[WCUSP] FW: Islamophobes Mislead Senator Boxer / The CAIR Takeaway / Contact Senator Boxer

Sat Jan 6 00:57:20 CST 2007

Dear WCUSP,

Katharina Harlow has forwarded this email to you with the following message:
Dear friends, 
   You should know about this and help 
encourage the good senator to not be mislead by 
those who promote division - not peace.   
Please read and contact Senator Barbara Boxer.  
Many thanks for your help.  Peace, Katharina.

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Islamophobes Mislead Senator Boxer

 (null)

In the Name of God, The 
Compassionate, The Merciful

- FBI Probes Death 
Threat Against CA Muslim Activist 

- <a href="#Op-Ed">Islamophobes 
Mislead Senator Boxer

- <a href="#SacBee">Editor:  CAIR's Work 
Reflects Past Civil Rights Efforts 

- <a href="#Contact">TAKE ACTION NOW: 
Contact 
Senator Boxer (#FBI)

_____________________________________________
__

FBI Probes Death 
Threat Against CA Muslim Activist  (null)

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 1/5/07) - A prominent 
national 
Islamic civil rights and advocacy group said today 
that the FBI is investigating a death threat against 
one of its chapter heads in California.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) 
said the threat was contained in an e-mail message 
sent to Basim Elkarra, executive director of the 
Washington-based group's Sacramento Valley 
chapter.

That threat came a day after a media report 
indicating that Sen. 
Barbara Boxer (D-CA) had rescinded an award given 
to Elkarra because she read attacks against CAIR on 
an anti-Muslim Internet hate site and after a 
pressure campaign by Joe Kaufman, an anti-Muslim 
extremist in Florida.

SEE: Boxer Pulls Muslim Award  (http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=tuxzl8bab.0.q954l8bab.xbuqfvbab.0&ts=S0216&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sacbee.com%2F101%2Fstory%2F102832.html)(Sacramento Bee) 

Kaufman has a long history of seeking to marginalize 
and disenfranchise the American Muslim community 
and its institutions. He has in the past promoted the 
terrorist organizations Kach and Kahane Chai and 
praised the Kahane movement and its founder Mier 
Kahane on a forum of the radical Jewish Defense 
League in Florida. In another article, Kaufman wrote 
that "we should nuke Damascus" and "we should 
have nuked the Afghanistan capital of Kabul."

Last year, Kaufman joined forces with an anti-Islam 
preacher in Florida to block the expansion of a 
mosque in Boca Raton. "This mosque should not exist 
on American shores," said Kaufman. (St. 
Petersburg Times, 7/14/06)

SEE: A Kahane 
Legacy Lost by Joe Kaufman  (http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=tuxzl8bab.0.s954l8bab.xbuqfvbab.0&ts=S0216&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.network54.com%2FForum%2F20188%2Fmessage%2F978489157%2FA%2BKahane%2BLegacy%2BLost)(Jewish Defense 
League of Florida) 

SEE ALSO: Making Friends with the Enemy. . .The 
Nuclear Way  (http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=tuxzl8bab.0.u954l8bab.xbuqfvbab.0&ts=S0216&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.floridajewish.com%2Fspeakout_display.php%3Ftitle%3DMaking%2BFriends%2Bwith%2Bthe%2BEnemy...%2BThe%2BNuclear%2BWay)(Florida Jewish Speakout) 

The web site Boxer consulted to form her opinions 
about CAIR, 
www.frontpagemag.com (http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=tuxzl8bab.0.x954l8bab.xbuqfvbab.0&ts=S0216&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.frontpagemag.com), regularly publishes 
Kaufman's writings 
and articles promoting conspiracy theories about 
Islam and Muslims in America.

An editor with the Sacramento Bee in California today 
defended CAIR, while describing Kaufman as "a right-
wing blogger."

Ginger Rutland wrote: "For me, CAIR's efforts to 
reach out are reminiscent of the efforts of other 
Americans falsely accused of
disloyalty: Japanese, German and Italian Americans 
during World War II, civil rights activists and Vietnam 
War opponents casually smeared as communists in 
the 1950s and '60s. . .she must understand what her 
casual withdrawal of a casually awarded tribute 
means to a Muslim American at this moment in 
American history. Shame on her."

