Not unexpected, but the irony makes this an interesting test case. Andrew Hallinan has an excellent attorney in Robert Muise, who notes that Hallinan “invited [CAIR Florida chief executive director Hassan] Shibly to Florida Gun Supply for gun training but had to cancel the invite after being ‘notified by people…that CAIR had been put on the United Arab Emirates’ list of designated terrorist groups’.” Shibly’s ill-advised publicity stunt actually validates Hallinan’s stance, and gives defenders of freedom against sharia and jihad more opportunity to educate people concerning CAIR’s ties to Hamas and Islamic terrorism. So, here’s a little educating, by way of reminder, from Robert Spencer:
Hamas-linked CAIR, designated a terror organization by the United Arab Emirates, was named an unindicted co-conspirator in a Hamas terror funding case by the Justice Department. 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.
“CAIR suing Florida gun shop owner for banning Muslims in wake of Chattanooga,” by AWR Hawkins, Breitbart News, July 30, 2015:
Florida’s chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is suing Florida Gun Supply owner Andrew Hallinan for banning Muslims from his business in the wake of Mohammad Youssef Abdulazeez’s alleged July 16 attack on two separate military centers in Chattanooga.
Those attacks resulted in the deaths of four Marines and one Sailor.
Breitbart News previously reported that Hallinan reacted to the attack by declaring his store a “Muslim-free zone.” Now, Florida’s CAIR chapter is suing Hallinan and his store.
According to Newsweek, Hallinan’s video announcement of the “Muslim-free Zone” suggested that Islam is not “just another religion” and pointed out that Hallinan has “a moral and legal responsibility to ensure the safety of all patriots.” Hallinan made clear that this duty includes not only banning Muslims from buying guns but also from being trained in how to use guns efficiently.
CAIR Florida chief executive director Hassan Shibly countered, claiming, “American Muslims have a right to browse and purchase guns, take classes on gun safety and shoot guns at a range without having to be profiled and discriminated.” He added, “Such discrimination is not only illegal, it is bad for our country and makes us less safe and less free.”
Hallinan’s attorney Robert Muise described CAIR’s lawsuit as “absolutely frivolous.” Moreover, Muise explained that there was a time when Hallinan invited Shibly to Florida Gun Supply for gun training but had to cancel the invite after being “notified by people…that CAIR had been put on the United Arab Emirates’ list of designated terrorist groups.”
In light of this, Muise says CAIR’s lawsuit is a “publicity stunt.”