More CAIR Dissimulation

When it comes to dissimulation, the folks at CAIR really have no equal. The recent op-ed piece in the always suspect San Francisco Chronicle by the San Francisco area CAIR director is a case in point. The piece responds to the excruciatingly accurate op-ed by Cinnamon Stillwell regarding the Michael Savage suit against CAIR.

Unfortunately, the evil subtleties make arguments such as those in Ms. Ibrahim’s article a challenge to dissect, but here goes.

Cinnamon Stillwell's recent column in SF Gate, "Savage vs. CAIR: The battle over free speech" on Dec. 19 offers a holiday assortment of misleading truths and omissions of facts. In her misguided defense of the "Savage Nation" radio show, Stillwell essentially defends anarchistic hate against minority groups including African Americans, Hispanics, Asians, Muslims, Catholics, Jews, immigrants and women. She does so under the pretense of defending free speech.

Of course, most elementary school students will tell you that hate speech is not to be confused with free speech.

Ms. Ibrahim’s understanding of the First Amendment is on the level of an elementary school student evidently, because her statement is absolutely wrong. Free speech includes hate speech. It does. It is a fact. “Hate speech” if it exists, is punishable or prohibitable only if coupled with an otherwise illegal act. Of course, that begs the point. Michael Savage’s speech certainly opposes Muslim misbehavior and CAIR’s misbehavior, but it is not in any real sense hate speech. Calling anything hate speech is the new version of calling someone a racist. No real factual basis is necessary. It is about repeating the lie, over and over and over.

Is Stillwell arguing that the incitement of violence against minorities is protected under free speech, or did she just never chance upon the numerous times Savage has advocated hateful acts against other minority groups.

It cannot possibly be the latter because Savage's record is out there for all to see. In 2004, Savage stated "I think (Muslims) need to be forcibly converted to Christianity ... It's the only thing that can probably turn them into human beings." In 2006, he called for a ban on Muslim immigration and recommended making "the construction of mosques illegal in America." Also that year, he advocated "kill(ing) 100 million" Muslims.

Context is everything. Of course based upon the behavior that so many engage in the then name of Islam, behavior notably absent from Christianity, conversion of Muslims to Christianity would certainly bring more peace with freedom. Of course the Muslim misbehavior hardly needs repeating: murdering 3000 people on 9/11, advocating death to converts from Islam; death fatwas for authors (Salman Rushdie); cartoon riots; French riots; the murder of Van Gogh and others; terrorist plots throughout the United States (fortunately thwarted; running terrorist training comps in the United States (Jamaat ul-fuqra) and on and on. The advocacy of killing Muslims was not that at all, but CAIS does not care about context. It would hurt the dissimulation.

CAIR, along with all major American Muslim organizations, has consistently condemned terrorism in all its forms, including attacks against Israeli civilians. A section on CAIR's Web site includes comprehensive information that demystifies the list of recycled smears and distortions used by Stillwell to defame CAIR. The fact that CAIR comes under attack by the likes of Stillwell and Savage is no surprise to anyone who works for positive social change. All proponents of justice have faced similar attacks designed to silence their voices. [Broken link in original.]

CAIR refuses to condemn Hamas which engages in terrorist attacks on Israel. Why? CAIR was founded by Hamas.

These smear campaigns aim at marginalizing Muslims in America by silencing one of the most prominent and respected American Muslim voices. It can be demonstrated that the sources of fabricated allegations, distortions, and smears against CAIR are recycled repeatedly by the same Islamophobes.

This is simply outrageous. Name-calling without facts. Nothing by Michael Savage or anyone else in America as sought to silence Muslim voices. CAIR respected? Hardly. Remember, these are the folks who supported the lawsuit against innocent air travelers who reported suspicious behavior in the lying flying imams case in Mineapolis. The only purpose of such a suit was to make the skies friendlier for terrorists and to intimidate folks into ignoring the government’s “see something, say something” program.

Stillwell goes further to attack CAIR for having been listed as an unindicted co-conspirator in the recent case involving the Muslim charity the Holy Land Foundation and its alleged financial ties to the Palestinian terrorist group turned terrorist government Hamas. However, she omitted that after a record 19 days of deliberation, a jury in Dallas did not return even one guilty verdict on almost 200 charges brought against officials of the HLF Muslim charity.

One HLF case juror told the Associated Press, "I thought they were not guilty across the board." Juror William Neal added that the case "was strung together with macaroni noodles. There was so little evidence." He said the government "really used fear" to try to sway the jury.

The press reports were to the effect that one juror (the juror to which CAIR refers) improperly bullied to other jurors. A nut got on the jury and cost everyone lots of time and money. There was no acquittal. There was a mistrial. Expect a new trial and expect convictions. The truth is that Holy Land Foundation and other Muslim charities gave money to help widows – of suicide bombers. The message in the Middle East: martyr yourself for Allah, attain paradise (and all those virgins), and we will take care of your widow.

Yet another misleading untruth by Stillwell is her assertion that CAIR receives money from "Saudi funding." This is yet another attempt to invent a controversy. CAIR's operational budget is funded by donations from American Muslims and philanthropist grants.

“Philanthropist grants?” Uh, Saudi money, maybe?

CAIR remains an open and transparent organization.

Which would explain why journalist unsympathetic to CAIR support of terrorism are excluded from CAIR press conferences.

CAIR is a truly horrible organization. In my opinion, no CAIR official is worthy of belief. Here in Ohio, a CAIR official attempted to justify its continued support for a convicted terrorist on the grounds that it had oppose the "material support for terrorism" of the Patriot Act. Of course, that ignore that fact that the convicted admittted that he was planning a terrorist attack.

CAIR's apparent motto: Muslims uber alles. Or my Muslim, right or wrong. Or maybe, Muslims can do no wrong.