Paul Harvey, dubbed the most listened-to radio personality in the United States with 24 million weekly listeners on some 1,600 radio stations worldwide, is the latest radio personality to taste the wrath of CAIR after having said that Islam, as the religion of Arab terrorists, plays a role in encouraging them to kill.
Mr. Harvey made the controversial comments during his December 4th radio show. After describing the brutal nature of cock-fight gambling, which is immensely popular in Iraq, Harvey commented: "Add to the thirst for blood a religion which encourages killing, and it is entirely understandable if Americans came to this bloody party unprepared."
CAIR released a response which lashed out at Mr. Harvey saying, "We had hoped that a respected broadcast professional like Mr. Harvey would not join the growing number of Islamophobic hate-mongers in our society," said CAIR Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper.
"He falsely attributes to Islam two things that are specifically prohibited by our faith, murder and cruelty to animals," Hooper said in a press release.
On his Tuesday program, a prepared statement from Mr. Harvey said he had received letters from "dear friends" in the American-Muslim community who "reminded all of us that Islam is a religion of peace, that terrorists do not represent Islam."
In 1999, Harvey issued an on-air apology to Muslims for remarks suggesting that Islam was a "fraudulent religion".
The apology came after hundreds of concerned Muslims called, faxed, or e-mailed both Mr. Harvey's office and that of ABC Radio Networks, his program's producer.
Mr. Harvey, a lecturer at conventions all over the States, has received eleven Freedom Foundation Awards and has been elected to the National Association of Broadcasters' Radio Hall of Fame.
In 1996, U.S. News & World Report editor-in-chief Mortimer Zuckerman claimed that the founder of Islam, Muhammad, had a "doctrine" of deceit in making treaties with enemies while weak and then violating them when strong enough to obviate the need for such compromise. After CAIR launched a campaign against Mr. Zuckerman, his magazine's June 24, 1996 issue retracted his claim.
In October 1998, CAIR demanded the removal of a Los Angeles billboard describing Osama bin Laden as "the sworn enemy," finding this depiction "offensive to Muslims."
Daniel Pipes, director of the Middle East Forum and a member of the presidentially-appointed board for the U.S. Institute of Peace has done extensive research into CAIR’s activities. “With 17 offices across North America,” Pipes said, “CAIR has emerged as the powerhouse of US Muslim groups.”
While CAIR launches letter-writing campaigns almost daily against those it brands “Islamophobic,” Pipes points out many disturbing statements made by CAIR’s own leadership:
Omar M. Ahmad (chairman) said suicide bombers "kill themselves for Islam" and so are not terrorists.
Nihad Awad (executive director) proclaimed his "support" for the Hamas terrorist group.
Ibrahim Hooper (spokesman) declared, "I wouldn't want to create the impression that I wouldn't like the government of the United States to be Islamic sometime in the future."
“Two of CAIR’s former employees, Bassem Khafagi and Ismail Royer, have recently been arrested on charges related to terrorism,” Pipes added. “And a member of CAIR's advisory board, Siraj Wahhaj, was named by the U.S. attorney as one of the ‘unindicted persons who may be alleged as co-conspirators’ in an attempted terrorist assault.”
Despite this, the U.S. government widely accepts CAIR as representing American Muslims]. The White House invites it to functions, the State Department links to its Web page, and Democratic senators rely on its research. In New York City, the mayor appoints its general counsel to the Human Rights Commission and the police department hosts its "sensitivity training" seminar. In Florida, public schools invite it to teach "diversity awareness."
Pipes has claimed that he is not the only one who is aware of how dangerous CAIR has become. “Moderate Muslims reject CAIR's claim of representing them,” he says.
The late Seifeldin Ashmawy, publisher of the New Jersey-based Voice of Peace, dismissed CAIR as non-representative of moderate Muslims and claiming that CAIR is the champion of "extremists whose views do not represent Islam."
Tashbih Sayyed of the Los Angeles-based Council for Democracy and Tolerance accused CAIR of being a "fifth column" in the United States.
Jamal Hasan of the same organization discerned CAIR's goal as spreading "Islamic hegemony the world over by hook or by crook."
