CAIR Tells Muslim Community, Don't Talk to the FBI

CAIR's California chapter recently published the above poster to promote a conference originally titled “FBI Raids and Grand Jury Subpoenas: Know Your Rights and Defend Our Communities."  The description of the event calls the investigations "a tool to repress our movements for social justice and divide our communities."  The group is also sponsoring a "National Day of Action" to "Protest FBI and Grand Jury Repression."

The poster was taken down, but CAIR's spokesperson, Ibrahim Hooper, couldn't resist playing the victim card.  According to him, "The entire American-Muslim community is under the microscope right now with a cottage industry of Muslim bashers. ... We’re used to this kind of attack by the Islamophobic hate machine and in this case there is some justification in terms of the possibility of misinterpretation of this poster."  In other words, this poster is being misrepresented by a vast "Islamophobic hate machine" that dares to read the text printed on the graphic.  According to FOX News, "Hooper conceded the poster “crosses the line,” but refused to renounce the artwork and blamed critics for fomenting what he called a manufactured controversy."

While it's true that the poster wasn't designed by CAIR, that doesn't change the fundamental message.  It's particularly troubling that a major Islamic organization would encourage its members not to speak with law enforcement when the American Islamic community is largely responsible for the FBI's recent success in thwarting attacks like the one planned for a Christmas tree lighting ceremony in Portland, Oregon.  As former FBI assistant director Bill Gavin put it, “Why wouldn’t you talk to the FBI .... If, in fact, there is something being done to destroy the image of Islam in the United States, then it should be stopped.”

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