Militant Islam Monitor > Satire > Letter to Nihad Awad from AMANA accuses CAIR of :"using ... dinners and fundraising tactics to give the impression you are fighting for the cause of Islam"
Letter to Nihad Awad from AMANA accuses CAIR of :"using ... dinners and fundraising tactics to give the impression you are fighting for the cause of Islam"
Sofian Abdelaziz to Nihad Awad: "Your programs so far mimic that of secular models we are hoping someday to change for the positive"
October 31, 2004
MIM: According to Sun Sentinel journalist Sofian who claimed to had his " soft eyes open wide " and verged "giddiness" at the prospect of being " a first time voter" . A simple Google search would have revealed that Sofian Abdelaziz might "never have voted in an election before " but failed to disclose to the gullible journalist that in 2002 he had written to CAIR's Nihad Awad to complain about CAIR's recruiting Muslim voters for Bush and whined
"The vote gave nothing to us and was used against Muslim".
He then preceded to scold Awad and CAIR for not being Islamic enough writing :" Your programs so far seem to mimic secular models we are hoping someday to change to the postive"
Sofian voiced suspicion at CAIR's use of the mosques to solicit voter registration information.
"In your alert you asked Imams to speak on the Khutbah about voting and for you to collect 100,000 names. What do you want the names for ? Are you just collecting information ? Allah knows best! "
Another perversely amusing aspect of the email exchange are the correspondent's email addresses.
[email protected] and [email protected]
--------------------------
MIM: This Sun Sentinel article gushes over the fact that Sofian Abdelaziz Zakkout, the director of the American Muslim Society of North America has left the Kingdom of Kuwait to try and implement a Khalifate in America. One of the first steps appears to be casting his vote for Kerry...
From monarchy
to democracy
Sofian Abdelaziz, 47, has never voted in a general election before. He was born in Gaza, which has no statehood and has had governing council elections only since 1996, and grew up in Kuwait, a constitutional monarchy. When he eventually made his way to Florida International University to study business administration, voting was as foreign to him as the sticky consonants of the English language he struggled to roll off his tongue.
"When we come here we are not educated on how important an election is," Abdelaziz said of fellow Arab immigrants. In many Middle Eastern countries, he said, "The parliament changes around and you don't even notice. There are very, very simple campaigns, and almost no coverage. A friend might tell you, `Hey, I became a senator,' and you say, `When?'"
In Kuwait, ruled by an emir, leadership is decided by birthright, not ballots.
Abdelaziz, of Miami Lakes, finds the U.S. electoral system sublimely participatory. His praise runs to giddiness and his soft eyes open wide.
"When people don't share in the government it creates hatred between the leader and the led, and this develops into many problems. You see civil wars ... coups," he said. "We never think about a coup in America."
Sitting in a cluttered office at the American Muslim Association of North America, where he directs community programs, Abdelaziz conjured the garbage-packed streets of Kuwait after the 1990 Iraqi invasion, the tense checkpoints manned by Iraqi soldiers, the scarcity of fresh food, the small box of tomatoes he bought for $100.
After Operation Desert Storm, Abdelaziz returned to the United States and gained citizenship in 1992.
"I was stateless. When no country wanted me the United States opened its arms," he said.
Surrounded by boxes of dates and tapes of readings from the Quran, Abdelaziz said he planned to vote for Sen. John Kerry on Tuesday, because he believes the Democrat has the best exit plan from Iraq.
"Bush failed to solve the fight against terrorism and we need a president to finish the job quickly," Abdelaziz said.
-----------------------------------
Peacemaking Consensus to Nowhere
http://www.csudh.edu/dearhabermas/peacemaking05.htm
Subj: A LETTER OF INQUIRY TO CAIR
Date: 2/16/2002 12:37:23 AM Eastern Standard Time
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Sent from the Internet (Details)
Assalaamu alaykum,
To: CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad
We have received your action alert # 321.
Thank You!
The American Muslim Association of North America, AMANA will not support your Action Alert #321and alhamdulilla we did not support many of your past actions.
You have came to our communities and asked for donations and memberships and we have referred you few cases in the past and you did not stand for your words and you ignored the needy Muslims when they came to ask you for help. You came to our communities to collect and you have send us a letter asking us to look for local legal assistance.
Many reports we have received similar of what we experienced personally with CAIR. Some Muslim leaders are sharing with us the same feelings against you.
