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Message: <br /><br /> If you are having trouble reading this email, you may view this article online at: http://www.jweekly.com/34035/full/34035/group-slamming-savage-has-ties-to-radical-muslims/ <br /><br /> <b>Group slamming Savage has ties to radical Muslims</b> <br /> Friday, December 21, 2007 | by <br /><br /><p>The Hate Hurts America Interfaith and Community Coalition (HHA), headed by CAIR-Orlando Executive Director Sabiha Khan, sprang into the public spotlight recently by pushing for a boycott of radio shock jock Michael Savage by his sponsors.<br /><br /> Formed in the wake of comments by Savage on his nationally syndicated “Savage Nation” radio program that were critical of Muslims and terror apologists at CAIR, the HHA called upon companies “to withdraw their advertisements from the program as a concrete demonstration of support for the American traditions of religious and cultural tolerance and mutual respect.”<br /><br /> The objective of such action, according to the organization’s Web site, is to prevent hate-filled words from entering public discourse because they “can and do lead to violent actions.” <br /><br /> But can Khan or a CAIR-connected coalition really qualify as a moral authority on this topic? While one may not condone what Savage said, Khan is certainly in no position to comment on deterring hate speech.<br /><br /> As spokeswoman for the Los Angeles chapter of CAIR from late 2001-06, Khan worked hand-in-hand with Hussam Ayloush, the chapter’s executive director, to defend hatemongers — most notably radical cleric Wagdy Ghoneim.<br /><br /> Ghoneim, a native of Egypt, came to the attention of immigration officials in North America and Europe as a result of his repeated calls for violent jihad against Jews, and active participation with terror-connected organizations.<br /><br /> “Palestine will not be liberated by speeches and peaceful means, but through jihad,” Ghoneim said at a 1997 Muslim Arab Youth Association conference. “The Jews are scared by the word ‘jihad’ ... We have to prepare ourselves for jihad against Jews and to liberate Aqsa Masjid. This is a must whether we accept it or not.”<br /><br /> Comments like this, along with actions such as leading an inflammatory song at a 1998 CAIR co-sponsored rally held at Brooklyn College, pushed Ghoneim into the spotlight of U.S. and Canadian immigration officials. The song contained the chorus, “No to the Jews, descendants of the apes.” <br /><br /> This, combined with Ghoneim’s affiliation with Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood, denied him entry into Canada in 1998. In 2004, after being arrested in the United States for immigration violations, he was denied bond. In the words of then-Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman Virginia Kice, the denial was “based upon Department of Homeland Security concerns that his past speeches and participation in fund-raising activities could be supportive of terrorist organizations.”<br /><br /> Rather than presenting Ghoneim’s radical past, CAIR-Los Angeles portrayed the incident as yet another instance of so-called “Islamophobia.” <br /><br /> “The whole Muslim community today is under a microscope of scrutiny,” Ayloush stated after the arrest. “Committing a mistake that would invite a slap on the wrist for anyone else could lead to prison or deportation for a Muslim.”<br /><br /> Khan organized what was called an “emergency town hall” meeting in the wake of Ghoneim’s detention. “Yes, people are worried that we are being <br /><br />     n n n CAIR, 22<br /><br /> nnn from 21<br /><br /> cuted because we are Muslim,” Khan told the Orange County Register. A sign posted at the town meeting said, “Justice delayed is justice denied. Free our imam-teacher Wagdy Ghoneim unjustly detained by the INS.”<br /><br /> When Ghoneim finally agreed to leave the country voluntarily in December 2004, Ayloush called the agreement “a dent in our civil rights struggle” and lamented the “high level of fear” in the community.<br /><br /> Viewing the present controversy between CAIR and Savage in light of previous actions by Khan and CAIR shows their vision of “free speech” and “hate speech” to be highly selective — and revealing.<br /><br /> Maybe it is time for Khan to heed her own words, which were uttered in 2004 regarding participants in an all-Muslim football tournament who had adopted team names such as “Mujihideen” and “Soldiers of Allah”: “We do still live in America. We still have freedom of speech.”<br /><br /> <br><br /><br /> <b>Steven A. Emerson</b> is executive director of the Investigative Project on Terrorism, <a href="http://www.investigativeproject.org">http://www.investigativeproject.org</a>.</p> <p> </p>

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