CAIR upset over Bush's remark

Submitted by Tom (United States), Aug 11, 2006 at 13:53

CAIR talks in defense but no word against terrorist plot.

CAIR in the United States has expressed "concern" over President George W Bush's use of the term "Islamic fascists" while commenting on the terrorist plot to bomb several airliners, saying it contributes to "hostility" to Islam. In a letter to President Bush, Board chairman of the Council on American-Islamic Relations Parvez Ahmed said

"You have on many occasions said Islam is a 'religion of peace.' Today you equated the religion of peace with the ugliness of fascism," he lamented. "The use of ill-defined hot button terms such as 'Islamic fascists,' 'militant jihadism,' 'Islamic radicalism,' or 'totalitarian Islamic empire,' harms our nation's image and interests worldwide, particularly in the Islamic world.

It feeds the perception that the war on terror is actually a war on Islam," Ahmed said. The letter was released to the press by CAIR on Thursday evening. American Muslims, Ahmed said, stand ready to serve as a bridge of understanding to the Islamic world.

We can best fulfill that role by offering advice that can help prevent misperceptions and misunderstandings between different nations and cultures," it added.

it is also important that our fellow Americans understand that Muslims are law-abiding citizens who should not be targeted or singled out because of their faith or national origin," CAIR said. It also advised local Muslim communities to boost security measures at mosques and other Islamic institutions.

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