A new campaign calling on consumers to boycott electronics retail powerhouse Best Buy alleges that profits gained from U.S. customers have been used to finance Islamic radicals.
RadicalIslam.org, which reports on national security concerns, is asking consumers to sign onto a boycott that would have them shop for flat-screen televisions, computers and other electronics elsewhere.
The petition points to Best Buy’s financial support of the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
Earlier this year, Best Buy announced on its Facebook page that it was a “Platinum Sponsor” of a fundraising banquet for the CAIR chapter in Minnesota, which featured as its keynote speaker Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, best known for his recent efforts to build a mosque at Ground Zero in Manhattan.
Rauf is also the founder of a group he says was established to improve relations between Muslims and Western countries.
Last November, he wrote an op-ed that appeared in many newspapers across the country titled “Gradually, there will be an American form of Islam” in which he describes how immigrants bring their traditions with them when they land on American shores, and in ways “large or small, they change America.”
CAIR Minnesota also announced its pleasure with the Best Buy contribution on its Facebook page, saying, “CAIR-MN is proud to announce Best Buy as the Platinum Sponsor for our 5th Anniversary banquet.”
“Thank you for supporting CAIR-MN in protecting civil liberties and promoting justice,” it said.
WND has reported extensively on CAIR, which was designated by the U.S. Justice Department as an unindicted co-conspirator in the largest terror financing trial in U.S. history.
This is just a small sampling of what WND has reported on regarding CAIR in recent years:
- New evidence that CAIR was launched to support the Hamas terrorist group and has transferred tens of thousands of dollars to a group recently convicted as Hamas’ top fundraising arm in the U.S. – money that ended up aiding terrorist attacks on Israelis and Americans;
- Internal documents showing CAIR, despite claims of cooperating with law enforcement, actively works behind the scenes to mislead and deceive the FBI on behalf of terrorism suspects. The group has even cultivated Muslim moles inside law enforcement who have tipped off FBI terror targets;
- CAIR is more closely tied to al-Qaida than previously reported;
- CAIR claims to represent all Muslim Americans; however, it has victimized some 100 Muslims in a massive fraud and threatened them when they tried to go to the media; and, internally, personnel complaints reveal CAIR discriminates against Shiite Muslims and Muslim women within its own headquarters;
- CAIR and its sister fronts are funded by foreign Muslim Brotherhood sources;
- CAIR leaders share the Muslim Brotherhood’s ultimate goal to replace the U.S. Constitution with Islamic law;
- The Muslim Brotherhood investment in corporate America will be used to pressure U.S. companies into compliance with Islamic principles.
The “unindicted co-conspirator” designation has been reconfirmed by the Justice Department, and the FBI has suspended “all formal contacts between CAIR and the FBI” according to a 2009 FBI memo.
According to the memo, evidence during the United States v. Holy Land Foundation trial showed a relationship between CAIR, individual CAIR founders and the Palestine Committee. It also demonstrated a link between the Palestine Committee and Hamas, a designated terrorist organization.
Papers from the 2007 federal trial stated: “From its founding by Muslim Brotherhood leaders, CAIR conspired with other affiliates of the Muslim Brotherhood to support terrorists” and “the conspirators agreed to use deception to conceal from the American public their connections to terrorists.”
Evidence in the trial naming CAIR as an unindicted co-conspirator for funding terrorism revealed a document written in 1987 as a roadmap for “stealth jihad” within America.
Carefully reading the document reveals plans long in the works to establish a “global Islamic state and calls for Islam to be “enabled within the souls, minds and lives of the people of the country in which it [Islam] moves.”
The vehicle the document reveals as the leader in the movement towards a global Islamic state? – The Muslim Brotherhood and its various branches established in this country.
The document calls for each “central organization” to have local branches connecting to the Islamic Center in each city, describing this connection as a “must.”
One such “branch” is CAIR-Minnesota, which according to the Star Tribune was accused of discouraging local Somalis from cooperating with the FBI during an investigation into the 2009 disappearances of dozens of Minnesota Somali men.
One community member featured in the article accused CAIR of being too closely aligned with local mosques thought to be recruiting young Muslims to fight in the civil war in Somalia.
RadicalIslam.org called out Best Buy upon learning of its financial ties to CAIR Minnesota in an article at Islamist-Watch.org. Instead of recognizing the criticism by thousands of concerned customers, Best Buy defended its donation.
In a statement on Facebook, Best Buy said: “Best Buy’s customers and employees around the world represent a variety of faiths and denominations. We respect that diversity, and choose to engage with our customers, employees and communities in ways that reflect their traditions and maintain good relationships for Best Buy.”
With Best Buy’ public statement in hand, Radicalislam.org decided to launch a boycott of the super store, which to date has received more than 10,000 signatures.
WND requests for comment from Best Buy did not generate a response.
“After the story broke, Best Buy boasted that its donation proves its good will and tolerance,” said Ryan Mauro, national security analyst for radicalislam.org.
“Every individual and corporate entity should carefully consider whether the funds they donate are consistent with American values, as opposed to the values of terrorist organizations,” continued Mauro
“Best Buy is no exception and should be held accountable for its actions.”
The petition can be found online.
