The Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) has marked the 15th anniversary of the bombing of the Federal Building in Oklahoma City by attempting to blame anti-Muslim incidents following the attack on its critics. In a statement, (CAIR) National Executive Director Nihad Awad begins by claiming that US Muslims are being “targeted” by “extremists and experts”:
As we commemorate the 15th anniversary of the terror attack in Oklahoma City that killed 168 people and join the victims’ families in remembering their loved ones, we must also recognize that the same anti-government extremism that lead to the attack is growing and is unfortunately moving toward the mainstream. “The Oklahoma City bombing was a watershed event for our nation, and in particular for its American Muslim population. Just as Muslims and Arab-Americans were targeted in the immediate aftermath of the Oklahoma City bombing, they are being targeted today by the same extremists and ‘experts’ who sought to blame them for the 1995 attack. “We must all challenge any form of hate rhetoric, stereotyping and blind extremism that clouds rational thought, creates unnecessary divisions within our society and will inevitably lead to more acts of violence.” He cited the recent politically-motivated terror attack on the IRS facility in Texas, the shooting of guards at the Pentagon and the arrests of anti-government militia members who allegedly planned to kill law enforcement officers to spark an anti-government revolt similar to that envisioned by the Oklahoma City bombers. Awad also noted the growing collaboration between anti-government extremists and anti-Muslim hate groups nationwide. A report by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), titled “Rage on the Right,” noted that “so-called ‘Patriot’ groups — militias and other organizations that see the federal government as part of a plot to impose ‘one-world government’ on liberty-loving Americans — came roaring back after years out of the limelight.”
Mr. Awad goes on to identify Investigative Project Director Steven Emerson as being one of those responsible for the violence.:
While many cautioned against a rush to blame any particular group for the attack, Steven Emerson was one of the so-called “terrorism experts” who initially blamed Muslims for the 1995 bombing of the Murrah Federal Building. He told CBS News the bombing was a reflection of “a Middle Eastern trait.” (4/19/95) [One American Muslim, Ibrahim Ahmad, was even arrested following the bombing and held for two days before being released without charge. Emerson is viewed by many as one of the nation’s leading Islamophobes who has made a career out of promoting anti-Muslim conspiracy theories.] That and similar unsubstantiated rhetorical links sparked a wave of anti-Muslim hysteria that resulted in almost 250 incidents of harassment, discrimination and actual violence against American Muslims or those perceived to be Middle Eastern. ….Other incidents ranged from a suspected arson attack on a mosque, to drive-by shootings at Islamic centers and assaults on Muslim students. Many Muslim institutions around America also reported phoned bomb threats, and in one case, a fake bomb was thrown at a Muslim day care facility. Individual Muslims reported a great increase in harassment by co-workers and in public. The harassment led to an atmosphere of fear and intimidation in the Muslim community
Labeling its critics as rightwing Islamaphobes is a common tactic of CAIR and other US Muslim Brotherhood organizations.
Documents released in the Holy Land Trial have revealed that the founders and current leaders of CAIR were part of the Palestine Committee of the Muslim Brotherhood as well as identifying the organization itself as being part of the US. Brotherhood. A recent post discussed an interview with the Deputy leader of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood in which he confirms a relationship between his organization and CAIR. Investigative research posted on GMBDW had determined that CAIR had it origins in the U.S. Hamas infrastructure and CAIR and its leaders have a long history of defending almost all individuals accused of terrorism by the US. government, frequently calling such prosecutions a “war on Islam.”