Obviously, CAIR’s ecstatic.
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 10/6/11) — The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today called on American Muslims and other people of conscience to thank Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) for her strong defense of the Muslim community during questioning today of FBI Director Robert Mueller by the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
“We thank Representative Schakowsky for her strong and principled defense not only of the American Muslim community, but of the longstanding American traditions of religious tolerance and equality before the law,” said CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad. “We also thank Director Mueller for his pledge to perform a ‘top to bottom’ review of FBI counterterrorism training.”. . .
Rep. Schakowsky said to Director Mueller:
“I am concerned, like 27 human rights and civil rights groups that wrote you a letter, about some of the FBI training dealing with the Muslim community and home-grown terrorism. And I know that there was a training — a bureau training in Quantico and counterterrorism agents were shown a chart — you’ve probably seen it, but here are copies of it — that talked about how increased religiosity, adherence by pious and devoted, that became less violent as people of the Jewish faith or Christians got more religious.
[EDITOR’S NOTE: CAIR was a signatory to the letter referenced above.]
“But it shows that people who support the Koran, the more religious they get, the more violent they are. That was the training that went on there. And I — I understand that there’s been trainings where the Prophet Mohammed has — has actually been called a cult leader and that Islamic practice of giving charity is no more than, quote, ‘funding mechanism for combat.’
“I know that you have said that this was an aberration, but who is watching the store? Senate Committee on Homeland Security, Joe Lieberman and Susan Collins, warned that law enforcement lacks meaningful standards to prevent anti-Islamic material from seeping into counterterrorism.
“My concern is that we’re not looking at criminal behavior. We’re not looking at violent behavior. But we’re focusing on religious practices and that this is evident, and I could cite other evidence — I want to give you a chance to answer, though — of training materials and written materials of the FBI that describe people who, you know, wear Muslim clothing, et cetera, as being signals that they may be violent.
“And I’d like you to — to comment on this. This is something that we need, I believe, to worry about in this country, that values — religious freedom and the freedom to practice religion.”