CAIR: Groups to Challenge FBI Use of Anti-Muslim Training

New revelations show FBI analyst recommends targeting Islam as source of terror

WASHINGTON, Sept. 20, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On Wednesday, September 21, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) will join a coalition of civil rights and Muslim advocacy groups at a press conference outside FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C., to express concerns about persistent reports that agents are trained to view mainstream American Muslims with suspicion and to view the faith of Islam itself as the source of terrorism and extremism.

News conference participants will call for an investigation of the extent of the phenomenon and for internal reforms to deal with the issue.

WHAT: News Conference Outside FBI Headquarters to Express Concerns About Anti-Muslim Training
WHEN: Wednesday, September 21, 11 a.m.
WHERE: Outside the J. Edgar Hoover Building, 935 Pennsylvania Avenue N.W., Washington, D.C. (At the intersection of 10th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.)
CONTACT: CAIR Legislative Director Corey Saylor, 202-384-8857, E-Mail: [email protected]

The coalition news conference is scheduled following new revelations that the FBI apparently continues to employ an analyst who tells counterterrorism and security personnel "to go after Islam itself" and to "undermine the validity of key Islamic scriptures and key Muslim leaders."

Video: FBI Trainer Says Forget 'Irrelevant' al-Qaida, Target Islam
http://tinyurl.com/3l4um38

That same FBI analyst recently told FBI agents that mainstream American Muslims are likely to be terrorist sympathizers, that the Prophet Mohammed was a "cult leader," and that Islamic charitable giving is a "funding mechanism for combat."

Last week, CAIR sent a letter to FBI Director Robert Mueller calling for "swift action" to reform the agency's use of anti-Muslim instructors and Islamophobic materials during counterterrorism training.

SEE: CAIR Seeks 'Swift' FBI Action on Revelations of Anti-Muslim Training
http://tinyurl.com/5ujx52u

The revelations about the FBI's use of an anti-Muslim training drew a sharp response from elected officials.

SEE: Senators Blast FBI Terror-Training "Lies"
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/09/senators-fbi-lies/  

The agency released a statement noting that "corrective measures" had been taken prior to media reports about the anti-Muslim training, but civil rights groups questioned the effectiveness of those measures.

"Reports of similar trainings or the use of an Islamophobic trainer by an FBI and Department of Justice led Joint Terrorism Taskforce -- going back to at least 2009 -- raise questions about the speed and effectiveness of internal reform efforts," said CAIR Legislative Director Corey Saylor.

CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

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CONTACT: CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, E-Mail: [email protected]; CAIR Communications Coordinator Amina Rubin, 202-488-8787, 202-341-4171, E-Mail: [email protected]

SOURCE Council on American-Islamic Relations