This item is available on the Militant Islam Monitor website, at http://www.militantislammonitor.org/article/id/4000
July 1, 2009
CAIR Distributes 100,000 Korans; Overtly Proselytizes
by Daniel Pipes
June 30, 2009
The Hamas-founded Council on American-Islamic Relations has long pretended to be a civil rights organization, comparing itself at times to the NAACP, but a close look at its record reveals the real CAIR agenda to be – in common with all Islamists – promoting the Shari'a. This can be achieved two ways. The more circuitous method influences American public opinion through the educational system, the media, the arts, the courts, and the political process. The more direct method converts Americans to Islam.
Route #1 is CAIR's stock-in-trade, what it does most of the time. But every so often it tries route #2. For example, in 2004, CAIR published an advertisement titled "More in Common Than You Think" that argued for the similarities between Christian and Islam: "Like Christians, Muslims respect and revere Jesus. … Like Christians, every day, over 1.3 billion Muslims strive to live by his teachings of love, peace, and forgiveness."
Today, CAIR took what is probably the most major step ever in the direction of da'wa (call to Islam) with the announcement of a "Share the Quran" campaign. It involves sending free copies of the Koran over the next six months to 100,000 leaders: "governors, state attorney generals, educators, law enforcement officials, state and national legislators, local elected and public officials, media professionals, and other local or national leaders who shape public opinion or determine policy."
Nor is that all: CAIR's national executive director Nihad Awad added that "The long-term goal of the campaign is to put one million Qurans in the hands of ordinary Americans of all faiths over the next ten years."
Awad sought to portray this step as not da'wa. "This is not an effort to proselytize, but is instead intended to provide an educational resource for those who will shape the future direction of our nation." But testimony by converts to Islam reiterates that putting the Koran into the hands of non-Muslims is the best bet for winning them to the faith. (June 30, 2009) http://www.danielpipes.org/blog/2009/06/cair-distributes-100000-korans-overtly-proselytizes.html#continued
This item is available on the Militant Islam Monitor website, at http://www.militantislammonitor.org/article/id/4000