 2001, while the world grieved over the attacks on America, Nihad Awad and CAIR took advantage of the suffering by placing on their website a picture of the World Trade Center in flames and under it a call for donations. It read, “What you can do for the victims of the WTC and Pentagon attacks,” and by clicking on “Donate to the NY/DC Emergency Relief Fund” one was unsuspectingly sent directly to the website of the Holy Land Foundation. A week later, the wording of the site was changed, as visitors to the site were directly told to “Donate through the Holy Land Foundation.” The link was on CAIR’s website up until the beginning of December, when the information mysteriously disappeared.
On December 4, 2001, the reason for the disappearance was apparent, as the Holy Land Foundation’s assets were blocked by the United States government for funneling money to Hamas. According to the White House website, “The U.S.-based Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development [provided] millions of dollars each year that [was] used by HAMAS.”
http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=12470
Posted by: DCWatson at June 4, 2007 1:31 PM
need another opinion here...I think that #1 the feds are all over these support elements of terror and CAIR wont step over the line covertly because they know they are hot but will use H n I (harrassment and interdiction) with the help of our media and national good will or #2 the fix is in from on high that has handcuffed law enforcment from federal to local levels. The ICE is a fine example...And may God bless those two G.I.s that IDs were broadcast.... A may He lesson the suffering of thier loved ones
Posted by: recondobilly at June 4, 2007 1:44 PM
Former FBI official Michael Rolince said
People could say the same thing about the FBI. They're not all choirboys
Someone please help me pick my jaw up off the floor. FBI (former or not) officials comparing FBI agents to convicted terrorists and their apologists is, ummm, surprising. I guess the FBI has changed since the days of Elliott Ness or J. Edgar Hoover. The "We Are All the Same" mentality is now all-pervasive in our government, apparently.
I'm stunned to hear this sort of statement.
Posted by: special_guest at June 4, 2007 4:44 PM
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