Our Name and Logo
Why the “CAIR Observatory”?
The name “CAIR Observatory” is a direct counter to the “Islamophobia Observatory” maintained by the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC). The Jeddah, Saudi Arabia-based OIC represents 57 Muslim governments constituting the largest voting block at the U.N., and purports to represent the global Muslim Ummah (nation).
At a summit in Mecca in December 2005 the OIC resolved to create an “Islamophobia Observatory” for the purpose of monitoring and exposing all phenomena they deemed to be “Islamophobic” on a global scale. They resolved to issue an annual Islamophobia report, hold a global congress to raise awareness and to pressure Western countries to legislate against domestic criticism of Islam.
The OIC has been a patron of CAIR and the two have a history of shared goals, coordinated meetings and joint ventures. At CAIRObservatory.org we turn the tables on the OIC and methodically document CAIR’s activities as a foreign agent for the permanent record.
What is the significance of the logo under the magnifying glass?
The insignia in the “O” for “Observatory” is the symbol of the Muslim Brotherhood. The Muslim Brotherhood was founded in 1928 in an effort to expel western influences and establish an Islamic theocracy in Egypt. Since then it has spread throughout the Islamic world and Islamic communities in the West. Perhaps the branch best known to Americans is Hamas which identifies itself in it’s official charter as the Muslim Brotherhood’s political arm in the Palestinian territories and seeks to replace Israel with an Islamic Shariah state. The Brotherhood is banned by the regimes of some Muslim countries such as Egypt and Syria but operates relatively openly in democratic Western societies where they do not explicitly endorse violence and prefer to pursue their political goals through elections and ideological influence.
In 2007 the U.S. Justice Department successfully prosecuted the Muslim Brotherhood front group the Holy Land Foundation for funding Hamas in the largest American terrorism-finance trial in history. CAIR was not only named an “unindicted coconspirator” in that case, but was explicitly identified as a “member of the US Muslim Brotherhood’s Palestine Committee.”
The following explanation of the Muslim Brotherhood symbol is provided by the ADL:
A brown square frames a green circle with a white perimeter. Two swords cross inside the circle beneath a red Koran. The cover of the Koran says: “Truly, it is the Generous Koran.” The Arabic beneath the sword handles translates as “Be prepared.” The swords reinforce the group’s militancy and, as traditional weapons, symbolize historic Islam. They also reinforce the group’s commitment to jihad. The Koran denotes the group’s spiritual foundation. The motto, “Be prepared,” is a reference to a Koranic verse that talks of preparing to fight the enemies of God.