Hooper has lost a religious leader
A CAIR press release about a CAIR statement (thanks to DC Watson):
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today condemned the assassination of a wheelchair-bound Palestinian Muslim religious leader, calling it an act of “state terrorism.”
Israel killed Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, a 67-year-old quadriplegic and the most prominent Palestinian Islamic figure, in a missile strike outside a Gaza City mosque on Monday.
In its statement, CAIR said:
“We condemn this violation of international law as an act of state terrorism by Ariel Sharon’s out-of-control government. Israel’s extra-judicial killing of an Islamic religious leader can only serve to perpetuate the cycle of violence throughout the region. The international community must now take concrete steps to help protect the Palestinian people against such wanton Israeli violence.
“We call on the United States to join its allies in condemning this political assassination and to make that condemnation meaningful by cutting the flow American-taxpayer dollars to Israel. It is these tax dollars that pay for the weapons Israel uses to carry out such illegal attacks. American repudiation of Israel’s brutal policies could also be demonstrated by the cancellation of Ariel Sharon’s upcoming visit to Washington.
“Bland administration statements urging ‘restraint by all parties’ will only be viewed internationally as tacit approval of Israel’s actions and will undermine our moral and legal basis for the war on terrorism.
“Until Israel views Palestinians as human beings, and not just animals to be slaughtered at will during ‘hunting season,’* there can be no viable and just resolution to the Middle East conflict. And until America adopts a truly even-handed approach to that conflict, our nation’s image will continue to suffer worldwide.”
(*Last week, a senior Israeli security official was quoted as saying “hunting season has begun,” in reference to assassinations of Palestinians. [Washington Times, 3/18/04])
World leaders have been uniform in their condemnation of Sheikh Yassin’s assassination. British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw called the Israeli attack an “unlawful killing.” Straw said: “I don’t believe Israel will benefit from the fact that this morning an (elderly man) in a wheelchair has been the target of assassination.”
European Union foreign ministers said in a statement: “Israel is not…entitled to carry out extra-judicial killings.” French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin said: “Such acts can only feed the spiral of violence.”
CAIR, America’s largest Islamic civil liberties group, has consistently condemned all terrorist acts, whether carried out by individuals, groups or states.
Two observations:
1. The CAIR/Hamas link. According to Joe Kaufman in Front Page:
It was around this time that [CAIR’s] Nihad Awad got involved with the Islamic Association for Palestine, or in Awad’s words: “After the Gulf War was over, I was offered a job with the Islamic Association for Palestine as their public relations director.” He took the job, and soon after that, he accepted a position as a contributing editor for one of the organization’s publications, the Muslim World Monitor, as well.
The Islamic Association for Palestine (IAP) is widely regarded as the “primary voice in the United States” of the terrorist group Hamas. The IAP was founded by Mousa Mohammed Abu Marzook, a “senior political leader” of Hamas, and the organization is credited with publishing the actual Hamas charter. In a prepared statement before the Senate Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on Terrorism, Technology and Government Information, Steven Emerson stated, “internal Hamas documents strongly suggest that parts of the Hamas charter… were first written by members of the IAP in the United States in the early to mid-1980’s.”
About the IAP, former FBI counterterrorism chief Oliver “Buck” Revell stated, “IAP is a Hamas front. It’s controlled by Hamas, it brings Hamas leaders to the US, it does propaganda for Hamas.”
The IAP publication that Awad became an editor for, according to Steven Emerson in his book American Jihad, “celebrates successful Hamas terrorist attacks.” . . . Nihad Awad’s support for Hamas was absolute. In fact, while with the IAP, in a March 22, 1994 symposium at Barry University in Florida, he stated just that. Awad said, “…after I researched the situation inside and outside Palestine, I am in support of the Hamas movement…”
This same year, according to The Weekly Standard, when Mike Wallace of CBS’s “60 Minutes” asked Awad if he supports the “military undertakings of Hamas,” Awad stood up for the terrorist group and told him, “The United Nations Charter grants people who are under occupation [the right] to defend themselves against illegal occupation.”
At the behest of then-IAP President Omar Ahmad, Awad met with him (Ahmad) and Rafeeq Jaber (Ahmad’s successor and current IAP President) to discuss the IAP branching out in another direction. That direction was CAIR.