Since the 911, the Muslims around the nation have been going through hard time and the only thing you do is asking the Muslims to report whatever any bad incident might happened to them, but the question that you collect information for statistics only.
Many new laws came tough against Muslims and you just collecting information. Many detained Muslims in the prisons now! And you are just watching and collecting information. Please STOP collecting information and start meet your promises.
In your alert you asked the Imams to speak on the Khutbah about voting and for you to collect 100,000 names. What do you want the names for? Are you just collecting information! Allah knows best!
In the alert, CAIR said: ' to make our voices heard on a number of important issues. Voting, at both the local and national level, is the best way to accomplish that goal," Said CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad.
The same words was said last election and what is the result! The vote gave nothing to us but was used against Muslim.
Now!
Due to the consistent level of confusion people seem to have regarding CAIR's mission; we are hoping to get an official clarification.
Can you please clarify the stance on your reference towards getting people to vote; especially where it pertains towards insisting on using such a registration drive to commemorate one of our holiest holidays (Eid)? One of the concerns people have divulged to our office is that this holiday would be more appropriate towards encouraging people to bless their food, sacrifice, share and feed the poor.
Our community has supported CAIR's effort to vote Republican in order to attempt to repeal the ‘Secret Evidence Act.' This effort has actually given the Bush campaign its full benefit (as they received the votes; and won). However, the results for the very same Muslims who voted have proven to have become worse. The alarming statistics reflects the rate of detention for Muslims has been increased 10,000% (that would be approx. 900 people). This astonishing number comes after a time period of only 18 months since your efforts.
If we, as a Muslim community, are to be further involved in the political system, wouldn't this one statistic indicate that Muslims should use a completely different method or leadership?
Whether we like it or not, many national Islamically-named organizations are using the banner of Islam, but are not coming forth with the example of Islam. We wait for you to give us the Islamic example of your strategies and intentions, and help break these facts, rumors and innuendos that we hear about groups like yours.
We are seeking more substance to the claims these organizations are making. Unfortunately, other examples, of which I am personally aware of, consist of your regional dinners and fundraising tactics at least give the impression that you are fighting for the cause of Muslims in this country whose rights were infringed upon. However, when cases come to your attention, they are quickly diverted elsewhere, and many times go without any attention, whether it be at the local level or at the national level.
So far it is a general understanding that we should not utilize the ways of the non-Muslims; but on Allah's (SWT) guidance in building our future. We aim to serve the non-Muslims, along with the Muslims; but as true believers, we have a divine methodology already prescribed. Your programs so far seem to mimic that of secular models we are hoping to someday change for the positive.
We anxiously await a public response to our letter to you addressing some of the concerns. If we do not hear from you within one week's time; we are to assume that these concerns are deemed frivolous and not valid. Insha-Allah, this is not the case.
May Allah (swt) give us our just reward and have mercy on our souls.
Br. Sofian Abdelaziz
The Shura Committee
AMANA
CAIR WROTE…
CAIR ACTION ALERT #321
CAIR LAUNCHES EID UL-ADHA VOTER REGISTRATION DRIVE TARGET: 100,000 Registered Muslim Voters
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 2/13/2002) - CAIR is calling on communities nationwide to register Muslim voters on Eid ul-Adha. We have established a link on our web site (http://www.cair- net.org/atp/voting.asp) through which registered voters may add their names to a Muslim voter database, unregistered potential voters may access registration materials and Eid ul-Adha festival organizers may obtain information about setting up a voter registration drive. Our initial target is registering 100,000 voters.
To facilitate the registration effort, CAIR will also distribute an updated "American Muslim Voter Registration Guide," containing an explanation of why Muslims should participate in the political process, instructions on how to conduct a voter registration drive, a copy of the National Mail Voter Registration Form: www.fec.gov/votregis/vr.htm), a candidate survey, and a voter registration log sheet.
(In two CAIR surveys of American Muslims, more than 95 percent of the respondents favored political participation.)
"Recent events and new government policies have served to spur already growing political participation by American Muslims. We have an obligation, because of the Islamic duty of 'enjoining good and prohibiting evil,' to make our voices heard on a number of important issues. Voting, at both the local and national level, is the best way to accomplish that goal,"
Said CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad.
CAIR is asking khatibs nationwide to encourage voting in their khutbas on Eid ul-Adha. Eid festival organizers should also set up voter registration tables in bazaars.
"Read the Qur'an before judging Islam"
The AMANA Voice
Printer-friendly version 
Email this item to a friend