Militant Islam Monitor > Articles > Why is Senator Barbara Boxer's office meeting with CAIR?
Why is Senator Barbara Boxer's office meeting with CAIR?
March 19, 2008
Why Is Senator Barbara Boxer's Staff Meeting With CAIR?
Why Is Senator Barbara Boxer's Staff Meeting With CAIR?
March 18, 2008 - San Francisco, CA - PipeLineNews.org - Despite what appeared to have been a blanket rejection of the Saudi funded Islamist group CAIR [an unindicted co-conspirator in the ongoing Holy Land Foundation prosecution] in 2006 by California's junior Senator, Barbara Boxer, according to the March 13 CAIR newsletter, representatives of her office recently met with the controversial group which sought to convey its feelings on the "crisis" in Gaza, a Hamas stronghold.
"Southern California Muslim and interfaith leaders met Wednesday with representatives from Senator Barbara Boxer's (D-CA) office to express their concerns about Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip and the resulting humanitarian crisis. Those joining the meeting were: Sharaf Mowjood, Government Relations Coordinator of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Greater Los Angeles Area..."[source, CAIR Newsletter 3/13/08, MUSLIM, INTERFAITH LEADERS MEET BOXER STAFF OVER GAZA CRISIS]
Boxer's previous rejection of CAIR came as a result of her re-thinking the awarding of a "Certificate of Achievement" given by her office to CAIR Sacramento Director Basim Elkarra.
At the time, when questioned about why her office had taken the unprecedented step of rescinding the award to CAIR, Senator Boxer stated that "we made a bad mistake not researching the organization," noting, "CAIR's unwillingness to condemn Osama Bin Laden by name or condemn...Hamas."
The communications director of Boxer's office also cited the cases of Ghassan Elashi [see Ghassan Elashi's Sentencing Proves CAIR's Terror Ties] a founding board member of the Texas branch of CAIR who was sentenced to 80 months in prison for business dealings with Hamas leader Musa abu Marzook, as well as the case of Randal "Ismail" Royer a CAIR communications specialist and civil rights coordinator who was sentenced to 20 years for conspiracy to "support Jihad overseas."
During the Boxer dustup Elkarra also adopted the role of victim, claiming that he was subject to death threats. However upon investigation, the FBI deemed his allegations "not credible" according to Senator Boxer's office.
We find it difficult to reconcile the Senator's laudable prior rejection of CAIR and this recent meeting and are awaiting clarification from her office. As we go to press Boxer communications staffer David Frey has not provided us with an explanation.
As if to prove the point that CAIR adds nothing but bigotry and anti-Semitism to any discussion involving the Middle East, the organization's "Governmental Affairs Coordinator," with whom Boxer's representatives met with, Mr. Mowjood has gone on the record blaming Israel for food shortages, worsening healthcare and a collapse of sanitation systems in Gaza, while remaining silent on the real cause of the blockade, Hamas' increasing campaign of terror, most recently demonstrated by the killing of eight rabbinical students in Jerusalem just two weeks ago. As we noted at the time [see, State Department Pushes Israelis Towards "Peace Process" While The PA Glorifies Terror Bomber Who Murdered 8 Students] the Palestinian Authority, nominally under control of Fatah, supposedly the lesser of two evils when compared to Hamas, widely praised the suicide bomber, calling this murderer of children a martyr.
No doubt the Palestinians in Gaza are suffering. They are however in large part to blame for their own plight because of their intransigence, increasing radicalization, and empowerment of Hamas, thus casting themselves as willing pawns for Muslim nations in the region to play at will.
Senator Boxer can take a small, but meaningful step towards addressing this situation by rejecting the Hamas mouthpiece CAIR and refusing to deal with it in the future - under any circumstances. http://www.pipelinenews.org/index.cfm?page=cairboxer3.18.08%2Ehtm
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