CAIR Loses 90% of Membership: Donor Alert!

Trackback URL for this entry: http://haloscan.com/tb/maggiesnotebook/5391697429585318716 The Washington Times reports today that the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has had a significant drop in membership from 29,000 members in 2000 to less than 1,700 in 2006 - that's a drop of 90% and verified through "tax documents."

Critics of the organization say they are not surprised membership is sagging, and that a recent decision by the Justice Department to name CAIR as "unindicted co-conspirators" in a federal case against another foundation charged with providing funds to a terrorist group could discourage new members.

With a loss of almost half the membership, it's fair to ask how CAIR is funding operations...how are they paying the rent on Riverside Drive in Manhattan, how did they pay for now dismissed court costs against Anti-CAIR groups in the U.S. and in Canada? Annual income from membership dues dropped from $733,000 in 2000 to $59,000 in 2006. So again, how's that rent getting paid? Well, here's how... The Times claims that CAIR has about two dozen individual "donors" annually, and these two dozen individuals - that's only 24 deep-pockets - fund the majority of the $3 million budget. So who are the donors? More to come from the Washington Times tomorrow, and hopefully the donor list is included. If you are not familiar with CAIR, Daniel Pipes has posted a comprehensive and to-the-point piece on who CAIR is and what CAIR does. Here's a preview:

Perhaps the most obvious problem with CAIR is the fact that at least five of its employees and board members have been arrested, convicted, deported, or otherwise linked to terrorism-related charges and activities.

...there is another side to CAIR...The Department of Homeland Security refuses to deal with it. Senator Charles Schumer (Democrat, New York) describes it as an organization "which we know has ties to terrorism." Senator Dick Durbin (Democrat, Illinois) observes that CAIR is "unusual in its extreme rhetoric and its associations with groups that are suspect." Steven Pomerantz, the FBI's former chief of counterterrorism, notes that "CAIR, its leaders, and its activities effectively give aid to international terrorist groups." The family of John P. O'Neill, Sr., the former FBI counterterrorism chief who perished at the World Trade Center, named CAIR in a lawsuit as having "been part of the criminal conspiracy of radical Islamic terrorism" responsible for the September 11 atrocities. Counterterrorism expert Steven Emerson calls it "a radical fundamentalist front group for Hamas."

While CAIR, by itself, is a threat to American security, pair it with the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) and now it has high-profile protection and bleeding-heart sympathy from the Left. Take a look at this headline: Militant Islam Monitor.org:

CAIR & ACLU recruit Muslims to sue DHS for border check after returning from Reviving the Islamic Spirit terror event in Canada

Stop the ACLU posts this: CAIR and ACLU, a Deadly Combo. Read here, from TheCourier.com how the the Ohio Chapter of the ACLU awarded the Ohio Chapter of CAIR, their annual Liberty Flame Award:

The state ACLU has really outdone itself, handing its award to the main organ of Saudi Arabia's "Wahhabi lobby" in the United States. CAIR is financed by the government of Saudi Arabia and dedicated to spread of Wahhabi Islam. Saudi Arabia is notorious for its repressed society where freedoms of the press, expression and religion do not exist. And the Wahhabis are leading advocates of worldwide jihad and suicide terrorism; 15 of the 19 Sept. 11 bombers were from Saudi Arabia.

CAIR announces ACLU help for Department of Homeland's Security detention of a Muslin returning from Canada:

WHAT: Simultaneous News Conferences in Buffalo and New York City Announcing CAIR, NYCLU, ACLU Action Against DHS Over NY Border Detentions, WHERE: ACLU National Headquarters, 125 Broad Street, New York, NY NYCLU Western Regional Office, The Ansonia Center, 712 Main Street, Buffalo, NY

Who do you think will be on that list? Others talking about CAIR: Jihad Watch The New York Sun Captain's Quarters: one and two Technorati Tags: CAIR, ACLU, Council on American-Islamic Relations, American Civil Liberties Union, CAIR Donors, CAIR Membership