The Council on American–Islamic Relations (CAIR) is an American Muslim civil rights and advocacy group. It is headquartered on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., with regional offices nationwide. Through civil rights actions, media relations, civic engagement, and education, CAIR works to promote social, legal and political activism among Muslims in the United States.
The United Arab Emirates, Texas, and Florida have designated CAIR as a terrorist organization.
History Early years (1994–2001) CAIR was founded in June 1994.The North American Muslim resource guide: Muslim community life in the United States and Canada . Mohamed Nimer, Taylor & Francis, 2002, . CAIR's first office was located in Washington, D.C., as is its present-day headquarters on Capitol Hill. Its founding was partly in response to the film True Lies, which Arab and Muslim groups condemned for its stereotyping of Arab and Muslim villains.Shaheen, Jack, "Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies a People", 2001, , Olive Branch Press The offices opened a month before the film's release. CAIR's first advocacy campaign was in response to an offensive greeting card that used the term "Shi'ite" to refer to human excrement. CAIR led a national campaign and used activists to pressure the greeting card company, which eventually withdrew the card from the market."News, July 2000" . Islamic Voice. Retrieved on March 19, 2011.Noakes, Greg. "CAIR Counters Anti-Islam Card". Washington Report on Middle East Affairs November/December 1994: 62–64
In 1995, CAIR handled its first case of hijab discrimination, in which a Muslim employee was denied the right to wear the hijab; this type of complaint became one of the most common received by CAIR's civil rights department.Muslim minorities in the West: visible and invisible . Hadda, Yazbeck, and Smith, Jane I. p. 35, Rowman Altamira, 2002, , 9780759102187, accessed November 30, 2009.
CAIR continued its advocacy work in the aftermath of the April 19, 1995 Oklahoma City bombing of the Murrah Federal Building. Following the attack, Muslim-Americans were subjected to an upsurge in harassment and discrimination, including a rise in hate crimes nationally;"Arab-Americans Suffer Hatred after Bombing", Chicago Sun-Times, May 13, 1995 222 hate crimes against Muslims nationwide were reported in the days immediately following the bombing.James Brooke, (August 28, 1995) Attacks on U.S. Muslims Surge Even as Their Faith Takes Hold The New York Times (accessed October 10, 2020) The bombing gave CAIR national stature for their efforts to educate the public about Islam and religious bias in America; their report was featured on the front page of The New York Times on August 28, 1995, and was subsequently mentioned on ABC World News Tonight.
In 1996, CAIR began "CAIR-NET", a read-only e-mail listserv aimed to help American Muslims identify and combat anti-Muslim prejudice in the U.S. and Canada. CAIR-NET contained descriptions of news, bias incidents or hate speech and hate crimes, often followed by information as to whom readers may contact to influence resolution of an issue.Smith, Jane. Islam in America. New York. Columbia University Press, 1999. CAIR also held its first voter registration drive in 1996; CAIR continues to encourage active political participation by American Muslims, for them to address political candidates and elected representatives with greater frequency.Wilgoren, Debbi. "Making Muslim Voices Heard: To Promote the Vote, Leaders Provide Answers and Forms". The Washington Post. September 14, 1996: B01.
In 1996, CAIR published a report The Usual Suspects regarding its perception of anti-Muslim rhetoric in the media after the crash of TWA Flight 800. Their research showed 138 uses of the terms "Muslim" and "Arab" in the 48 hours after the crash in Reuters, UPI, and AP articles covering the incident. The official NTSB report said that the crash was most likely caused by mechanical failure.The North American Muslim resource guide: Muslim community life in the United States and Canada . Mohamed Nimer, p. 134, Taylor & Francis, 2002, . Accessed December 9, 2009.
In 1997, CAIR objected to the production of sneakers made by Nike with a design on the heel similar to the Arabic word for "Allah"."Nike Recalls Disputed Logo" The Cincinnati Enquirer, June 25, 1997. Accessed October 24, 2011 As part of an agreement reached between CAIR officials and Nike representatives, Nike apologized to the Muslim community, recalled the products carrying the design, launched an investigation as to how the logo came about, and built a number of children's playgrounds near some Islamic centers in America.Nike and Islamic group end logo logjam . Mohamed Nimer, p. 134, Taylor & Francis, 2002, . Accessed December 9, 2009.
In 1997, as depictions of Muhammad are seen as blasphemous by some Muslims, CAIR wrote to United States Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist requesting that the sculpted representation of Muhammad on the north frieze inside the Supreme Court building be removed or sanded down. The court rejected CAIR's request.Supreme Court Frieze Brings Objection March 8, 1997.How the "ban" on images of Muhammad came to be January 19, 2015.
