Political Influence Operation
Date: May 27, 2010
Description:
In a May 27 press release CAIR said it supports the Obama administration’s newly issued National Security Strategy which rhetorically de-links the Islamic faith from acts of Jihadist terrorism. They also appreciated the words of Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism John Brennan who refused to describe America’s enemies as “jihadists” or “Islamists”
In a statement, CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad wrote:
“In our view… military power alone is not a solution to the problems we see in Afghanistan, Pakistan and elsewhere.
…
“We should address the conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan based on a reduction in our nation’s intervention and on increased support for indigenous solutions… This includes not abandoning the Afghan people like we did following their defeat of the Soviet Union… The same principle applies to the people of Iraq.
“Depriving Al-Qaeda of support also requires America to pursue an even-handed approach to ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the creation and support of a viable and independent Palestinian state.
…
“In the wake of the 9/11 attacks, national security legislation and policies related to detention, surveillance, torture, the shutting down of American Muslim charities, government agent provocateurs in mosques, citizenship delays, politicized ‘terror’ trials, Justice Department guidelines allowing race and ethnicity to be factors in opening an investigation, and the dubious activities of so-called terrorism ‘fusion centers’ have all contributed to a contraction of civil liberties.
“The approval of the possible assassination of an American citizen rocked our confidence in the commitment to rule of law in some quarters of our society.
The “possible assassination of an American citizen” Awad refers to is that of Anwar Al-Awlaki, an American-born cleric believed to be tied to several recent terrorist plots including the Fort Hood shooting, Christmas Day bomber and Times Square bomber.
“Attorney General Holder’s recent announcement that he might ask Congress to cut back on Miranda rights for certain criminal suspects is also troubling. Eroding American civil liberties is not a path to defeating violent extremists.”
Source(s):
http://campaign.constantcontact.com/render?v=001r1I1BK3-6CB-zHc-
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