Submitted by Raid Mohammad(United States), Jan 24, 2005 at 13:47
Mr. President,
I was very saddened to read that the phobia-propagating organization called "CAIR" had recently conducted a meeting with high ranking officials at the Department of State. I am saddened to find out that the Department of State has fallen victim to this organization's propaganda. I am saddened that the Department gave this phobia merchant called "CAIR" the platform to promote its agenda. Where does "CAIR" stand when it comes to the oppressing policies of Mosques here in the US? Why doesn't "CAIR" ever care to offer this kind of "proposal includes such measures" to U.S. Mosques' leaders? Why doesn't "CAIR" jump at the ample opportunities to address the issue of the oppressing policies of U.S. Mosques' leaders?
I wonder how the American Public would react if they found out that "CAIR" might have had the chance to prevent the atrocities of 9/11 had they listened to my warnings. In the summer of 2000 I begged "CAIR" to take a more active role in educating Mosques' leaders; I warned them of the potential danger in allowing certain fund-raising activities conducted by shadowy individuals or organizations. "CAIR" is part of the problem, not the solution. When the Taliban were slaughtering thousands of innocent Afghans, "CAIR" condoned it, or at least kept quiet about it. When the US went there to cure this epidemic that is called Taliban and Bin Laden, "CAIR" cried foul. As an Iraqi-American myself, I find "CAIR" to be very ironic. While their role model Saddam was annihilating Iraqis, "CAIR" was condoning it or at the very least kept quiet about it. When the US went to rid Iraq of this tyrant, they once again cried foul. In both cases, "CAIR" never failed to post or circulate any and all articles with clear anti American sentiments.
Today's Muslims demand from the world the things that we can't achieve within ourselves let alone from without. We ask the world to treat us as their equals while our institutions of worship here in the U.S. are controlled by oppressors and dictators. We cry about secret evidence while our Mosques' administrations, here in the U.S., give police falsely sworn affidavits to have reformists get arrested and humiliated.
Mr. President, while you were living in the Governor's Mansion here in Austin in 1999, I was arrested by the Austin Police Department because I was vocal about these dangerous activities that used to take place at the central Mosque here in Austin. Back in 1998 when I decided to warn my Muslim community here in Austin about the shadowy fund-raising activities that used to take place in the Central Austin Mosque, the Mosque's administration filed a falsely sworn affidavit and pressured the Austin Police to demand from the judge a warrant for my arrest for a fabricated claim of "criminal trespass". When I informed "CAIR"--which falsely proclaims itself as "America's largest Muslim civil liberties group"-- about the Mosque's policies, they called it a "community dispute". In their email to me in 2000, and as a response to my continual prodding of "CAIR" to take a more active role in educating Mosques' leaders, "CAIR" wrote "as a matter of policy, CAIR does not get involved in community disputes". Little matter that "community disputes" may provide clues to larger problems with far-reaching implications, indeed.
"CAIR" staff can never see beyond their noses. They chose not to acknowledge the fact that when the world attacks "Islam," it is attacking the "Islam" it has come to know through Muslims' conduct and actions -- or inaction. "CAIR" would do everything to force everybody to be in conformity with the way they think. However, their austere misleading doctrine is etched in their minds, which makes it impossible for them to be able to accept others' thinking and or beliefs. It would be great if "CAIR" could channel their phobia campaign towards these oppressing Mosques' leaders to make them realize that their policies will eventually backfire at themselves and on Muslims everywhere. But the sad reality is that "CAIR" abuses phobia in order to exploit scared Muslims and get inside their wallets. Also, they hope to make scared American Muslims rally around "CAIR" -- not as informed and enlightened citizens, but rather in the way goslings rally around mother goose.
Mr. President, what is sadder is that coincidently I just wrote the Assistant Secretary of State and some other executives at the Department of State warning them of this organization. In early December of 2004, I wrote to warn these officials of the adverse consequence of an absence of the U.S. government's voice to balancing some of the phobia merchants' rhetoric. The lack of the U.S. government's involvement in this arena leaves the door wide open for organizations, like "CAIR", which resort to more of the same scare tactics directed at Muslims that will further damage and fragment our society here in the U.S.
Sincerely, Raid Mohammad [Author's contact information withheld]
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