Breitbart News reports that an official from the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a Muslim Brotherhood legacy group posing as a civil rights organization, recently accused Jewish organizations and “Zionist” synagogues, whom she described as “enemies,” of supporting human rights violations, and spreading so-called “Islamophobia.”
Just last month, CAIR held an event in Texas claiming that Aafia Siddiqui — a Pakistani national serving an 86-year sentence for the attempted killing of U.S. military personnel — had been “kidnapped, ripped apart from her children, shot at, renditioned to the U.S., and is currently serving an 86-year prison sentence for a crime she did not commit.” In September, CAIR Texas organized a rally to free Siddiqui, where speakers accused the courts of being headed by “Zionist judges” who imprisoned “political prisoners” such as her in “sham trials” following 9/11.
Speaking on a panel at the American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) annual conference in Chicago in late November, Zahra Billoo, who manages one of the largest CAIR offices, warned the audience, “We need to pay attention to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). We need to pay attention to the Jewish Federation. We need to pay attention to the Zionist synagogues. We need to pay attention to the Hillel chapters on our campuses,” she said. “Because just because they’re your friend today doesn’t mean that they have your back when it comes to human rights.”
“They will not be there for you when you need them,” she added. “They will take your friendship and throw your Palestinian brothers and sisters under the bus… I’m not going to sugarcoat that: they are your enemies.”
But following a hostage-taking incident by an armed Islamic terrorist at a synagogue near Dallas, Texas, on Saturday, in which the terrorist demanded the release of Aafia Siddiqui before being killed by the FBI in a raid, many drew a direct line between the remarks of the CAIR official and the hostage crisis.
“Time to ban #CAIR!” wrote the Jewish Voice.
“CAIR should absolutely be judged for what they have done and what their leaders have said, including about ‘Zionist’ synagogues,” wrote award-winning former NPR and CNN journalist Josh Lev.
“CAIR’s antisemitic incitement led to what we witnessed in Texas!’” wrote international human rights lawyer Arsen Ostrovsky.