SEE: The CAIR Takeaway (http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=tuxzl8bab.0.y954l8bab.xbuqfvbab.0&ts=S0216&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sacbee.com%2F110%2Fstory%2F103179.html) (Sacramento Bee)

CAIR Board Chairman Dr. Parvez Ahmed today 
outlined CAIR's response to Boxer in a commentary 
published on his personal blog. In that commentary, 
Ahmed wrote: "By acting on smears, distortions and 
guilt by association, Sen. Boxer has failed her Muslim 
constituents and has betrayed the progressive 
values of her party and state."

SEE: Islamophobes 
Mislead Senator Boxer (http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=tuxzl8bab.0.9954l8bab.xbuqfvbab.0&ts=S0216&p=http%3A%2F%2Fdrparvezahmed.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F01%2Fsenator-boxer-misjudged-facts-in.html)

"Terror threats of the kind sent to CAIR's Sacramento 
Valley director must be repudiated by political and 
religious leaders in California and nationwide," said 
CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad. 
"We urge Sen. Boxer to speak out against this threat 
and to examine the agendas of those who seek to 
marginalize and disenfranchise American Muslims."

CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, 
has 32 offices and chapters nationwide and in 
Canada. Its mission is to enhance the understanding 
of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, 
empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that 
promote justice and mutual understanding.

- END -

CONTACT: CAIR-Sacramento Valley 
Executive Director Basim Elkarra at (916) 441-6269 
or E-mail: sacval at cair.com (mailto:sacval at cair.com);
 CAIR National Communications 
Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-
7726, E-Mail: ihooper at cair.com (mailto:ihooper at cair.com); CAIR Communications 
Coordinator Rabiah Ahmed, 202-488-8787 or 202-439-
1441, E-Mail: rahmed at cair.com (mailto:rahmed at cair.com); CAIR Communications 
Coordinator Amina Rubin, 202-488-8787, E-Mail: arubin at cair.com (mailto:arubin at cair.com)

BACK TO TOP! (#TOP)

_____________________________________________
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Islamophobes 
Mislead Senator Boxer (null)

By Parvez Ahmed | 1/5/06

[Parvez Ahmed is board chairman of the Council 
on 
American-Islamic Relations, the nation's largest 
Muslim civil rights and advocacy group. He may be 
contacted at pahmed at cair.com (mailto:pahmed at cair.com)]

Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) recently rescinded an 
award to Basim Elkarra, the executive director of the 
Sacramento Valley chapter of the Council on 
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).

This disturbing news was met with a flurry of 
rhetorical high-fives by anti-Muslim extremists in the 
blogosphere. After Boxer's decision to rescind the 
award was made public, Elkarra received an e-mailed 
death threat. That threat is being investigated by 
the FBI.

But what led Sen. Boxer to rescind the award? The 
justifications offered range from the amazing to the 
bizarre.

According to Sen. Boxer's spokeswoman Natalie 
Ravitz, the senator became "concerned" after she 
read negative things about CAIR on a virulent anti-
Muslim hate site. This despite the fact that the same 
website describes Sen. Boxer as someone who 
is "thickheaded" on national security and said, "The 
nation's dumbest Democrat, Barbara Boxer, has a 
plan to lose in Iraq."

It is truly disappointing to see Sen. Boxer use such a 
hate-filled and inflammatory site to form her opinions 
about CAIR, America's largest Muslim civil liberties 
group.

Just days before Sen. Boxer announced her decision, 
a demand for just such an action was issued by Joe 
Kaufman, an anti-Muslim extremist in Florida who has 
a long history of seeking to marginalize the Muslim 
community in that state.

Kaufman has in the past promoted terrorist 
organizations such as Kach and Kahane Chai on his 
website. In an article published on the forum of the 
radical Jewish Defense League in Florida, Kaufman 
praised the Kahane movement and its founder Mier 
Kahane by stating, "It was perfectly understandable, 
if he (Kahane) were to have hated Arabs."

