This item is available on the Militant Islam Monitor website, at http://www.militantislammonitor.org/article/id/728

Truth vs CAIR & Saudi funding - Free Koran to show Americans" text that inspires Arabic calls to prayer, pilgimage and Jihad"

July 1, 2005

MIM: In an aberrant foray into truth, CAIR spokesman Ibrahim Hooper claimed that the Koran giveaway was inspired by a non occuring toilet flush and was seen as an opportunity to "educate people about what Islam really stands for..."

The Koran was described as "the challenging text that inspires Arabic calls to prayer, worldwide pilgrimage, and Jihad".

"...The program was in response to a news report, later retracted, that said interrogators of Muslim detainees had flushed a Qur'an down a toilet at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba..."

"We're trying to get Qur'ans into the hands of the American public because we believe that's the best way to educate people about what Islam really stands for," said CAIR spokesman and campaign coordinator Ibrahim Hooper.

Americans curious to crack the mysteries of Islam are about to delve by the thousands into the challenging text that inspires Arabic calls to prayer, worldwide pilgrimage and jihad: the book known to Muslims as The Holy Koran.

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MIM: In example of CAIR's usual dissembing the group's spokes people contradicted the group's own information about the funding for the library funding campaign.

In a 2002 article posted on Islamonline CAIR's Ibrahim Hooper "confirmed that Prince Waleed bin Talal Abdul Aziz Al Saud donated $500,000, "most of which was supposed to go to the library project".

In 2003 CAIR spokeswoman Rabiah Ahmad stated that "no foreign government was financing the project".

MIM: This lie could have been due to the bad press which CAIR was getting at the time when their Saudi financed Koran's were banned from the California school systems.

The same Saudi prince who financed CAIR's library project had his $10 million dollar donated by Mayor Rudolph Giuliani after 9/11. According to World Net Daily :

"...CAIR's library project, begun in September 2002, was funded in part by a $500,000 donation from Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal. In 2001, bin Talal's $10 million donation to New York City was rejected by then-Mayor Rudolph Guiliani after the prince suggested U.S. policies in the Middle East contributed to the Sept. 11 attacks.

The Saudi-funded CAIR is a spin-off of a group described by two former FBI counterterrorism chiefs as a "front group" for the terrorist group Hamas in the U.S. Several CAIR leaders have been convicted on terror-related charges.

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http://www.islamonline.net/English/News/2002-11/26/article70.shtml

The Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) reports that supporters have sent in 4,219 "sponsorships" of dollars 150 each to pay for the library package, but the number of libraries accepting them is not yet clear.

"It's a yearlong campaign, and it will take a year or so to sort that [number] out," said CAIR spokesman Ibrahim Hooper.

Last week, Hooper said on a New York radio show that conservative religious leaders such as Robertson were "equivalent" to Osama bin Laden because they want to divide the world into a religious war.

When asked whether Christian leaders would urge killing members of a different faith as bin Laden has done, Hooper said: "Given the right circumstance, these guys would do the same in the opposite direction."

He also confirmed reports that a Saudi billionaire, Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud, donated dollars 500,000 to CAIR for the educational push.

"I think most of it is going for the library project," Mr. Hooper said.

Hooper said a positive image of Islam is important to protect the civil rights of Muslims in the United States.

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Donations

CAIR spokeswoman Rabiah Ahmed said the project is based on donations, asserting that no foreign government was financing the project.

"Muslims pooled resources to give. One individual has donated thousands of dollars for this; another one says they will give to one library a month until the project is done. It's a way of getting out accurate information on Islam," Ms. Ahmed said.

Runia Jahan, the Sterling-based distributor for the books, said she receives thank-you letters "daily" for the donations.

By the time the project ends, almost $2.5 million will have been spent.

MIM: It should be noted that Prince Waleed Bin Talal Abdul Aziz Al Saud also promised millions of dollars to the American Islamic Anti Discrimination Committee and CAIR . In a recent speech at the March ADC dinner the prince declared that he had founded a holding company which would work together with American Muslims to acheive their common goal.

http://www.adc.org/Doc/HRH_Speech.doc

MIM :Saudi Prince Al Walid Bin Talal Al Saud pledges to fund Islamist enterprises in America via the Kingdom Holding Company and build the ADC a new building . In addition he pledges to work together with ADC,CAIR and AAI, to "provide needed support"

That should not signal, however, an end to our efforts to build bridges and to promote greater understanding between us and the West. A great deal needs to be done to acquaint westerners with our culture and Islamic norms. Too many stereotypes about us abound, and far too many distortions of our beliefs are spread. We have to engage key elements in American society to dispel what many in the media, wittingly or unwittingly, propagate. A more meaningful and pervasive dialogue between the three faiths has to be initiated and sustained. And a certain perspective has to be added to the discussions in the corridors of power, be they at the official or public levels. The strategy followed should be measured and proportionate, and we have to complement and reinforce each other to have maximum effect. We have to be clear in our focus, and confident that our goals can be met. In this process of acculturation we have to be aware that the gains are slow and incremental and that it takes time to reach the desired end. But the task before us cannot wait, for there is too much at stake. That is why I, through Kingdom Holding Company, have already begun the process of establishing think-tanks, foundations and centers, as well as partnering with institutions of higher learning in the United States. Needless to say, we are more than prepared to work with organizations such as ADC, CAIR, Arab-American Institute, to name only a few, and to provide needed support. What we have before us will not be easy, but I am convinced that with your help, and the help of others, God willing, we will eventually succeed. Rest assured that I for one will spare neither effort nor treasure in reaching our common goals. Thank you.

