CAIR Responds to UAE Terror List
“We are seeking clarification from the government of the United Arab Emirates about this shocking and bizarre report. There is absolutely no factual basis for the inclusion CAIR and other American and European civil rights and advocacy groups on this list,” the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said in a statement obtained by OnIslam.net.
“Like the rest of the mainstream institutions representing the American Muslim community, CAIR’s advocacy model is the antithesis of the narrative of violent extremists.
On Saturday, November 15, Emirati officials released a new terror list that included the names of 83 organizations.
The UAE Muslim Brotherhood, Al-Islah (or Da'wat Al-Islah), and Fatah al-Islam (Lebanon) were at the top of the UAE terror list.
Other groups like Al-Qaeda, al-Nusra Front, the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and Jabhat al-Nusra (Al-Nusra Front) in Syria we also branded terrorist.
Nigeria's Boko Haram and Afghanistan's Taliban are also in the blacklist.
International bodies representing world Muslims such as the International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS) and Islamic Relief have been also banned.
The UAE blacklist included the names of several American and European Muslims organization like the Federation of Islamic Organizations in Europe, the Islamic Relief, a UK-registered charity that is working with the British government and Muslim Association of Britain.
Two US-based groups, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the Muslim American Society, were also included in the list, sending a shockwave among thousands of their members.
"We call on the United Arab Emirates cabinet to review this list and remove organizations such as CAIR, the Muslim American Society and other civil society organizations that peacefully promote civil and democratic rights and that oppose terrorism whenever it occurs, wherever it occurs and whoever carries it out,” CAIR said in the statement.
Though there are no official figures, America is believed to be the home of nearly 7-8 million Muslims.
Established in 1994, CAIR is a non-profit grassroots organization headquartered in Washington DC, with 35 offices and chapters across the US and Canada.
It strives to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.
CAIR recently joined a number of national and local Muslim scholars and leaders in Washington to release a first-of-its-kind open letter in Arabic (with English translation) signed by more than 120 international scholars of Islam and Muslim leaders refuting the ideology of ISIL and urging its supporters to repent and "return to the religion of mercy."
Source: On Islam
