Bully Boys of CAIR At It Again in OC

Orange (CA) City Councilman Jon Dumitru


The Southern California chapter of CAIR is up to their old tricks again. They have taken a page out of the Jesse Jackson playbook when someone says something that offends them. This week, City of Orange Councilman Jon Dumitru put up a posting on his Facebook page in remembrance of 9-11 that CAIR-LA director Hussam Ayloush didn't like. Here is the posting:

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150438942061632&set=pu.408856841631&type=1&theater

Here is the statement by CAIR (Southern California Chapter):

CAIR-LA: OC Councilman Asked to Apologize for Anti-Islam Facebook Comment


City of Orange Councilman blamed 'teachings of Islam and the Koran' for the 9/11 terror attacks


(ANAHEIM, CA, 9/15/11) -- The Greater Los Angeles Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA) today called on the City of Orange Councilman Jon Dumitru to apologize for an anti-Islam Facebook posting in which he falsely linked the "teachings of Islam and the Koran" to the 9/11 terror attacks.

On the anniversary of 9/11, the Councilman posted a picture of the burning Twin Towers on his official Facebook page, and wrote underneath: "It was 10 years ago today that most Americans learned first-hand of the teachings of Islam and the Koran being filled with messages of peace....as they killed thousands of our fellow Americans! Today I remember those lost, left behind, and those across the world searching for these pure evil terrorists and dispatching them from this world! WE WILL NEVER FORGET, WE WILL NEVER FORGIVE!"

CAIR-LA sent a letter to the Councilman today informing him of the offensive nature of his comment and called on him to apologize to American Muslims. The letter also asked the Councilman to meet with members of the American Muslim community to discuss the negative impact of his inflammatory remarks.

In the letter, CAIR-LA Executive Director Hussam Ayloush wrote:

"Your hateful statement in which you falsely insinuate that the teachings of Islam and the Quran would allow the terrorist attacks of 9/11 is deeply troubling to all Muslims, including many who live in your city. Muslims across the world, especially those here in the United States have unequivocally condemned the 9/11 attacks and all forms of terrorism. Using the tragedy of 9/11 as an opportunity to spread misinformed views about Islam and the Quran is a failure of leadership.

"At a time when our entire nation was mourning that tragic day and emphasizing unity among all Americans, you unfortunately decided to falsely blame an entire faith community. We have learned from history that such smears and stereotypes have only led to scapegoating of entire communities."



Hussam Ayloush
CAIR Southern California director
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I don't know anything about Mr Dumitru, yet my initial response is this: Leaving aside the obvious protection of the 1st Amendment (which we still enjoy), Mr Dumitru has touched on a point which must be discussed openly. I don't think his intent was to condemn all Muslims for 9-11. No sensible person would do that. Yet, this was not a case of 19 Charles Manson wanna-bes finding each other and carrying out an act in a vacuum. There was an ideology behind carrying out 9-11. Those 19 persons believed they were carrying out God's will. Certainly, there were hundreds of millions of Muslims around the world who were horrified by 9-11 and the realization that Muslims committed it. By the same token, there were others who were not so horrified. The scenes of dancing in the streets of the West Bank and other places are indicative of that. There are Muslim leaders and clerics who decry 9-11 and say that was not connected to Islam. Others say it was because the hijackers and al-Qaida had misread Islam. Other clerics in the Middle East openly say that 9-11 was God's will.

What are we to believe, Mr Ayloush?

The answer is, I suppose, that some Americans go with the first group, some go with the second, and some believe that the teachings of Islam are the ultimate reason.

And it's not just 9-11. That was just one incident in a sea of terrorist acts that continue to this day all over the world. Everywhere we turn, we examples of intolerance toward non-Muslims, not so much in this country, but certainly in Muslim nations and even in Europe.

What are we to believe, Mr Ayloush?

I still think that since 9-11, Americans have managed not to blame all Muslims, especially in America, for the carnage of 9-11. Yet, let's be honest; the topic of ultimate responsibility for all this is talked about among Americans every day, maybe not in public forums, but it is discussed.  Do you think you can stifle that discussion, Mr Ayloush? You can't.

So now CAIR wants to put Mr. Dumitru in a "sack cloth and ashes" position and have him do the apology tour in front of Muslim officials and groups. That is right out of the Jesse Jackson playbook. That is the tactical strategy that CAIR has adopted. I hope that Dumitru will not succumb to that. What is needed is an open and frank public discussion of what was the root cause of 9-11. Was 9-11 the work solely of 19 deranged men, one terrorist organization, or something deeper than that?

Maybe Mr Dumitrou has contributed to the public discussion.