Dec. 29, 2006
 
COMMENTARY: Political Correctness Gone Mad: New Muslim Sensitivity Training Program
 
By Jim Kouri
Special to Huntington News Network
 
Chalk up another victory for the terrorists' Fifth Column -- the Council on American-Islamic Relations. After much prodding and capitalizing on phony incidents of racial profiling, CAIR has achieved something few Americans have achieved -- they got airport security officials to back off.
 
The Transportation Security Administration announced a new training program -- some may call it an indoctrination program -- that will be mandated for more than 45,000 security officers and supervisors. No, it's not training that'll be used to identify terrorists or protect airline passengers. This training program is being billed as "Muslim Sensitivity Training."
 
In a press release sent to US media organizations, CAIR said it welcomed the "special training about Islamic traditions" including the Hajj, or pilgrimage to Mecca, which entails thousands of Muslims traveling to Saudi Arabia.
 
The TSA cultural sensitivity training includes details about the timing of Hajj travel, about items pilgrims may be carrying and about Islamic prayers that may be observed by security personnel.
 
Earlier this month, CAIR advised those going on Hajj to be aware of their civil and legal rights as airline passengers.
 
CAIR's "Your Rights and Responsibilities as an American Muslim" pocket guide states:
 
"As an airline passenger, you are entitled to courteous, respectful and non-stigmatizing treatment by airline and security personnel. You have the right to complain about treatment that you believe is discriminatory."
 
"We welcome the fact that airport security officers nationwide will now be better informed about Islamic traditions relating to Hajj," said CAIR Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper.
 
"This proactive effort on the part of the Transportation Security Administration demonstrates that there is no contradiction between the need to maintain airline safety and security and the duty to protect the religious and civil rights of airline passengers."
 
Hooper said representatives of CAIR chapters nationwide have met with TSA, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials on issues related to cultural sensitivity and national security.
 
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 32 offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.
 
Perhaps American Christians and Jews should start complaining about their treatment at airports, as well. The current strategy of strip-searching elderly women and invalids appears to be a bit insensitive to this writer. Forcing women to drink their own breast milk appears to be insensitive.
 
While CAIR continues to portray itself as a moderate organization, its history is filled with red flags that are ignored by the mainstream news media.
 
According to a report from the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Terrorism and Homeland Security:
 
"The Council on American-Islamic Relations and its employees have combined, conspired, and agreed with third parties, including, but not limited to, the Islamic Association for Palestine , the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development, the Global Relief Foundation, and foreign nationals hostile to the interests of the United States, to provide material support to known terrorist organizations, to advance the Hamas agenda, and to propagate radical Islam."
 
"The Council on American-Islamic Relations, and certain of its officers, directors, and employees, have acted in support of, and in furtherance of, this conspiracy," said the Senate report.
 
Dr. Daniel Pipes, a foremost expert on radical Islam and terrorism cites several criminal cases involving CAIR officials:
 
A senior staff member, Randall Royer a/k/a “Ismail” Royer, pled guilty and was sentenced to twenty years in prison for participating in a network of militant jihadists centered in Northern Virginia. He admitted to aiding and abetting three persons who sought training in a terrorist camp in Pakistan for the purpose of waging jihad against American troops in Afghanistan. Royer’s illegal actions occurred while he was employed by CAIR.
 
CAIR’s Director of Public Affairs, Bassem Kafagi was arrested by the US due to his ties with a terror-financing front group. Khafagi pled guilty to charges of visa and bank fraud, and agreed to be deported to Egypt. Khafagi’s illegal actions occurred while he was employed by CAIR.
 
Ghassan Elashi, a founder of CAIR’s Texas chapter and founder of the Holy Land Foundation, was arrested by the United States and charged with, making false statements on export declarations, dealing in the property of a designated terrorist organization, conspiracy and money laundering. Ghassan Elashi committed his crimes while working at CAIR, and was found guilty.
 
CAIR Board Member Imam Siraj Wahaj, an un-indicted co-conspirator in the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center, has called for replacing the American government with an Islamic caliphate, and warned that America will crumble unless it accepts Islam.
 
Whenever CAIR is accused of wrongdoing, their spokesmen are quick to tell Americans that its leadership have been guests at President Bush's White House and that they are regularly consulted by US officials on matters involving homeland security.
 
To be sure, the Bush Administration intentionally or unintentionally provides CAIR with cover, but the officials with whom CAIR staff claim they work are usually people such as Rep. John Conyers, a Democrat serving a large Muslim population in Michigan, and a long-time terrorist and Marxist sympathizer. CAIR and other Muslim groups have funneled campaign contributions to Conyers, who in January begins his tenure as chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.
 
Many believe it was Rep. Conyers who aided CAIR in achieving their politically correct victory.