Today, the Illinois Republican Party put out a statement in which it calls on the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR) to cut ties with the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) Chicago Chapter for CAIR’s “reported ties with Hamas terrorist supporters”.

The following is a statement by the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR):

The Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights joins our nation in grieving for the victims of the tragic events at Fort Hood, Texas. But the acts of a lone deranged gunman should not give permission for a descent into anti-Muslim hysteria by the Illinois GOP.

CAIR-Chicago has been a member organization of ICIRR since 2005, is widely respected for its work on civil rights, and is unequivocal in its condemnation of anti-Semitism and terrorist violence. The Illinois Republican Party statement preys upon anti-Muslim fears at a time when we are all grieving over the recent tragic events at Fort Hood, Texas. The Party is playing guilt by association, pretending total ignorance of all the work that CAIR-Chicago has done denouncing anti-Semitism, terrorism, and violence.

ICIRR invites the Illinois GOP to join us in denouncing anti-Semitic, anti-Muslim, and anti-immigrant hatred. ICIRR includes in its membership organizations serving the Muslim, Latino, Asian, Jewish, African, and European immigrants to Illinois. We believe that we are all God’s children, and that all immigrants deserve to be full participants, actively engaged in our democracy.

Instead of issuing divisive attacks against organizations like ICIRR that fight for the rights of vulnerable immigrants, the Illinois Republican Party should join us in developing solutions for our badly broken immigration system.

ICIRR calls on the Illinois Republican Party to support just and humane immigration reform rather than leading the descent into the scape-goating, hatred, and fear directed at the Muslim community.

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Below is an excerpt from the statement by the Illinois Republican Party:

The Illinois Republican Party today called on the Illinois Coalition for Immigration and Refugee Rights (ICIRR) to expel the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) from its coalition due to its links to the Hamas terrorist organization and leadership in promoting anti-Israel and anti-Semitic activities in the Chicago area.

“Given CAIR’s reported ties to Hamas terrorist supporters, its anti-Israel organizing and its tolerance for anti-Semitic discourse, we call on ICIRR to expel CAIR from its coalition immediately,” Illinois Republican Party Chairman Pat Brady said. “This should not be a partisan issue. All political candidates, Republican or Democrat, should condemn ICIRR for counting a group like CAIR as a member.”

View the full statement here.

CAIR-Chicago point by point rebuttal of the attacks below. View their full statement here.

CAIR-Chicago Refutes IL GOP Smears:

The IL GOP’s attempt to vilify CAIR-Chicago for taking a moral stance against the mass murder of thousands of civilians entrapped in Gaza last January is simply disgraceful. CAIR-Chicago was not alone. The murder and maiming of thousands of unarmed civilians spurred widespread universal criticism, including by the United nations, of Israel for alleged war crimes including the use of the internationally banned white phosphorus. The IL GOP seems to no longer recognize that all Americans have an inalienable right to exercise their constitutionally protected freedom of speech. Their attempt to muffle our voices signals a bizarre message: US citizens must blindly support a foreign state before they should be allowed political capital in their own country. That is treacherous posturing from those who are presumably elected to put Americans and its values first.

- CAIR-Chicago Unequivocally Denounces Anti-Semitism

The IL GOP blames CAIR-Chicago for anti-Semitic signage at public rallies protesting the last Gaza invasion. In fact, CAIR-Chicago has been a leading Muslim voice against anti-Semitism. As a cosponsor of the Gaza rally, CAIR-Chicago joined other cosponsors in announcing a ban on anti-Semitic signs. Any that were caught were promptly confiscated. For the IL GOP to place the blame on CAIR-Chicago for some signs that were snuck in to a rally attended by thousands of people is preposterous. CAIR-Chicago condemned the anti-Semitic placards as unacceptable vitriol. The hypocrisy of the IL GOP goes further, while CAIR-Chicago readily condemns anti-Semitic signs as vile and unacceptable, we have yet to hear the IL GOP denounce the racist and abusive signage at GOP-sponsored “tea parties” across the country. Needless to say, they have yet to denounce any anti-Muslim rhetoric, let alone that emanating from their own ranks..

SEE: CAIR-Chicago decries Synagogue Vandalism, Volunteers Clean-up

- CAIR-Chicago is Not Linked to Hamas or Any Foreign Group

Contrary to the IL GOP’s mudslinging, CAIR-Chicago is not, and has never been, linked to Hamas or any terrorist group. The IL GOP’s attempt to cast CAIR-Chicago as supportive of Hamas for signing a community letter encouraging a defense fund for a Chicago Muslim grocer facing terrorism charges is both dishonest and un-American. It is shocking that lawmakers fail to understand the adage “innocent until proven guilty” and the importance of legal defense as a cornerstone of our justice system. It is doubly ironic that, following his day in court, the individual in question was in fact found not guilty of any terrorism charges – yet another fact the IL GOP conveniently chose to ignore in its smear release.

- CAIR-Chicago unequivocally condemns terrorism

CAIR-Chicago has been a consistent and persistent leading voice for Chicago Muslims in denouncing terrorism and acts of violence against any and all individuals. It is telling that in making its baseless allegations against CAIR-Chicago, the IL GOP resorted to the tarnished research of one of the nation’s leading Islamophobes, Daniel Pipes.

Along with innumerable condemnations of terror, CAIR has in the past launched an online anti-terror petition drive called “Not in the Name of Islam,” initiated a television public service announcement (PSA) campaign against religious extremism and coordinated a “fatwa,” or Islamic religious ruling, against terrorism and extremism.

SEE: CAIR’s Anti-Terrorism Campaigns

- CAIR-Chicago and the “Unindicted Coconspirator” Label

The label “unindicted coconspirator” is an allegation by prosecutors in a trial, not the finding of a court of law. In other words, it is not a judgment of guilt; to the contrary, it is an admission by prosecutors that there is insufficient evidence to even warrant a trial in the first place. Prosecutors choose to name persons as unindicted co-conspirators for a variety of reasons including grants of immunity, pragmatic considerations, and evidentiary concerns. CAIR, registered in Washington DC, was placed on a list of unindicted coconspirators alongside 300 of the most prominent US Muslims organizations and leaders as part of the Holy Land Foundation (HLF) trial in Texas. Many believe that this was a highly political move by an administration with an abysmal track record of harassing Muslims. It is uncommon practice for prosecutors to leak the names of individuals or organizations admitted as unindicted coconspirators for due process concerns: since unindicted coconspirators are not charged with anything, they do not have an opportunity at challenging the designation in a court of law. The judge chided HLF prosecutors for leaking the names of CAIR and others contrary to accepted legal etiquettes. The IL GOP should know better than to use such a label as a smear, a practice the courts precisely wish to safeguard against and one that is often reserved for the most opportune of web blogs. Lastly, CAIR-Chicago, an independent legal entity registered in Illinois, is not named as an unindicted coconspirator in the Texas HLF case or any other.

- CAIR-Chicago and the FBI

Contrary to the IL GOP’s assertions that the FBI has cut all ties with CAIR, CAIR-Chicago and the FBI continue to work together regularly on civil rights issues as per the mission of CAIR-Chicago and the mandate of the FBI.

- CAIR-Chicago enjoys strong support and recognition from elected officials and law enforcement

SEE: What They Say About Us

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.