From the IPT - CAIR, Academic Scheme to Inflate Book Sales

The Investigative Project on Terrorism (IPT) has uncovered a link between CAIR and a University of Chicago professor to boost sales of his recent book on terrorism.

University of Chicago political scientist Robert Pape, whose research finds religious extremism has a limited role in suicide bombings, is working secretly with a suspected Hamas front to pump up sales of his new book, the Investigative Project on Terrorism has learned. That includes a secret agreement by CAIR to have its chapters around the country to buy them in bulk so they can manipulate the sales to move up the bestseller ranks. Pape is also scheduled to appear at this weekend's national banquet for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).

"Cutting the Fuse: The Explosion of Global Suicide Terrorism and How to Stop It," is Pape's latest project touting his thesis that religion is not a prime factor in suicide bombings. Rather, it is a response to occupation, he argues. That's appealing to CAIR, which court records show was part of a Hamas-support network in the United States. Prosecutors say CAIR, which touts itself as the nation's leading Muslim civil rights organization, never withdrew from the conspiracy to support Hamas politically and financially. And the FBI cut off communication with CAIR in 2008, saying it won't resume until "we can resolve whether there continues to be a connection between CAIR or its executives and HAMAS."

Terror's supporters can be found on college campuses around the country. Read the full story CAIR, Academic Scheme to Inflate Book Sales.

Well, that's what I have to say.

Stephen M. Flatow

U.S. Muslim leaders turn-in wannabe terrorists

14 people have been indicted by the U.S. for

“funneling “money, personnel and services” to the Shabab, the Islamist terrorist group fighting an insurgency in Somalia.”

According to The NY Times,

“The newly unsealed indictments included charges against two women arrested Thursday in Rochester, Minn., who are accused of raising money and sending it to the Shabab, as well as charges against Omar Hammami, an Alabama man who has appeared in videos promoting the group and is believed to have become a crucial Shabab figure.”

What’s interesting about the news is the high level of cooperation between Muslim leaders and U.S. law enforcement officials.

According to IPT News,

“Federal law enforcement officials are praising Somali-Americans for their help in an investigation which resulted in the indictment Thursday of 14 people on charges of providing money, services and personnel to the terrorist organization al-Shabaab. A large part of the credit goes to Abdirizak Bihi, a Somali community leader in Minneapolis who persevered despite opposition from the Council on American-Islamic Relations and hostile mosque leaders.”

That’s welcome news because it shows that there are Muslim leaders who don’t fall under the sway of CAIR.

Attorney General, Eric H. Holder Jr. said,

“The indictments unsealed today shed further light on a deadly pipeline that has routed funding and fighters to the Al Shabab terror organization from cities across the United States. These arrests and charges should serve as an unmistakable warning to others considering joining terrorist groups like Al Shabab — if you choose this route, you can expect to find yourself in a U.S. jail cell or a casualty on the battlefield in Somalia.”

Strong words from Mr. holder, let’s see if they hold up.

For more on Al Shabab, go here.

Fort Hood Attack - terrorism or not?

It's too early to answer the question posed above. Thirteen people were killed and 30 others injured in the shooting rampage at the Texas Army post on Thursday. So was it a "mad" gunman or someone intent on affecting America's involvement in Muslim countries? Once again, I think it's too early to know.

That's not to say that folks are not jumping into the fray.

CAIR sends out a mixed message- Americans should unite in the face of this outrage, but urges Muslims "to take appropriate precautions to protect themselves, their families and their religious institutions from possible backlash."

Phyllis Chesler wrote

Ordinarily, I'd agree with such advice about conclusion-jumping. The military does first have to investigate the matter fully. One can't always believe what one reads in the media, etc. But whether or not Major Hasan acted alone, had allies, was inspired by religious and political Islamism, was psychiatrically troubled–the fact remains that he committed an act of terrorism. He terrified other soldiers precisely where they were supposed to feel safe. So much of the truth is already so clear that it would be insane, insulting to the intelligence to deny or minimize it.

I think right now we all need to take a breath and think about the victims who, after all, represent us all.

"It's Radical Islam, Stupid" - CAIR in the cross hairs

In an essay, "It's Radical Islam, Stupid" released on Hudson New York, Steven Emerson once again puts CAIR in the cross hairs.

In 1993, a secret meeting of the Muslim Brotherhood Palestine Committee—mostly senior Hamas leaders--was held in a Philadelphia Marriott. The group discussed new ways to secretly funnel money to Hamas and of creating a new public relations organization to deceive the American about their true objectives of helping Hamas.

