The FBI has cut off its longstanding contacts with the Council on American-Islamic Relations, reports an organization that has researched links between CAIR and support for Islamic terrorists.
The Investigative Project on Terrorism says the decision by the FBI arose from concern over CAIR’s roots in a network that supports the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas. CAIR leaders had met regularly with FBI officials regarding “hate crimes” targeting Muslims.
Hamas has been designated by the U.S. government has a terrorist organization, and thus it is illegal to support the group or its efforts. The Hamas charter states one of its primary goals is the destruction of Israel.
WND reported in 2003 national Arab-American and Muslim leaders were making presentations at an FBI training course.
The teachings on civil rights were at the Washington offices of the FBI and at the FBI Academy at Quantico, Va., as part of “Enrichment Training Sessions” for new special agents.
In addition, the imam of a large Manhattan mosque lectured veteran counterterrorism investigators at the FBI’s New York field office about misinterpretation of the meaning of jihad in the Quran, the Muslim holy book.
The sensitivity training program, denounced by some active and former agents, was mandated after the 9/11 attacks by then-FBI Director Robert Mueller.
FBI headquarters then went on to defend the program as a way to reach out to the Muslim community in America.
“I hate the word ‘sensitivity’ training,” said FBI spokesman Ed Cogswell at the time. “I would call it an awareness training relative to cultural issues.”
Mueller even agreed to be the keynote speaker at the American Muslim Council conference in Washington – a move that drew fire from AMC critics, who note the group has sung the praises of Islamic terrorist groups, including Hamas and Hezbollah, and was headed by al-Qaida fundraiser Abdurahman Alamoudi, now serving time in federal prison on terror charges.
But the new IPT report said the decision for the FBI to halt its meetings with CAIR was made last summer, while federal prosecutors were dealing with preparations for the second trial of an Islamic charity, Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development, which was accused of giving money to Hamas. The trial resulted in convictions for five individuals.
In that case, CAIR was named as an unindicted co-conspirator.
The report said FBI field offices last fall started telling state CAIR groups FBI officials no longer could meet with them.
The IPT report said CAIR spokesman Ibrahim Hooper declined to comment.
But the report cited a letter from James E. Finch, special agent in charge in Oklahoma City, to a Muslim Community Outreach Program.
“Regrettably, due to circumstances beyond my control, the meeting will be postponed until further notice as a result of the planned participation by the Oklahoma chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations,” the letter, dated Oct. 8, 2008, said.
He explained the problem related to “issues” that “cannot be addressed at the local level and must be addressed by the CAIR National Office in Washington.”
Agency officials in Washington told IPT the “letter speaks for itself.”
Hamas was created in 1987 as part of the Muslim Brotherhood, a movement encompassing Islamic efforts worldwide to spread Shariah, Islam’s religious law.
Evidence at the Holy Land trial suggested the Brotherhood supervised the foundation, CAIR and other groups.
Let’s curb the kangaroo court of anonymous sources
Tim Graham