Today's a bad end of the year for CAIR, whose Capitol Hill headquarters is pictured on the left.
A Joe Kaufman article from a couple of weeks ago on FrontPage Magazine caught the eye of Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA).
Here's an excerpt:
Senator Barbara Boxer (D-California) likes to give out what her staff calls "Certificates of Accomplishment." These are presented to community leaders who have exhibited qualities worthy of receiving such praise as comes from this recognition. Unfortunately, this month, one of these – an "Outstanding Service" award – was granted to none other than the Executive Director of CAIR-Sacramento, Basim Elkarra.
As stated previously, CAIR is connected to Islamic extremism. Four officials from CAIR have been charged with terrorist activity, two convicted and two deported. CAIR is currently the defendant in a lawsuit put forward by the family of FBI Agent John O'Neill for the group’s role in the 9/11 attacks. CAIR solicited funds for two "charities" whose accounts were frozen by the Department of Treasury for financing Hamas and Al-Qaeda. And CAIR’s parent organization, the Islamic Association for Palestine (IAP), was shut down, shortly after it was found liable for the Hamas murder of an American teenager.
There is evidence to suggest that Elkarra, himself, is a radical, apart from his connection to CAIR. Elkarra has described Israel as an "apartheid" and a "racist" state. He has defended someone that trained for jihad in a Pakistani terrorist camp; he has defended an imam that urged a Pakistani crowd to wage attacks on America; and he has defended an imam that was attempting to build an Islamic school for the purpose of teaching children how to commit violent acts against Americans. As well, he has moderated a pro-terror, anti-Israel event that featured a Hamas operative who spent five years in an Israeli prison.
And Boxer did the decent thing: She rescinded the award to CAIR's Elkarra.
Newsweek's Michael Isikoff and Mark Hosenball of Newsweek write:
In a highly unusual move, Sen. Barbara Boxer of California has rescinded an award to an Islamic activist in her home state because of the man’s connections to a major American Muslim organization that recently has been courted by leading political figures and even the FBI.
Boxer’s office confirmed to NEWSWEEK that she has withdrawn a "certificate of accomplishment" to Sacramento activist Basim Elkarra after learning that he serves as an official with the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). After directing her staff to look into CAIR, Boxer "expressed concern" about some past statements and actions by the group, as well as assertions by some law enforcement officials that it "gives aid to international terrorist groups," according to Natalie Ravitz, the senator’s press spokeswoman.
FrontPage Magazine's Editor-in-Chief, David Horowitz, adds the final words to the Newsweek article:
I'm pleased that Boxer listened to us. The fact that Democrats are finally waking up is good.
Related posts: CAIR-Chicago recommended that DePaul fire Klocek
David Horowitz and Thomas Klocek to speak at DePaul on academic freedom in January
Technorati tags: CAIR Barbara Boxer David Horowitz Israel מדינת Islam California Terrorism Sacramento
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