CAIR Under Attack: Plain persecution

In an apparent attempt to silence a leading American Muslim civil rights advocacy group, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), Republican Congressman Frank Wolf from Virginia has expressed deep disappointment at the FBI's insufficient response to his letter that apparently sought corroborative information on smears against CAIR by Muslim-bashers like Steven Emerson.

In a letter sent to FBI on 2 February, Wolf asked: "Has the FBI severed ties with CAIR? If so, how is the FBI planning to formally notify members of Congress and other government officials of this decision? If FBI policy has changed with regard to CAIR, is there any indication that this decision is being revisited by the new administration? If so, what new evidence would justify a change in course? Is CAIR's national office still in contact with the FBI?

"The [FOX News] report quotes Assistant Director John Miller from the FBI Office of Public Affairs as saying: 'The FBI has had to limit its formal contact with CAIR field offices until certain issues are addressed by CAIR's national headquarters.' What specifically are the "certain issues" which you have raised with CAIR? Is there still informal contact with any field offices? If so, what is the distinction between formal and informal and why is there a distinction between field offices? To your knowledge, does CAIR receive financial contributions from foreign sources? If so, which ones and how much?"

Congressman Frank Wolf, who has a track record of anti-Muslim bearing, sent this letter after FOX News reported that the FBI cut off ties with CAIR "amid mounting evidence that it has links to a support network for Hamas". Given that Hamas is on the current list of US designated foreign terrorist organisations, this is obviously a serious claim, one which would rightly inform a shift in FBI policy, Wolf wrote.

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http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2009/940/special.htm