News & Analysis
08/06 February 26, 2006
CAIR: Propagandizing “KindHearts”
On February 19, the US Department of the Treasury (Office of Foreign Assets Control) announced the closure, pending investigation, of “KindHearts for Charitable Humanitarian Development, Inc.”.
This closure, a routine function of the government when investigating suspicious groups, ran afoul of that great arbiter of everything Islamic, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).
Prior to the closure, on December 14, 2005, Julia Shearson, director of CAIR’s Cleveland, Ohio, office wrote a letter to Cleveland.com defending KindHearts from allegations by Steven Emerson that it had connections to “suspicious Muslim charities”.
In attacking Emerson, Shearson notes that he has been ridiculed by writers for the New Yorker, Washington Post, New York Times, and Los Angeles Times…What Shearson fails to mention is that each of these publications is not only far-left, but can sometimes be un-American as well.
To be sure, Emerson has made his mistakes…but he’s never defended Islamic terrorists.
Can CAIR say the same?
Shearson follows CAIR’s script when she attacks the messenger, but can find no words to actually defend KindHearts. This is typical, NAZI propagandizing: Say something loud enough, repeat it long enough, and you’ll find gullible people willing to believe your lies.
We note that Shearson's/CAIR's attempts at smearing Emerson by using the statements of Vincent Cannistraro - a former director of counterterrorism for the CIA - has backfired on CAIR in the past. From Anti-CAIR press # 024/03:
CAIR
Executive Director, Mr. Nihad Awad, quotes an interview with a past
director of counterterrorism
for the CIA in which the former director clearly states that both Hamas and Islamic Jihad have an
infrastructure in the U.S. and he uses this as a defense against the accusations made by Mr. Emerson?
Is Mr. Awad implying that CAIR approves of the presence of these two Islamist terrorist groups in the
United States? If so, Mr. Awad seriously underestimates the amount of anger and disgust this will
engender among Americans toward both he and CAIR. Mr. Awad, in his vendetta against Mr. Emerson,
has given the Senate more reasons to fear those terrorist support cells and operatives that are already
present in our country. Both Hamas and Islamic Jihad have terror murdered Americans abroad, both
are present in our country today, both are a clear and present danger to our safety and security and yet
we should accept their presence because a former CIA counterterrorism director says,
“…has never targeted Americans here…it would be counterproductive to their cause.”
for the CIA in which the former director clearly states that both Hamas and Islamic Jihad have an
infrastructure in the U.S. and he uses this as a defense against the accusations made by Mr. Emerson?
Is Mr. Awad implying that CAIR approves of the presence of these two Islamist terrorist groups in the
United States? If so, Mr. Awad seriously underestimates the amount of anger and disgust this will
engender among Americans toward both he and CAIR. Mr. Awad, in his vendetta against Mr. Emerson,
has given the Senate more reasons to fear those terrorist support cells and operatives that are already
present in our country. Both Hamas and Islamic Jihad have terror murdered Americans abroad, both
are present in our country today, both are a clear and present danger to our safety and security and yet
we should accept their presence because a former CIA counterterrorism director says,
“…has never targeted Americans here…it would be counterproductive to their cause.”
We wonder if Shearson/CAIR is today “eating crow” over her obvious bias…or does she really believe the odious propaganda she routinely spews?
Jihad Smaili is a Cleveland attorney who represents KindHearts and sits on its board. Smaili calls Emerson a “witch hunter” who routinely connects all Muslim charities to Islamic terrorist groups. Smaili also claims that KindHearts takes great care to keep donations out of terrorist hands.
If Smaili is representative of the kind of person who sits on the board of KindHearts, we wonder just how low KindHearts standards are? Consider that KindHearts sent $85,000 (2002) through the Islamic Association of Palestine (IAP). Smaili insisted that the money was to be held by the IAP until KindHearts could open its own account in Lebanon. However, we note that KindHearts has offices not only in the US, but also in the Hiba Center on Mar Elyas Street in Beirut, Lebanon. Just how hard is it to open a bank account in Lebanon? Could not KindHearts have hired a taxi to take them to the local bank…or does opening a bank account in Lebanon require the approval of an Islamic terrorist group?
We read that KindHearts does not distribute cash, but instead provides “in-kind goods and services” to the people who need them…but if this is true, then why did KindHearts need an IAP terrorist bagman to open an account in Lebanon?
Of course, CAIR had to get into the act and issued a “News Release” on February 24.
Anti-CAIR has no commentary to add to CAIR’s release…it appears to be the standard CAIR drivel ...
Information used in this story can be found at the following links:
http://www.ustreas.gov/offices/enforcement/ofac/actions/20060219.shtml
http://www.cleveland.com/search/index.ssf?/base/opinion/1134552800299310.xml?oxlet&coll=2
http://www.anti-cair-net.org/press_024_03
http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/cuyahoga/1133861420107040.xml&coll=2
http://www.cair-net.org/default.asp?Page=articleView&id=2027&theType=NR
http://www.cleveland.com/terrorism/wide/index.ssf?/terrorism/wide/kindhearts.html
Andrew Whitehead
Director
Anti-CAIR (ACAIR)
ajwhitehead@anti-cair-net.org
www.anti-cair-net.org
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