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The Council on America-Islamic Relations, which is considered by U.S. counterterrorism officials as a front group for the Egypt-based Muslim Brotherhood and was named as an unindicted co-conspirator in the Holy Land Foundation terror finance case, says it has succeeded in silencing a blog where some of the comments cited a desire for violence against Muslims.
According to a statement released by CAIR on PR Newswire, its complaints led WordPress.com to close down the BareNakedIslam.com blog.
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In fact, site visitors today were presented with the message, "barenakedilsam.wordpress.com is no longer available. This blog has been archived or suspended for a violation of our Terms of Service."
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CAIR said it had been watching the site and had "filed a number of TOS violation reports with WordPress.com."
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The organization said it previously had convinced WordPress.com to delete a "similar blog" last year that had comments regarding the burning of mosques, "making false bomb threats implicating Muslims, desecrating Muslim graves, and recommending the 'proper way to shoot a Muslim.'"
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The BNI site, said CAIR, also was one of the groups promoting an advertiser boycott of The Learning Channel's new pro-Islamic "All-American Muslim" program which portrays Muslims as average Americans, excluding any information about the more radical elements of the Islamic community.
The issue rose to the headlines when Lowe's said it was pulling its ads, and political interests then threatened to retaliate against the store for its decision over where to spend ad dollars.
A critic noted the show "is severely misleading, because it doesn't deal with the kind of Muslims who would ever have caused anyone any concern in the first place."
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The Florida Family Association also was a force behind the request for advertisers to drop the show, and its website later was vandalized "because we published a news report [on] 'The Learning Channel's' new show All-American Muslim about many Muslims who are advancing Islamic fundamentalism and Shariah law."
The BNI site's logo said, "It isn't Islamaphobia when they really ARE trying to kill you."
"We welcome the removal of such a vicious anti-Muslim hate site and thank WordPress.com for upholding its terms of service prohibiting calls to violence by bloggers," said CAIR national executive director Nihad Awad in the announcement prepared by CAIR. "While we are strong supporters of First Amendment rights, the encouragement of violent acts goes beyond constitutional protections of free speech."
CAIR describes itself as "America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding."
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At The Blaze, Jonathon Seidl explained that one of the focal points of the complaint was the comment left by a reader that said, "Muslims have an all-or-nothing, openly declaring they'll destroy us if we don't destroy them. That's why, if you see a Muslim licking an ice cream cone in the park and you blow his head off you are technically committing an act of self defense."
The commenter wrote, "I am calling for a worldwide crusade against Islam … I want their blood on my hands as a matter of principle."
WND reported just days ago that after intervention by CAIR, the Defense Department reportedly decided it will now allow Muslim students participating in the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps to wear headscarves and turbans while in uniform.
The decision marks the latest influence by controversial Islamic groups on military affairs.
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WND previously broke the story that an Islamic group that has been closely tied to the Muslim Brotherhood and was named by the Justice Department as an unindicted co-conspirator in a scheme to raise money for Hamas is the official endorsing agency for the U.S. Armed Forces Muslim chaplain program.
The Islamic Society of North America, or ISNA, also runs regular events for the military's Muslim chaplains.
WND also reported the Army's Muslim chaplain program was founded by a terror-supporting convict while the Army's first Islamic chaplain, who is still serving, has been associated with a charity widely accused of serving as an al-Qaida front.
CAIR got involved in the uniforms issue in October in which a Muslim teen, Demin Zawity, reportedly quit the JROTC when her commanding officer at a Brentwood, Tenn., high school would not allow her to wear her hijab in the homecoming parade.
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CAIR sent a letter to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta requesting "constitutionally-protected religious accommodations for the girl and for future Muslim JROTC participants."
Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army Larry Stubblefield responded to CAIR's complaint by explaining the JROTC program will now allow religious headwear.
"Based on your concerns, the Army has reviewed its JROTC uniform policy and will develop appropriate procedures to provide Cadets the opportunity to request [permission to] wear ... religious head dress, such as the turban and hijab," Stubblefield wrote in the letter, made public by CAIR. "This change will allow Miss Zawity and other students the chance to fully participate in the JROTC program."
The CAIR attacks on critics are far from over. WND needs your help in supporting the defense of "Muslim Mafia" co-author P. David Gaubatz, as well as his investigator son Chris, against CAIR's lawsuit. The book's revelations have led to formal congressional demands for three different federal investigations of CAIR. In the meantime, however, someone has to defend these two courageous investigators who have, at great personal risk, revealed so much about this dangerous group. Although WND has procured the best First Amendment attorneys in the country for their defense, we can't do it without your help. Please donate to WND's Legal Defense Fund now.
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