Last year, Kaufman once again demonstrated his anti-
Muslim bigotry by joining the call of Rev. O'Neal 
Dozier (who was subsequently removed from the 
campaign of Florida Governor Charlie Crist in part 
because of his bigoted views about Muslims) seeking 
to block the expansion of a mosque in Pompano 
Beach. "This mosque should not exist on American 
shores," said Kaufman." (St. Petersburg Times, 
7/14/06)

The senator said she also relied on information from 
Steven Emerson, a "terrorism expert" with a history 
of defamatory attacks on CAIR almost since its 
founding in 1994. Emerson was the commentator who 
first blamed Muslims for the 1995 bombing of the 
Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma.

Sen. Boxer's decision to rescind the award 
contradicted her previous positive interactions with 
CAIR and was made without a single phone call or e-
mail seeking a rebuttal to the Internet smears. In the 
past, CAIR received several letters of commendation 
from the senator.
Members of her staff also attended CAIR events.

While American Muslims have grown used to such 
behavior from the extreme right, it was shocking to 
see a progressive politician like Sen. Boxer get 
caught up in our nation's rising tide of Islamophobia.

Sen. Boxer has now signaled a willingness to meet 
with CAIR officials both in California and in 
Washington, D.C. This is certainly welcome news.

CAIR has always taken a principled stand against 
terrorism and religious extremism.

>From issuing a statement of condemnation 
immediately after the 9/11 attacks, to taking out a 
full-page ad in the Washington Post dissociating 
Islam from terrorism, to launching the "Not in the 
Name of Islam" online petition and public service 
announcement campaigns, CAIR's initiatives all point 
to an organization unequivocally opposed to terrorism 
in all its forms.

Representatives of the FBI are frequent participants 
at CAIR events nationwide and CAIR regularly 
conducts sensitivity training for federal and local law 
enforcement agencies.

In defending Boxer's position, Boxer's office has been 
using recycled news stories about the convictions of 
two people who had past associations with CAIR.

One of those people, a volunteer board member of a 
local CAIR chapter, undertook his actions after 
terminating his association with CAIR. The other 
person's activities came after he left his employment 
at CAIR. Whatever they did or did not do in their 
private capacities has nothing to do with CAIR. 
Holding CAIR responsible for the actions of former 
associates is guilt by association.

CAIR has tens of thousands of members, hundreds of 
volunteer board members and several dozen paid 
staff members nationwide. It would be unfair and un-
American to hold any organization responsible for the 
actions of every individual, especially when such 
actions originate outside the scope of their 
employment or association.

Unfortunately, the general public's ignorance of their 
American Muslim neighbors is the oxygen that gives 
life to Islamophobia.

The reality is that American Muslims make up one of 
the most productive and law-abiding segments of our 
society. Recent polls show that nearly nine out of 
ten American Muslims vote regularly and nearly half 
volunteer for institutions serving the public 
(compared to a national average of 29 percent). The 
same poll indicated that American Muslims have high 
regard for CAIR.

By acting on smears, distortions and guilt by 
association, Sen. Boxer has failed her Muslim 
constituents and has betrayed the progressive 
values of her party and state.

Despite this disturbing episode, we remain committed 
to working with Sen. Boxer and with any other public 
officials who seek to build a better and more tolerant 
America.

BACK TO TOP! (#TOP)

_____________________________________________
__

The CAIR Takeaway 
 (null)

Ginger Rutland | Sacramento Bee | 1/5/07

Am I a terrorist? I asked myself this question after 
reading that U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer of California had 
rescinded an award she gave to Basim Elkarra, 
executive director of the Sacramento Valley Chapter 
of the Council on American Islamic Relations. Boxer 
said she "made a bad mistake" -- that her staff 
presented the award without her knowledge. (That 
admission, in itself, speaks volumes about the 
sincerity of any Boxer endorsement.)

The initial source of Boxer's concern was the 
blogosphere, that sometimes subterranean sewer of 
suspect journalism, where reputation-besmirching 
rumor runs rampant. Joe Kaufman, a right-wing 
blogger, criticized Boxer for honoring a CAIR leader.

Boxer said she hasn't heard anything negative about 
Elkarra himself but has "concerns" about CAIR, which 
she claimed has been unwilling to condemn Osama 
bin Laden.

Really? CAIR leaders strongly deny that and have 
produced news releases they've issued denouncing 
the al-Qaida leader. Did Boxer check with CAIR 
before rescinding her award?