Post-9/11 (2001–2006) In October 2001, CAIR opposed the United States invasion of Afghanistan after the September 11 attacks. By January 2002, four months after the attacks, the CAIR said that it had received 1,658 reports of discrimination, profiling, harassment, and physical assaults against persons appearing Arab or Muslim, a threefold increase over the prior year. The reports included beatings, death threats, abusive police practices, and employment and airline-related discrimination."Cole, David. Enemy Aliens. New York. The New Press, 2003. Page 47
A CAIR initiative funded in part by a $500,000 donation from Saudi Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud sent a set of 18 books and tapes to public libraries written by Muslim and non-Muslim authors on Islamic history and practices, as well as an English translation of the Quran.
In 2005, CAIR coordinated the joint release of a fatwa by 344 American Muslim organizations, mosques, and imams nationwide that stated: "Islam strictly condemns religious extremism and the use of violence against innocent lives. There is no justification in Islam for extremism or terrorism. Targeting civilians' life and property through suicide bombings or any other method of attack is haram or forbidden—and those who commit these barbaric acts are criminals, not martyrs." The fatwa cited passages from the Quran and hadith that prohibit violence against innocent people and injustice, and was signed by the Fiqh Council of North America.Shienbaum, Kim Ezra and Hasan, Jamal (2006). Beyond jihad: critical voices from inside Islam . p. xxi. Academica Press LLC. . Accessed November 30, 2009.
Also in 2005, following the Qur'an desecration controversy of 2005 at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp, CAIR initiated an "Explore the Quran" campaign, aimed at providing free copies of the Quran to any person who requested it.Tariq Ghazi, Muhammad (2006). The Cartoons Cry . AuthorHouse. p. 119. , accessed November 30, 2009.
In June 2006, CAIR announced a $50 million project to create a better understanding of Islam and Muslims in the US. ($10 million per year for five years), in a project to be spearheaded by Paul Findley, a former US Congressman.
Also in 2006, CAIR sent a group of representatives to Iraq to urge kidnappers to release American journalist Jill Carroll. Carroll was eventually released unharmed.
In December 2006, California Senator Barbara Boxer withdrew a "certificate of accomplishment" originally given to former CAIR official Basim Elkarra after Boxer's staff looked into CAIR, and she became concerned about some of CAIR's past statements and actions, and statements by some law enforcement officials that it provides aid to international terrorist groups.
Holy Land Foundation case (2007) In 2007, CAIR was named, along with 245 others, by U.S. Federal prosecutors in a list of unindicted co-conspirators or joint venturers in a Hamas funding case involving the Holy Land Foundation,Islamic Groups Named in Hamas Funding Case – June 4, 2007 – The New York Sun (June 4, 2007). Retrieved on March 19, 2011. which in 2009, caused the FBI to cease working with CAIR outside of criminal investigations due to its designation.Fox News: FBI Cuts Ties With CAIR Following Terror Financing Trial , January 30, 2009, retrieved November 29, 2012 CAIR was never charged with any crime, and it complained that the designation had tarnished its reputation.
Specifically, in May 2007, the U.S. filed an action against the Holy Land Foundation (the largest Muslim charity in the United States at the time) for providing funds to Hamas, and federal prosecutors filed pleadings. Along with 245 other organizations, the prosecutors publicly listed CAIR (and its chairman emeritus, Omar Ahmad), Islamic Society of North America (largest Muslim umbrella organization in the United States), Muslim American Society and North American Islamic Trust as unindicted co-conspirators or joint venturers, a legal designation that prosecutors can employ for a variety of reasons including grants of immunity, pragmatic considerations, and evidentiary concerns. While being listed as co-conspirator does not mean that CAIR has been charged with any crime, the organization was concerned that the label will forever taint it.
On October 22, 2007, the Holy Land Foundation trial ended in a mistrial. All defendants were convicted upon retrial in 2008.
In 2008, the FBI discontinued its long-standing relationship with CAIR. Officials said the decision followed the conviction of the HLF directors for funneling millions of dollars to Hamas, revelations that Nihal Awad had participated in planning meetings with HLF, and CAIR's failure to provide details of its ties to Hamas.FBI severed contacts with CAIR in last days of Bush administration . Worldtribune.com (February 3, 2009). Retrieved on March 19, 2011. During a 2008 retrial of the HLF case, FBI Special Agent Lara Burns labeled CAIR "a front group for Hamas".Trahan, Jason (October 14, 2008). "Judge due to rule on Holy Land defense evidence challenge" . The Dallas Morning News. In January 2009, the FBI's DC office instructed all field offices to cut ties with CAIR, as the ban extended into the Obama administration.Abrams, Joseph (January 30, 2009). "FBI Cuts Ties With CAIR Following Terror Financing Trial", Fox News. Retrieved December 3, 2009