The Sacramento Valley chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations says it seeks “to enhance understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.”[2]
The California branch of CAIR transferred $325,000 to the North American Islamic Trust in 2003.[3]
CAIR-Sacramento Executive Director Basim Elkarra “likes” Islamist cleric Zaid Shakir of Zaytuna College on Facebook. In January 2007, Elkarra refused to condemn Hamas and Hezbollah as terrorist groups.[4] In December 2006, Democratic Senator Barbara Boxer rescinded a “certificate of accomplishment” awarded to him after she learned of CAIR’s background.[5]
In 2006, Elkarra suggested that those who attack Islam should be prosecuted, saying, “And this double standard where you prosecute certain people if they speak out against, for example, if they’re anti-Semitic or they speak about the Holocaust you put them in jail; you prosecute them in Europe. At the same time they are attacking our faith. So why this double standard? We need to address that,” he said.[6]
In 2000, Elkarra was the moderator for an event at the University of California-Berkeley titled, “Continued Resistance in Palestine.” One of the speakers was Mohammad Salah, who had been designated as a Hamas terrorist by the Clinton Administration.[7]
[1] “About,” CAIR-Sacramento website, https://ca.cair.com/sacval/about/
[2] CAIR-Sacramento website, https://ca.cair.com/sacval/
[3] “CAIR: Islamists Fooling the Establishment,” Middle East Quarterly, Spring 2006, pp. 3-20. https://www.meforum.org/916/cair-islamists-fooling-the-establishment
[4] “FBI Probes Death Threat Against Muslim Leader,” CBS 13, January 5, 2007, as documented by Americans Against Hate, https://www.americansagainsthate.org/cw/profiles_cw.php.
[5] Hosenball, Mark and Michael Isikoff. “CAIR Play?” Daily Beast, December 28, 2006. https://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2006/12/28/cair-play.html
[6] “Basim Elkarra,” Investigative Project on Terrorism, https://www.investigativeproject.org/documents/misc/727.pdf
[7] “Muslim Students Sponsor Palestine Program at Berkeley,” Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, June 2000, as documented by Americans Against Hate, https://www.americansagainsthate.org/cw/profiles_cw.php.
The Sacramento Valley chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations says it seeks “to enhance understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.”[2]
The California branch of CAIR transferred $325,000 to the North American Islamic Trust in 2003.[3]
CAIR-Sacramento Executive Director Basim Elkarra “likes” Islamist cleric Zaid Shakir of Zaytuna College on Facebook. In January 2007, Elkarra refused to condemn Hamas and Hezbollah as terrorist groups.[4] In December 2006, Democratic Senator Barbara Boxer rescinded a “certificate of accomplishment” awarded to him after she learned of CAIR’s background.[5]
In 2006, Elkarra suggested that those who attack Islam should be prosecuted, saying, “And this double standard where you prosecute certain people if they speak out against, for example, if they’re anti-Semitic or they speak about the Holocaust you put them in jail; you prosecute them in Europe. At the same time they are attacking our faith. So why this double standard? We need to address that,” he said.[6]
In 2000, Elkarra was the moderator for an event at the University of California-Berkeley titled, “Continued Resistance in Palestine.” One of the speakers was Mohammad Salah, who had been designated as a Hamas terrorist by the Clinton Administration.[7]