Muslim Mafia (27 page)

And bringing even Gitmo’s most dangerous detainees, such as 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed, to America (preferably Muslim-dominated Alexandria, Virginia, a move touted by CAIR supporter Representative Jim Moran, who represents the DC suburb), whereupon they can ditch their leg irons and manacles and stand trial in open court.

CAIR hopes more politicians will make a connection between 9/11 and the Israeli “occupation” of Palestinians.

“The seeds for 9/11 were planted in 1948,” according to a draft of a “Proposed Muslim Platform” found at CAIR headquarters. “A resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict needs to be based on recognizing and correcting the harm that was done to the Palestinians since 1948.”
²⁰

The memo goes on to suggest that adopting a pro-Muslim foreign policy will buy protection for America.

“Good foreign policy means less worry about homeland security,” it continues, “and better environment for a strong economy. Does anyone know what is the financial impact of 9/11 on the country?”

The domestic policy agenda of CAIR and its Democrat boosters is no less disturbing. Among other things, it includes:

CAIR notes in its internal papers that the power to influence such national policy “requires sophisticated lobby” and “access to positions of power.” It also requires “engaging in a process where our people are involved (in) money contributions, votes (and) volunteering in campaigns.”

VIOLATING IRS RULES AGAINST LOBBYING?

While the poli-sci merits of that formula may be sound, there’s just one problem: CAIR is not a registered lobbyist and cannot engage in such activities. In fact, as a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization, it is severely restricted from lobbying and expressly prohibited from political campaigning.

The IRS puts strict limits on the amount of time or money such organizations can spend on both direct lobbying—such as meeting face-to-face with a legislator—and grassroots lobbying—such as media campaigns to influence the public on an issue.

By law, CAIR must notify the IRS of any intent to lobby by filing a special form. A 501(c)(3) organization “will lose its tax-exempt status and its qualification to receive deductible charitable contributions if a substantial part of its activities are carried on to influence legislation,” the IRS states in Form 5768.

CAIR is flirting with, if not crossing, that line. Internal documentation generated by the group suggests a substantial part of its operations involve lobbying activities.

Take its efforts to repeal the Patriot Act. CAIR’s traffic on the Hill on that issue has rivaled the activity of a K Street lobbying firm. In 2005 alone, CAIR officials made a whopping seventy-two separate trips to Congress to protest the anti-terror law, according to internal records.
²¹
Considering Congress met fewer than 150 days that year, this is an extraordinary lobbying pace indeed.

CAIR also spends $25,000 a year to organize a national “lobby day on the Hill” during which its members across the country come to Washington to meet with their representatives and senators to talk about a single issue—using the same talking points furnished by CAIR.

CAIR also created databases to streamline its lobbying efforts, including one “to track our relationships with congressional offices,” and another to automatically alert Hill staffers about policy issues important to CAIR, according to internal CAIR documents. The Hill e-list, or electronic mailing list, is known internally as “Policy-net.”
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Again, CAIR is not a registered lobbyist. Yet it calls its governmental affairs department a “lobbying office.”

“The Governmental Affairs Department better understands the workings and personalities of Capitol Hill,” reported Jason C. Erb, Saylor’s predecessor, in a post-9/11 memo marked “Not for Distribution—For Board Members Only.” “There is much to be learned and many wrinkles to be ironed out before we are a truly efficient and effective lobbying office.”
²³

BUSSING MUSLIMS TO THE POLLS

According to IRS statutes, additionally, CAIR cannot in any way support or oppose anyone running for public office. Nor can it engage in partisan political activities. That means absolutely no campaigning.

And no political fundraising may occur at an event hosted by a 501(c)(3) organization. For that matter, such tax-exempt groups cannot endorse or even voice support for political candidates, according to IRS rules.

Yet CAIR has held political fundraisers benefiting Ellison and other Democrats. It has also used its resources to turn Muslim voters out for Ellison and other Democrat candidates in tight races.

CAIR shared its “phone sheets of Muslim voters from the research department’s database of Muslim voters to help in get[ting] out the vote effort,” Awad reported to CAIR’s board just days before the 2006 midterm congressional elections. “The following requests have been fulfilled:

During the 2004 election, CAIR bussed Muslim voters from mosques to polls to try to swing elections to Democrats in key Florida counties.

One of CAIR’s strategic goals for 2010 is to create a database of registered Muslim voters segmented by congressional district to “quickly” mobilize them and “target” candidates in key races. It also plans to register thirty thousand new Muslim voters by next year’s congressional elections.

Meanwhile, it’s coaching all Muslims—including noncitizen immigrants who cannot vote—to phone elected officials in Washington to pressure them to adopt CAIR’s agenda. Here illegally? No problem. “They cannot ask your citizenship status,” CAIR advises.
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To make such contacts easier, CAIR has published and mailed its members more than forty-five hundred copies of its
Congressional Guide
, complete with photos and bios of lawmakers, along with their contact information.

ISNA’S NON-ENDORSEMENT ENDORSEMENT

Also according to IRS law, CAIR cannot invite Democrats to speak at its forums and fundraising dinners without also extending formal invitations to Republicans.
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With the exception of GOP gadfly Ron Paul, an outspoken anti-war critic, however, CAIR generally has not reached out to Republicans. Rather, it’s mostly vilified them.

In fact, CAIR is extremely monopartisan, acting almost as an auxiliary of the Democratic National Committee. “We continued to communicate with the Democratic National Committee about ways to get Muslims involved in the political system through participation in election campaigns and other party activities, like training,” Erb said in his five-page report, which makes no mention of outreach to Republicans.

CAIR Chairman Larry Shaw insists “nothing we do is illegal.” Still, absent an IRS audit, questions loom large—including reports that CAIR uses its DC townhomes and other offsite investment properties to host fundraisers for political candidates.

CAIR’s sister organization ISNA is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization as well. And like CAIR, it knows it can’t endorse political candidates.

But at last year’s ISNA convention, the group violated at least the spirit of the law when one of its moderators—a member of ISNA’s
shura
council—cleverly endorsed Obama without technically endorsing him.