Just three months after the infamous “I support Hamas” statement, in June of 1994, the ‘IAP three’ incorporated the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), in Awad’s words, “to bridge the chasm of ignorance between Muslims in America and their neighbors.” Nihad Awad became the group’s Executive Director, Omar Ahmad took on the title of Chairman of the Board, and Awad solicited his friend and colleague from the Bosnian Relief Committee, Ibrahim Hooper, as CAIR’s Communications Director.
Using a $5000 dollar “modest donation,” CAIR opened up an office in the nation’s capitol, Washington, D.C. That donation came from the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development, a self-described charity that, like the IAP, was founded by Mousa Abu Marzook.
Two years after CAIR’s inception, in May of 1996, the group coordinated a press conference to protest the decision of the United States government to extradite Marzook for his connection to terrorist acts performed by Hamas. In addition, CAIR signed a letter, which was printed in the June 1996 edition of the Newsletter of the Marzuk Legal Fund, calling the extradition “anti-Islamic” and “anti-American.”
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.”
2. The CAIR statement above calls Yassin a “religious leader” and says that CAIR has “consistently condemned all terrorist acts.” So we are to understand, since there was no condemnation of the following, that CAIR does not consider these acts by Hamas to be terrorist acts? And if not, and in light of their characterization of Yassin, should CAIR really continue to be considered a moderate Muslim organization by the American media?
A Chronology of Terrorist Attacks Carried out by the Hamas Since September 2000:
May 19, 2003: A Hamas terrorist on a bicycle blows himself up next to a military jeep in Kfar Darom (Gaza Strip). 3 soldiers are wounded.
May 18, 2003: A suicide bomber, with an explosives filled bag, blows himself up near the A-Ram Junction in Jerusalem.
May 18, 2003: A suicide bomber wearing an explosive blows himself up on a bus at the French Hill Junction in Jerusalem. 7 Israelis are killed and 20 were wounded.
May 17, 2003: A suicide bomber dressed as a religious Jew, wearing an explosive belt, blows himself up in Hebron’s Gross Square, killing 2 Israeli civilians.
April 30, 2003: A suicide bomber detonates an explosive belt at the entrance to a pub on the Tel Aviv boardwalk. 3 Israeli civilians are killed,and 62 are wounded.
March 5, 2003: A suicide bomber blows himself up on the #37 bus in Haifa. 15 Israeli civilians are killed, and 42 are wounded.
January 17, 2003: An explosives lade raft, guided by a suicide bomber, explodes after Israeli Navy ships fire at the craft 4 kilometers from Dugit, in the northern Gaza Strip.
November 21, 2003: A suicide bomber detonates an explosive belt on the #20 bus on Mexico Street in Jerusalem. 11 Israelis are killed, and 50 are wounded.
October 27, 2002: A suicide bomber wearing an explosive belt blows himself up at the gas station near the entrance to the city of Ariel. 3 Israeli civilians are killed, and 17 are wounded.
October 11, 2002: A suicide bomber is arrested at the entrance to a café before he could detonate his explosive belt.
October 10, 2002: A suicide bomber wearing an explosive belt at the “Coca-Cola” Junction/Bar Ilan Bridge. An Israeli civilian is killed, and 20 are wounded.
September 19, 2002: A suicide bomber detonates an explosives laden bag on the #4 bus on Allenby Street in Tel Aviv.
August 4, 2002: A suicide bomber detonates an explosive device strapped to his body on a bus travelling near Mt. Meron (northern Israel). 9 Israeli civilians are killed, and 48 are wounded.
June 18, 2002: A suicide bomber detonates an explosives laden bag on a bus travelling along Dov-Yosef Street in the Gilo neighborhood of Jerusalem. 19 civlians are killed, and 50 are wounded.
May 7, 2002: A suicide bomber detonates an explosive belt and an additional explosive device (in a bag) at a snooker club in Rishon Letzion. 16 Israeli civilians are killed, and 51 are wounded.
March 31, 2002: A suicide bomber blows himself up at the “Matzah” restaurant in Haifa. 15 Israeli civilians are killed, and 31 are wounded.
March 27, 2002: A suicide bomber blows himself up with an explosive belt Park Hotel in Netanya. 29 Israeli civilians are killed, and 144 are wounded.
March 9, 2002: A suicide bomber detonates an explosive device strapped to his body at the entrance the the “Moment Café” in Jerusalem. 11 Israeli civilians are killed, and 58 are wounded.
March 7, 2002: A suicide bomber attempts to detonate an explosive device on his back in the “Kafit” café on Emek Rafaim Street in Jerusalem.