For further information, contact:

Kingdom Holding Company

+966-1-211-1111

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"...The program was in response to a news report, later retracted, that said interrogators of Muslim detainees had flushed a Qur'an down a toilet at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

"We're trying to get Qur'ans into the hands of the American public because we believe that's the best way to educate people about what Islam really stands for," said CAIR spokesman and campaign coordinator Ibrahim Hooper..."

http://www.militantislammonitor.org/article/id/728

MIM: According to the Muslim Weekly "12,000 Americans have requested a copy of the Koran" from CAIR. The Koran is described as "the challenging text that inspires Arabic calls to prayer, worldwide pilgrimage and Jihad"

In response to concerns being voiced by Christians and Jews (about passages vilifying Judaism and Christianity in the Koran )and in response to the fact that not "everyone viewed the project as harmless education, Omar Bazinji of AMANA publications responded.; "There is concern (among Christians and Jews) but what can we do about it ?"

MIM: In 2002 the AMANA offices were raided by the FBI and JTTT for ties to terrorism and funding for Al Qaeda. AMANA publications are directly linked to the International Institute of Islamic Thought . Jamal Barzinji, who is the head of AMANA is listed on an indictment for the SAAR terrorism funding network.

"Americans curious to crack the mysteries of Islam are about to delve by the thousands into the challenging text that inspires Arabic calls to prayer, worldwide pilgrimage and jihad: the book known to Muslims as The Holy Koran.

Almost 4,000 people have jumped at an offer from the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) to send a free copy of Abdullah Yusuf Ali's translation of the Koran (also spelled Qur'an) to whoever wants one. Publisher Amana Publications stands ready to ship as many as 25,000 copies of the Qur'an, translated by Abdullah Yusuf Ali, starting this week.

To request a Qur'an, call 1-800-78-ISLAM or visit www.explorethequran.org.

In this campaign, the primary goal is to help readers learn for themselves rather than always rely on news media reports, USA Today quoted Omar Barzinji of Amana Publications as saying.

"By no means is somebody going to pick it up and say, 'Yeah, I understand everything now,' " he says. But the Qur'an is in the news, "so it's important that people who are hearing criticism of the Qur'an have an ability to open it up and look at it."

Not everyone regards the project as harmless education. "There is concern (among Christians and Jews), but what can we do about it?"

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http://www.muslimsweekly.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=285&Itemid=63

12,000 Americans Request A Copy of Qur'an
MW Report

WASHINGTON: Almost 12,000 people have requested free copies of the Qur'an since the launch of CAIR's "Explore the Quran" campaign on May 17.

According to CAIR, the residents of California top the list of those asking for Qur'ans, with 10 percent of total requests.

The percentage of requests from the top 15 states breaks down as follows:
CA - 10.20%
TX - 8.23%
FL - 7.17%
NY - 5.69%
OH - 5.06%
PA - 4.71%
IL - 3.82%
MI - 3.58%
GA - 3.51%
VA - 3.39%
NC - 2.80%
WA - 2.52%
NJ - 2.50%
MD - 2.26%
IN - 2.03%

The program was in response to a news report, later retracted, that said interrogators of Muslim detainees had flushed a Qur'an down a toilet at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

"We're trying to get Qur'ans into the hands of the American public because we believe that's the best way to educate people about what Islam really stands for," said CAIR spokesman and campaign coordinator Ibrahim Hooper.

Now that the holy book and its significance for Muslims have become front-page news, CAIR is urging potential donors to seize the opportunity to "give the gift of faith to your neighbor."

Americans curious to crack the mysteries of Islam are about to delve by the thousands into the challenging text that inspires Arabic calls to prayer, worldwide pilgrimage and jihad: the book known to Muslims as The Holy Koran.

Almost 4,000 people have jumped at an offer from the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) to send a free copy of Abdullah Yusuf Ali's translation of the Koran (also spelled Qur'an) to whoever wants one. Publisher Amana Publications stands ready to ship as many as 25,000 copies of the Qur'an, translated by Abdullah Yusuf Ali, starting this week.

To request a Qur'an, call 1-800-78-ISLAM or visit www.explorethequran.org.

In this campaign, the primary goal is to help readers learn for themselves rather than always rely on news media reports, USA Today quoted Omar Barzinji of Amana Publications as saying.

"By no means is somebody going to pick it up and say, 'Yeah, I understand everything now,' " he says. But the Qur'an is in the news, "so it's important that people who are hearing criticism of the Qur'an have an ability to open it up and look at it."

Not everyone regards the project as harmless education. "There is concern (among Christians and Jews), but what can we do about it?" USA Today quoted a California-based Coptic Christian who wrote the 2003 book The Islamization of America under the pseudonym Abdullah Al-Araby because he fears Muslim reprisal, as saying.

Those placing orders have varied reasons. In Hilliard, Ohio, police detective Charles Scalf ordered a Qur'an to learn about the beliefs of his city's growing Muslim population. "You hear so many different things about what the Qur'an says, I thought, 'Why don't I read it myself?' "

Jerome Wolfson, a non-practicing Jew in Miami, ordered a copy in part to learn about Muslim views of Jesus, whom the Qur'an describes as a prophet.

Major Christian denominations have thus far welcomed the campaign, although not all local churches have. Roman Catholics have been encouraging knowledge of other religious traditions since the Second Vatican Council in the early 1960s, says the Rev. Francis Tiso, adviser to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops on interreligious affairs.

"The best way to pursue peace is to get to know your neighbor a whole lot better than we do now," says the Rev. Thomas Martin, a retired Presbyterian (U.S.A.) minister in Powell, Ohio, who ordered a Koran. "If I'm going to know my neighbors, I need to know something about their faith."

This item is available on the Militant Islam Monitor website, at http://www.militantislammonitor.org/article/id/728