Former FBI chief of counter-terrorism, Steven Pomerantz concluded that "CAIR, its leaders, and its activities effectively give aid to international terrorist groups."
Mr. Harvey made the controversial comments during his December 4th radio show. After describing the brutal nature of cock-fight gambling, which is immensely popular in Iraq, Harvey commented: "Add to the thirst for blood a religion which encourages killing, and it is entirely understandable if Americans came to this bloody party unprepared."
CAIR released a response which lashed out at Mr. Harvey saying, "We had hoped that a respected broadcast professional like Mr. Harvey would not join the growing number of Islamophobic hate-mongers in our society," said CAIR Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper.
"He falsely attributes to Islam two things that are specifically prohibited by our faith, murder and cruelty to animals," Hooper said in a press release.
On his Tuesday program, a prepared statement from Mr. Harvey said he had received letters from "dear friends" in the American-Muslim community who "reminded all of us that Islam is a religion of peace, that terrorists do not represent Islam."
In 1999, Harvey issued an on-air apology to Muslims for remarks suggesting that Islam was a "fraudulent religion".
The apology came after hundreds of concerned Muslims called, faxed, or e-mailed both Mr. Harvey's office and that of ABC Radio Networks, his program's producer.
Mr. Harvey, a lecturer at conventions all over the States, has received eleven Freedom Foundation Awards and has been elected to the National Association of Broadcasters' Radio Hall of Fame.
In 1996, U.S. News & World Report editor-in-chief Mortimer Zuckerman claimed that the founder of Islam, Muhammad, had a "doctrine" of deceit in making treaties with enemies while weak and then violating them when strong enough to obviate the need for such compromise. After CAIR launched a campaign against Mr. Zuckerman, his magazine's June 24, 1996 issue retracted his claim.
In October 1998, CAIR demanded the removal of a Los Angeles billboard describing Osama bin Laden as "the sworn enemy," finding this depiction "offensive to Muslims."
Daniel Pipes, director of the Middle East Forum and a member of the presidentially-appointed board for the U.S. Institute of Peace has done extensive research into CAIR’s activities. “With 17 offices across North America,” Pipes said, “CAIR has emerged as the powerhouse of US Muslim groups.”
While CAIR launches letter-writing campaigns almost daily against those it brands “Islamophobic,” Pipes points out many disturbing statements made by CAIR’s own leadership:
Omar M. Ahmad (chairman) said suicide bombers "kill themselves for Islam" and so are not terrorists.
Nihad Awad (executive director) proclaimed his "support" for the Hamas terrorist group.
Ibrahim Hooper (spokesman) declared, "I wouldn't want to create the impression that I wouldn't like the government of the United States to be Islamic sometime in the future."
“Two of CAIR’s former employees, Bassem Khafagi and Ismail Royer, have recently been arrested on charges related to terrorism,” Pipes added. “And a member of CAIR's advisory board, Siraj Wahhaj, was named by the U.S. attorney as one of the ‘unindicted persons who may be alleged as co-conspirators’ in an attempted terrorist assault.”
Despite this, the U.S. government widely accepts CAIR as representing American Muslims]. The White House invites it to functions, the State Department links to its Web page, and Democratic senators rely on its research. In New York City, the mayor appoints its general counsel to the Human Rights Commission and the police department hosts its "sensitivity training" seminar. In Florida, public schools invite it to teach "diversity awareness."
Pipes has claimed that he is not the only one who is aware of how dangerous CAIR has become. “Moderate Muslims reject CAIR's claim of representing them,” he says.
The late Seifeldin Ashmawy, publisher of the New Jersey-based Voice of Peace, dismissed CAIR as non-representative of moderate Muslims and claiming that CAIR is the champion of "extremists whose views do not represent Islam."
Tashbih Sayyed of the Los Angeles-based Council for Democracy and Tolerance accused CAIR of being a "fifth column" in the United States.
Jamal Hasan of the same organization discerned CAIR's goal as spreading "Islamic hegemony the world over by hook or by crook."
Former FBI chief of counter-terrorism, Steven Pomerantz concluded that "CAIR, its leaders, and its activities effectively give aid to international terrorist groups."