February 6, 2002: A suicide bomber boards a bus travelling between the city of Maale Adumim and Jerusalem and attempts to detonate an explosive belt.
December 12, 2001: 2 suicide bombers detonate explosive devices next to Israeli vehicles in the area of Ganei Tal (Gaza Strip), while an additional explosive device is detonated towards another Israeli vehicle. 3 Israeli civilians are killed.
December 2, 2001: A suicide bomber detonates an explosive device concealed under a coat on a bus near Yad L’banim in Haifa. 15 civilians are killed and 35 are wounded.+December 1, 2001: 2 suicide bombers detonate explosive devices concealed in bags as well as explosive belts on Ben Yehudah Street in Jerusalem. Immediately afterwards, a booby-trapped car explodes. 11 civilians are killed and 170 are wounded.
November 26, 2001: A suicide bomber wearing an explosive belt at the Erez Checkpoint (Gaza Strip). 2 IDF soldiers are wounded.
November 8, 2001: A suicide bomber detonates an explosive device strapped to his body in the area of Bakah Al Sharikah as he attempted to travel to Israel. 2 IDF soldiers are wounded.
September 9, 2001: A suicide bomber detonates an explosive device strapped to his body at the train station in Nahariya. 3 Israeli civilians are killed, and 46 are wounded.
September 4, 2001: A suicide bomber detonates an explosive device strapped to his body on Neviim Street in Jerusalem. 13 Israeli civilians are wounded.
August 9, 2001: A suicide bomber blows himself up at the Sbarro restaurant in Jerusale, located on King George and Jaffa Street in Jerusalem. 15 Israelis are killed and 110 wounded.
August 8, 2001: A suicide bomber detonates a booby-trapped car next to the Bekaot chcekpoint in the West Bank.
July 9, 2001: A suicide bomber detonates a booby-trapped car next to an IDF vehicle in the area of Gush Katif (Gaza Strip). 1 IDF soldier is wounded.
June 22, 2001: A suicide bomber detonates a booby-trapped car near IDF forces in Alei Sinai (Gush Katif). 2 IDF soldiers are killed, and another soldier is wounded.
June 1, 2001: A suicide bomber blows himself up at the entrance to the “Dolphinarium” club in Tel Aviv. 22 Israeli civilians are killed, and 83 are wounded.
May 29, 2001: 2 terrorists approach an IDF position at the “Tofah” Junction (Gaza Strip). 1 terrorist detonates an explosive device strapped to his body, and the other hurled grenades and opened fire. 2 IDF soldiers are killed.
May 25, 2001: A suicide bomber detonates an explsosives filled container weighing 48 kilograms and 3 gas ballons at the Netzarim Junction in the Gaza Strip.
May 18, 2003: A suicide bomber detonates an explosive device strapped to his body at the entrance to a Netanya Mall. 5 Israeli civilians are killed, and 86 are wounded.
April 29, 2001: A suicide bomber detonates a booby-trapped car near a bus carrying children at Dir Sharif Junction.
April 22, 2001: A suicide bomber detonates an explosive device strapped to his body near a bus stop in the city of Kfar Sabba. 1 Israeli was killed, and 50 are wounded.
March 28, 2001: A suicide bomber blows himself up near a gas station at the Neveh Yamin/Kfar Sabba Junction. 2 Israeli civilians are killed, and 4 are wounded.
March 27, 2001: A suicide bomber bomber detonates an explosive strapped tohis body, near an Israeli bus at French Hill Junction in Jerusalem. The suicide bomber was killed. 21 Israeli civilians were wounded.
March 4, 2001: A suicide bomber detonates an explosives laden case on the main street of Netanaya.
March 1, 2001: A suicide bomber blows himself up while in a taxi, near Mi Ami Junction. 1 Israeli civilian is killed, and 10 are wounded.
January 1, 2003: A booby-trapped car explodes in Netanya. 35 Israeli civilians are wounded.
December 22, 2000: A suicide bomber wearing an explosive belt, blows himself up at the entrance to a resturant in the Jordan Valley. 3 Israeli civilians are wounded.
December 15, 2000: A suicide bomber attempts to detonate an explosive belt against Israeli security forces near the Erez Checkpoint. The suicide bomber also attempts to stab Israeli security personnel.
November 6, 2000: A booby-trapped raft explodes near an Israeli Navy “Dabur” craft, near the Israel-Egypt border in Rafah. Since Septermber 2000, 227 Israeli civilians have been killed, and 1393 wounded in suicide bombings carried out by the Hamas.