The Council on American-Islamic Relations publicly urged state and federal law enforcement authorities to investigate discussion about carrying out acts of violence at a meeting of conservative activists in Kernersville, as reported in an exclusive story by Triad City Beat.

“Calls to violence against members of any minority group warrant a criminal investigation by state law enforcement authorities and the FBI,” said National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper in a prepared statement. “We call on President Trump to repudiate the growing bigotry in our nation targeting Muslims, Hispanics, refugees and other minority groups.”

The Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, calls itself “America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization” with a mission “to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.”

In a press release, CAIR characterized Act for America, one of the organizations represented at the meeting as a “hate group.” The Southern Poverty Law Center calls Act for America an “extremist group.”

During the meeting, a retired federal government employee named Frank del Valle, said, “I’m ready to start taking people out.”

In response, Robert Goodwill, who identified himself as a member of Act for America, said, “I can understand that. But we’re not there yet.”

In response to an inquiry by a Muslim leader in Durham, a spokesperson for the FBI Charlotte office said the agency is aware of the media stories about the meeting in Kernersville.

“We are working with our local law enforcement partners to determine if a federal violation involving threats of violence that is not speech protected under the First Amendment has occurred,” the statement reads. “The safety and security of our citizens is a priority for the FBI and we have been in touch with local community leaders to assure them we take potential threats of violence very seriously.”

The view promoted by Goodwill and Tom Jones, the presenter, holds that the Muslim Brotherhood is engaged in a duplicitous plot to subvert the US Constitution and institute sharia law through outwardly peaceful activities and integrating into American society — what opponents call “stealth jihad.” They link CAIR to the Muslim Brotherhood.

“[There are] no connections whatsoever,” Hooper said. “Utter nonsense. They used to call us ‘the Wahhabi lobby.’ A number of years ago they flipped the switch and started saying ‘Muslim Brotherhood.’ In their eyes, if you’re Muslim and you’re active, you’re Muslim Brotherhood.

“I’ve been at CAIR every day since it opened 23 years ago,” Hooper continued. “I’ve never taken an order from the Muslim Brotherhood. One of the things they say to counter us is: ‘Since Islam teaches you to lie, they’re lying.’ That’s always their nuclear option. There’s this term called taqia, which I had never heard of until I heard it from the haters. I had to look it up. It’s very rational. It says: If someone puts a gun to your head and asks you if you’re Muslim, you can lie.”

This story has been updated to reflect new information about the FBI response to the reported discussion about violent acts against Muslims at the meeting. (Sunday, Feb. 19, 4:45 p.m.)

 

 

 

 

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