A prominent Muslim advocacy organization in the United States, the Council on American-Islamic Relations Foundation Inc.
(CAIR), has opted to settle a legal dispute with a former employee rather than disclose its financial records, which could potentially reveal foreign funding sources.
This decision comes amid ongoing scrutiny of the organization's alleged connections to terrorist entities.
As reported by The Post Millennial, previous legal proceedings have highlighted links between CAIR and groups such as Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood. On a recent Thursday, CAIR reached a settlement with Lori Saroya, a former board member and employee, following a ruling by U.S. Magistrate Judge David Schultz.
The judge determined that all assets owned by CAIR fell within the "scope of permissible discovery," a decision that could have compelled the organization to reveal sensitive financial information.
In January, Saroya, who once led CAIR's Minnesota chapter, filed a federal defamation lawsuit against the organization. This followed CAIR's decision to drop a lawsuit against her, which accused Saroya of orchestrating a "defamation campaign" by alleging that the group received funding from terrorist organizations and foreign governments. CAIR's withdrawal of the lawsuit was reportedly driven by concerns that Saroya's legal team might "demand the names of CAIR supporters who have donated to us."
Jeffrey Robbins, Saroya's attorney, described the judge's ruling as "the mother of all legal boomerangs," suggesting it would have forced CAIR to disclose evidence regarding its fundraising practices, including potential foreign contributions, donor deception, and mismanagement of funds. Additionally, the ruling could have exposed whether CAIR retaliated against employees who raised concerns about issues such as sexual harassment.
The organization's controversial history includes being named as an unindicted co-conspirator in the 2008 Holy Land Foundation case, the largest terror trial in U.S. history. This trial revealed that the Muslim charity funneled millions of dollars to Hamas, a designated terrorist organization. A 2013 Justice Department Office of Inspector General's report further implicated CAIR leaders in connections to Hamas.
In a recent development, the Biden administration removed CAIR from the White House task force on antisemitism. This decision followed the group's co-founder, Nihad Awad, reportedly celebrating Hamas's violent actions against Israeli civilians on October 7, 2023.
Steve Emerson, founder and director of the Investigative Project on Terrorism, has previously stated to the Jewish News Syndicate that "CAIR was created as a Hamas front group and still functions as a propaganda arm of Hamas to this day." The Anti-Defamation League has also criticized CAIR, asserting that "Antisemitism is in the DNA of CAIR. It is part of CAIRs intrinsic fiber. CAIR leaders often traffic in antisemitic and anti-Zionist rhetoric...some of its leaders have cultivated suspicion among the public toward a wide array of American Jewish institutions."
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