Islamist media is reporting that the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) has issued a statement complaining about an Obama Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) program. According to the OnIslam report, unidentified “Muslim groups and civil rights activists across the nation” have asked for a response from the government about the program:
August 6, 2015 WASHINGTON – Muslim groups and civil rights activists across the nation are calling for greater transparency in an Obama administration program aimed at countering homegrown terrorism.
‘Despite repeatedly raising concerns, civil rights and community-based groups have received no response from the government,’ Haroon Manjlai, the Public Affairs Coordinator of Los Angeles chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA), said in a statement obtained by OnIslam.net.
‘Instead, the government has decided to prioritize Countering Violent Extremism (CVE), a program proven to be ineffective, with no support from the community it is directed towards, and major civil rights implications,’ he added.
Manjlai was speaking ahead of several news conferences planned on Thursday, August 6, in Minneapolis, Los Angeles and Boston.
Organized by Muslim and civil rights organizations, the news conferences will be used to express growing community concerns about proposed government-initiated ‘countering violent extremism’ (CVE) programming.
These events are being held in the three cities designated to launch CVE pilot programs.”
“The Minnesota Muslim Community is united over its growing concerns about the CVE pilot program, which so far has only alienated the very communities it was seeking to influence, while attempting to derail the communities own initiative to enhance its ability to build community resilience,” CAIR-MN Executive Director Jaylani Hussein said.
The groups include local chapters of the American Civil Liberties Union and the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
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The Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) describes itself as “a grassroots civil rights and advocacy group and as “America’s largest Islamic civil liberties group.” CAIR was founded in 1994 by three officers of the Islamic Association of Palestine, part of the U.S. Hamas infrastructure at that time. Documents discovered in the course of the the terrorism trial of the Holy Land Foundation confirmed that the founders and current leaders of CAIR were part of the Palestine Committee of the Muslim Brotherhood and that CAIR itself is part of the US. Muslim Brotherhood. In 2008, the then Deputy leader of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood acknowledged a relationship between the Egyptian Brotherhood and CAIR. In 2009, a US federal judge ruled “The Government has produced ample evidence to establish the associations of CAIR, ISNA and NAIT with HLF, the Islamic Association for Palestine (“IAP”), and with Hamas.” CAIR and its leaders have had a long history of defending individuals accused of terrorism by the US. government, often labeling such prosecutions a “war on Islam”, and have also been associated with Islamic fundamentalism and antisemitism. The organization is led by Nihad Awad, its longstanding Executive Director and one of the three original founders.