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News & Analysis
021/03  August 25, 2003




    Who is Mr. Hooper, CAIR spokesperson, afraid of? / Six Questions

     Recently, ACAIR came across an interesting article by Ms. Rachel Neuwirth regarding a recent conversation she had with Mr. Ibrahim Hooper, spokesperson for the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR). In the article, Ms. Neuwirth asked Mr. Hooper six simple questions that should have been very easy to answer. We quote the first paragraph of Ms. Neuwirth’s article:

“In late July, I contacted Ibrahim Hooper, Spokesman and director of communications at the
Council of American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). When he returned my call, he presented
his point of view about the Arab-Israeli conflict and militant Islam. When I reminded him
about CAIR’s record of openly supporting Hamas, Hizbullah, and other organizations
deemed by the government to be terrorists, he replied by telling me that
“CAIR does not support these groups publicly.” But Hooper must have realized
that he had said too much: he lost his composure and I suddenly
found myself listening to a dial tone!”

     Ms. Neuwirth goes on to say that she immediately called him back and Mr. Hooper told her to “Call me tomorrow morning” and again hung up on her. Rather than do that, she sent him an e-mail asking for clarification and she also posed him six questions:

1. Does CAIR accept the right of Israel to exist as a Jewish state in its historic, biblical homeland, whose “final” borders should be negotiated between the state of  Israel and representatives of Palestinian Arabs who have renounced violence?

2. Does CAIR condemn Hezbullah as a terrorist organization?

3. Does CAIR deem Hamas, Islamic Jihad Tanzim, Al-Aqsa Brigades, Fatah, and other such groups as terrorist organizations, without making a distinction between their political and military wings?

4. Does CAIR unconditionally condemn suicide/homicide bombing?

5. Does CAIR condemn all violence against civilians?

6. Does CAIR agree that a final resolution to the Arab-Israeli conflict can be achieved only through political  negotiations, with no threat of a return to violence?


     That’s it. Six very simple questions that should be very easy for the spokesperson and communications director of Americas “Premier Islamic Civil Rights Group” to answer. Why won’t Mr. Hooper address her questions? What is it about Ms. Neuwirth that upsets Mr. Hooper?  What is it about Ms. Neuwirth that has Mr. Hooper so petrified that he can’t respond to her e-mail?
 
     Mr. Hooper knows very well that he and CAIR are under the thumb of state sponsors of Islamist terrorism. No matter which way he answers her questions, he can’t win. If he tells the truth, he will expose CAIR’s connection to Wahhabi fanaticism and Islamist terrorism. If he lies, he will hold himself, and CAIR, up to ridicule in the Middle East. Will CAIR’s masters in Riyadh look kindly on this? After all, CAIR has never condemned any Islamist terrorist act until forced to do so, and then in only a very condescending manner.  
 
     So what is it, Mr. Hooper? Are you going to answer Ms. Neuwirth’s questions, or remain true to your paycheck signers in Riyadh?

     ACAIR believes Mr. Hooper will take the tried and true method: He will denounce Ms. Neuwirth as an “Islamophobe” and refuse to answer her questions. If any other “respectable” organization should try to follow up with the same or similar questions, he will refuse to answer on the grounds that if he did so, he would be “supporting the Islamophobe, Ms. Neuwirth”. Its right out of the CAIR spokesperson handbook and in keeping with Mr. Hooper’s philosophy of  “If you can’t beat them, accuse them”. It’s worked in the past…but will it work this time?

     Stay tuned…




Andrew Whitehead
Director
Anti-CAIR (ACAIR)
ajwhitehead@anti-cair-net.org
www.anti-cair-net.org


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