Commentary

IARF-US invites members and friends to engage in dialogue, express opinions, and share concerns.

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COUNCIL ON AMERICAN-ISLAMIC RELATIONS (CAIR)

H. Roy Kaplan, Ph.D.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) was founded in June 1994 in Washington, D.C. to promote greater understanding of Islam in the United States and safeguard Muslim-American rights. CAIR has been the object of much derision and contempt by some organizations and individuals who contend that it is a front of the Muslim Brotherhood that promotes global violence, harassment and Sharia Law. Recently, Florida and Texas passed proclamations that labeled CAIR as part of a transnational criminal and foreign terrorist organization, and forbade CAIR from purchasing land within those states.

As the former Executive Director of the Tampa Bay chapter of The National Conference of Christians and Jews (NCCJ) from 1989 to 2004, I had numerous interactions with CAIR and its Executive Directors, as well as with representatives of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) who were intimately involved in intelligence gathering. 

I would like to provide readers with some personal insights about my interactions with CAIR during my tenure with NCCJ. I realize that relationships between the United States and Muslim-dominated countries are strained, and I received considerable negative comments from individuals and organizations during my tenure at NCCJ, alleging surreptitious ties between CAIR and anti-American terrorist groups. I have not been privy to “inside” information that supposedly links CAIR to such malevolent forces. I would like to state some facts about my relationship with CAIR.

First, I worked with two Executive Directors of that organization and found them to be very helpful, intelligent, and well-intentioned individuals. They spoke to my classes at the University of South Florida and always projected a well-balanced, reasoned perspective. They were amenable to listening to diverse opinions about the Middle East, as well as other controversial topics.

Secondly, CAIR often assisted me in my attempts to counter bigotry and hate in the Tampa Bay community. I considered the organization similar to a civil rights advocacy group such as the American Civil Liberties Union, NAACP, and the Anti-Defamation League.

I realize that CAIR and some of its members have become highly politicized for some of its work over the years, but I can say that my interactions with that group in Florida were always conducted in an objective, ethical way. The organization was a reliable ally in the fight against narrow-mindedness and bigotry, and CAIR frequently complemented the work I did.

IARF-US Statement on Israeli/Hamas Violence
IARF-US stands for religious liberty, ecumenical understanding and cooperation, and nonviolent and peaceful relationships. We are heartsick and deeply dismayed by both the terrible violence of Hamas terrorists and the continued injustice of the Israeli government. Palestinians deserve a viable state with adequate land of their own, as does Israel, as multi-religious democracies deserve to flourish. They are feasible only by providing adequately for both.