Less than a year later, the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) was created to serve as a front group for Hamas. Since that time, it has morphed into a quasi legitimate “Islamic civil rights” group portrayed in some circles as the equivalent of the NAACP. For 14 years, CAIR got away with the lying to us about who they are, justifying Islamic terrorist attacks, legitimizing suicide bombings, presenting speakers who had been Holocaust deniers, making incendiary presentations about the United States and urging Muslims not to talk to the FBI. CAIR claims that that there is no such thing as radical Islam, but rather a secret cabal to attack all of Islam, while secretly receiving millions of dollars from Saudi financiers and attacking terrorist prosecutions as somehow an “attack on Islam.”

Emerson cites numerous examples of the media's and politician's soft-peddling on CAIR but explains:

There is a much larger pattern here that just the apologia or selective amnesia for CAIR. The free pass given to radical Islam has become a pandemic. The Goldstone Report, which pur- ported to document “Israeli war crimes” in the war with Hamas in January, was one of the most dangerously one-sided, dishonest reports ever produced by the United Nations. Naturally the New York Times played it as a lead item on the front page without any skepticism by their reporter, who is known to take CAIR hand outs.

Read the full essay, It's Radical Islam, Stupid.

CAIR planting spies on Capitol Hill? David Kupelian says "Yes!"

In a recent post on WorldNetDaily, David Kupelian writes about CAIR inserting itself into positions of influence with members of the House of Representatives and US Senate.

While a Washington, D.C.-based Muslim organization the government classifies as an unindicted terror co-conspirator – and which has, in fact, seen several of its leaders imprisoned on terrorism convictions – scoffed last week at congressional charges it was attempting to plant interns and staffers in key Capitol Hill offices to influence policy, a hot-selling new book documents the controversial group is successfully doing precisely that.

The book, "Muslim Mafia: Inside the Secret Underworld That's Conspiring to
Islamize America" by P. David Gaubatz and Paul Sperry, is based in part on a daring six-month undercover investigation that resulted in many alarming revelations about the supposedly "moderate" group, backed by 12,000 pages of internal documents.

Among the charges leveled against CAIR are these:

• Ghassan Elashi: One of CAIR's founding directors, was convicted in 2004 of illegally shipping high-tech goods to terror state Syria, and is serving 80 months in prison. He was also convicted of providing material support to Hamas in the Holy Land Foundation terror-financing trial. He was chairman of the charity, which provided seed capital to CAIR. Elashi is related to Hamas leader Mousa Abu Marzook.
• Muthanna al-Hanooti: The CAIR director's home was raided in 2006 by FBI agents in connection with an active terrorism investigation. Agents also searched the offices of his advocacy group, Focus on Advocacy and Advancement of International Relations, which al-Hanooti operates out of Dearborn, Mich., and Washington, D.C.
• Abdurahman Alamoudi: Another CAIR director, is serving 23 years in federal prison for plotting terrorism. Alamoudi, who was caught on tape complaining that bin Laden hadn't killed enough Americans in the U.S. embassy bombings in Africa, was one of al-Qaida's top fund-raisers in America, according to the U.S. Treasury Department.
• Siraj Wahhaj: A member of CAIR's board of advisers, was named as an unindicted co-conspirator in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. The radical Brooklyn imam was close to convicted terrorist Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman, and defended him during his trial.

And the list of individuals similarly tarnished and actions of CAIR goes on and on. They belie its claim to be a Muslim equivalent to the NAACP.

Read the full WND article, Yes, CAIR is planting 'spies' on Capitol Hill.

Stephen M. Flatow

Another Home Grown Terror Plot?

The news has been chock full of stories on Denver's Najibullah Zazi, 24, an Afghanistan-born Colorado man who allegedly handwrote bomb-making instructions. Court appearances are due today, Monday, September 21, 2009, for Zazi and others on charges of lying to authorities in an ongoing terror investigation.

I believe there is a widespread reluctance to believe that folks living in the U.S., both born here and elsewhere, are capable or willing to plan and conduct a domestic terror attack. We only have to look back at American history to see that there have always been people interested in doing just that. Terror attacks and plots in Great Britain amply demonstrate that home-grown citizens are capable of turning their backs on their mother country.

So, why the uproar in some circles about these guys being another bunch of entrapped, ignorant, bumblers? In my opinion it has a lot to do with the religion--they happen to be Muslim--of the suspects. Like the Jews did in the early 20th century in the United States, Muslims have created so-called defense organizations, such as CAIR, to defend the civil interests of their co-religionists. Unlike the Jews who perceived the need for organizations to speak up for them after they were lynched, beaten and excluded from schools and society and had no one to turn to, Islamic groups spend most of their time explaining away the actions of people seen as supporters of terror and mayhem. And the roots of some of these groups are questionable.

Be that as it may, it will interesting to see further developments this week.