Members of Congress Blast Claims That Muslim Interns are 'Spies'

Members of Congress Blast Claims That Muslim Interns are 'Spies'
Mainstream media ridicule fringe right-wing GOP members

CAIR, America’s prominent national Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, applauded statements by members of the U.S. House of Representatives rejecting claims made by several of their GOP colleagues that Muslim congressional interns are "spies."

On Oct. 14, four right-wing members of Congress, with a long history of fringe or bigoted statements, launched a book called "Muslim Mafia" and asked for an investigation of Muslim "spies" on Capitol Hill. One of these bigoted members of Congress is Rep. Sue Myrick (R-NC) who earlier has expressed concern about the number ofMuslims running convenience stores throughout the United States and also asked the State Department to revoke former President Jimmy Carter's passport. An article in Politico said the alleged spying by Muslims was in fact a "fairly straight forward public relations and lobbying strategy," with the goals of "'placing Muslim interns in congressional offices' and registering people to vote."

In a statement, CAIR said:

"It is troubling that right-wing elected officials would serve as publicity agents for extremists who seek to bar an American minority from exercising its constitutionally-protected rights. We applaud those who stand up for the right of all Americans to participate fully in our nation's political system.”


Watch these short media interviews on this issue:

CAIR Video: Rachel Maddow Exposes Anti-Muslim Extremists (MSNBC)













Round 2 of Rachel Maddow Exposes Anti-Islam Extremists in Congress (MSNBC)












CAIR Rep Discusses ‘Manchurian Interns’ on CNN












In response to the right-wing smears, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution called CAIR a "mainstream, all-American civil liberties and advocacy group." An article on Salon.com called the actions of the elected officials who launched the anti-Muslim book the "most despicable domestic political event of the year."

The demand for a probe of Muslim "spies" in Congress drew condemnation from other elected officials, one of whom called it a "witch hunt."

Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-CA) issued a statement, which read in part:

"I am appalled by this request [for an investigation of Muslim 'spies' in Congress], and the insinuation that Muslim-Americans are somehow conspiring against this country through their work on Capitol Hill. As a strong advocate for diversity and religious freedom, I find these claims to be outrageous and offensive. I urge the rest of my colleagues to join me in denouncing this witch hunt, which is clearly intended to create fear and distrust in our Capitol Hill community."

House Judiciary Committee ChairmanJohn Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) issued the following statement in support of American Muslim congressional interns:

"It shouldn't need to be said in 2009, and after the historic election of our first African-American president, but let me remind all my colleagues that patriotic Americans of all races, religions, and beliefs have the right - and the responsibility - to participate in our political process, including by volunteering to work in Congressional offices. Numerous Muslim-American interns have served the House ably and they deserve our appreciation and respect, not attacks on their character or patriotism."


Rep. Mike Honda (D-CA), chairman of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, stated in part:

“These fallacious allegations implicate the existence of a society still struggling with anti-Muslim sentiment. My Muslim colleagues in the House of Representatives, along with the highly qualified, patriotic and committed Muslim staffers and interns that have worked with my office and with CAPAC, contribute mightily to our democratic process. Any slander against these fellow patriots is slander against democracy and religious freedom.”

Dave Gaubatz, the anti-Islam blogger who co-authored "Muslim Mafia," has a long history of bigotry targeting Islam and Muslims. Gaubatz has called Islam an "evil ideology" and worked for a racist group that sought to make "adherence to Islam" punishable by a 20-year prison term.

In the past, Gaubatz has been questioned by state and federal law enforcement authorities for actions that were perceived as those of a stalker. CAIR has filed a criminal report against Gaubatz over materials he and his son say they stole from the civil rights group's offices.

Gaubatz has also called President Obama a "crack head" and wrote that "a vote for Hussein Obama is a vote for Sharia Law." He also called Islam a "terminal disease that once spread is hard to destroy."

It is unfortunate that there is a fringe segment of Americans who wish to promote hatred against American Muslims and intimidate them from exercising their rights to engage politically. Despite the attempts of this new McCarthyism, CAIR and the American Muslim community remain committed to encouraging dialogue, protecting civil liberties of all Americans, and promoting justice and mutual understanding.

United American Committee Aims to Disunite Michigan Through Billboard

If anyone drove out of Detroit on southbound I-75 last winter and passed through Erie Township, they might have seen the bold-colored “SHARIA LAW THREATENS AMERICA” billboard that the United American Committee (UAC) funded at Exit 6 by Luna Pier Road.

Claiming to be “working for a better, safer tomorrow,” the UAC hoped to drive locals toward their website, which was noted at the bottom of the sign. Instead of logging on to a reputable and inspiring webpage, the organization’s web address morphs, and directs users to a low-budget, remedial-quality “antijihadresistance” chat forum. The “Jihad Chat Portal” conveniently contains an entire section on “CAIR/Anti-CAIR Issues,” and is dripping with misinformation on Islam. Like many individuals and groups who aim to discredit Muslims and/or Islamic institutions, the UAC chose the medium of a large-scale billboard, which they hoped would be effective in publicizing their “SHARIA” smear campaign.

The UAC’s YouTube.com channel states that the group is, “An educational, non-profit, grassroots organization of thousands of Americans against the threat of radical Islam.” An attempt at a firm connection between the religion of Islam and its legal system and anti-American radicalism is created in order to incite fear and hatred in the hearts and minds of Michiganders. Furthermore, the UAC is hoping to ride on the myths and misunderstandings surrounding Islamic law, such as the idea that non-Muslims would be subject to its jurisdiction in the case that it was the governing law of a land.

Uploaded on November 26, 2008, the channel provides an ABC Channel 13 Action Newscenter television broadcast covering the billboard “controversy,” where news reporter Zack Ottenstein states that the UAC chose that particular location on I-75 for the first billboard of their project “because of our significant Muslim population.” The location of the billboard further reflects UAC’s lack of funding and support. A billboard closer to Toledo, Ohio or Metro-Detroit would have enabled their message to reach a far greater breadth of Muslims and their neighbors.

The television news coverage further provides a note from the group stating, “We hope this message inspires the Muslims of America who came to this country to escape Sharia, to stand up against it.” Is the UAC really trying to inspire Muslims or attack their faith? Moreover, why is the UAC assuming that all Muslims in their audience “came to this country,” and were not in fact born in Michigan from families that have resided in the area for decades or even a hundred years? In research published by Gallup, Inc. in 2009 on Muslim Americans, for example, indigenous Americans were cited as making up at least thirty-six percent of the Muslim population in the United States.

As a fear-based perpetrator of hate, the ultimate objective of the group was clearly to disunite local residents of Michigan – to leave non-Muslims fearful of the presence of Muslims in their communities by utilizing an often misused media flag-word that is frequently entirely misunderstood, and to inherently reinforce the idea that Muslims are not American.

In light of the fact that many Metro-Detroiters never even noticed the “SHARIA billboards,” and gave minimal reaction to the ineffective propaganda, one of smearcasting.com’s own “Dirty Dozen,” David Horowitz, provided the little-known group with an additional platform to advertise their “Islam-o-phobic” views. Horowitz’s FrontPage Magazine published an interview on December 22, 2008 with an individual who helped plan the billboard project who called CAIR an “Islamist” group that was scared to address the presence of the new billboard, and described prayer leaders of the Muslim communities as “theocratic thugs,” “two-bit religious leaders,” and “bullies.”

News Alert to the United American Committee: name-calling and insulting prayer leaders is not a shining American example of unifying behavior. Spreading hatred through fear and propaganda amongst your fellow countrymen and directing them towards a bigoted and misinformed chat room is not educational.