Summary
- Sen. Tom Cotton urges the IRS to revoke CAIR status.
- Accuses CAIR of supporting terrorist groups including Hamas.
- Cites federal evidence and statements by CAIR leaders.
- Demands investigation into CAIR’s financial and operational ties.
- CAIR denies claims, defends civil rights advocacy.
Cotton said in his letter that the Council on American-Islamic Relations (Cair) has "deep ties to terrorist organizations" despite claiming to be "a civil rights organization protecting the rights of American Muslims."
He said that Cair attended a gathering of Hamas supporters in Philadelphia and that the group was named as a member of the Muslim Brotherhood's Palestine Committee.
“Tax-exempt status is a privilege, not a right, and it should not subsidize organisations with links to terrorism,”
the letter said.
Cair denounced the accusations as “debunked conspiracy theories” in a statement sent to Middle East Eye.
"Tom Cotton's baseless demand that the IRS target a nonprofit organization based on debunked conspiracy theories is an un-American political stunt straight from the McCarthy era and it's motivated by the senator's desire to protect the genocidal Israeli government from criticism,"
the statement said.
Cair is simply the most recent in a string of pro-Israel efforts that Cotton has led, and this is not the first time the organization has faced criticism for its pro-Palestinian stance.
The senator proposed a bill in the Senate in December to stop the federal government from using the term "West Bank" and to replace it with "Judea and Samaria," which is the biblical name for the area that is currently under occupation. The senator claimed that this would better reflect Israel's historical and biblical claims to the region.
Cotton took aim at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in November 2024 after the court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on charges of crimes against humanity, including using starvation as a method of warfare.
A US law at the time, which allows the president to employ "all means necessary and appropriate" to free Americans or allies held by the court, was invoked by Cotton.
The American Service-Members' Protection Act, sometimes known as the "Hague Invasion Act," was passed in 2002 with the intention of protecting US servicemen from ICC jurisdiction. Rights organizations contend that the measure is intended to scare countries that back the ICC pact.
“The ICC is a kangaroo court and Karim Khan is a deranged fanatic,”
Cotton wrote in a social media post on X. Khan is the chief prosecutor at the ICC.
“Woe to him and anyone who tries to enforce these outlaw warrants. Let me give them all a friendly reminder: the American law on the ICC is known as The Hague Invasion Act for a reason. Think about it,”
Cotton warned.
How does CAIR respond to allegations of terror links by Sen. Cotton?
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) strongly denies the allegations of terrorist links made by Senator Tom Cotton. CAIR has dismissed these claims as "debunked conspiracy theories" and characterized the call to revoke their nonprofit status as reminiscent of McCarthy-era tactics.
They emphasize that the organization has spent decades defending civil rights and condemning terrorism. CAIR rejects the accusations of having "deep ties" to terrorist groups, arguing that the evidence cited by critics is unfounded and politically motivated.
This defensive stance articulates CAIR's position that the allegations are baseless and part of a politically charged campaign rather than grounded in verified facts.