I know Elkarra. I don't believe he supports terrorism. 
The personable young University of California, 
Berkeley, graduate assumed the helm of the local 
CAIR chapter at a perilous time for Muslims in this 
country. He has gone to extraordinary lengths to 
reassure his fellow Americans while defending fellow 
Muslims.

I am also familiar with CAIR, at least as it operates 
locally. I have attended CAIR banquets, spoken to 
their youth groups and joined CAIR-sponsored Iftars, 
the feast and prayer services that follow the daily 
fasts observant Muslims practice during Ramadan.

For me, CAIR's efforts to reach out are reminiscent of 
the efforts of other Americans falsely accused of 
disloyalty: Japanese, German and Italian Americans 
during World War II, civil rights activists and Vietnam 
War opponents casually smeared as communists in 
the 1950s and '60s. I wonder; was Boxer's loyalty 
ever questioned when she opposed the Vietnam War? 
If so, she must understand what her casual 
withdrawal of a casually awarded tribute means to a 
Muslim American at this moment in American history. 
Shame on her.

At the last Ramadan celebration I attended, CAIR 
presented Sacramento Assemblyman Dave Jones with 
a beautiful Quran. Should Jones follow Boxer's lead 
and return it? Should I stop attending CAIR-
sponsored events?

I pray not. Should either of us feel compelled to do 
so, I would fear for my country, for its cherished 
traditions of religious tolerance, open debate and fair 
play.

BACK TO TOP! (#TOP)

_____________________________________________
__

Take Action Now: Contact 
Senator Boxer (null)

Please contact Senator Boxer to express your 
concerns about her decision to rescind the award to 
Basim Elkarra based on information supplied by 
Islamophobes and without input from CAIR. Calls are 
best, followed by faxes and e-mails. (Contact 
information below)

As always, please be respectful and polite. 
Here are some suggested talking points: 

1. It is unfair that the award was rescinded 
without giving CAIR a chance to refute the 
allegations made against it, especially since Sen. 
Boxer has given several letters of commendation to 
CAIR.

2. Attacks on CAIR are the work of a very finite and 
interrelated brand of career Islamophobes, whose 
own credibility in is doubt, who profit economically 
and politically by bashing Muslims and smearing their 
leaders and organizations.

3. CAIR is a community organization that has been a 
consistent and loud voice in condeming all forms of 
terrorism. Its record of hundreds of events, 
activities, statements and campaigns speak for that. 
(Visit www.cair.com 
 (http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=tuxzl8bab.0.rtjypxbab.xbuqfvbab.0&ts=S0216&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cair.com)for more information)

4. Since CAIR represents the American Muslim 
community, it concerns you as an individual that the 
withdrawal of the award sends out a negative 
message to the American Muslim 
constituency in California. 

CALL:

- San Francisco: (415) 403-0100 

- Sacramento: (916) 448-2787  

- Washington D.C.: (202) 224-3553  

E-MAIL: http://boxer.senate.gov/contact/email/policy.cfm
 (http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=tuxzl8bab.0.6954l8bab.xbuqfvbab.0&ts=S0216&p=http%3A%2F%2Fboxer.senate.gov%2Fcontact%2Femail%2Fpolicy.cfm)

WASHINGTON AND STATE OFFICES: 

http://boxer.senate.gov/contact/offices/index.cfm (http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=tuxzl8bab.0.5954l8bab.xbuqfvbab.0&ts=S0216&p=http%3A%2F%2Fboxer.senate.gov%2Fcontact%2Foffices%2Findex.cfm)

BACK TO TOP! (#TOP)

_____________________________________________
__

For more information, contact Abiya 
Ahmed, CAIR-SFBA Media 
Relations
Coordinator, 

Email: 
aahmed at cair.com (mailto:aahmed at cair.com) or Call 408.986.9874 

_____________________________________
____

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, 
has 32 offices and chapters nationwide and in 
Canada. Its mission is to enhance the understanding 
of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, 
empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that 
promote justice and mutual understanding.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CAIR-SFBA

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
email: nocal at cair.com
phone: 408-986-9874
web: http://www.cair-california.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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