The Council on American-Islamic Relations operates, as Andy McCarthy has described CAIR, as “a media-savvy Hamas apologist masquerading as a civil-rights organization.” During times of reduced salience for the war on Israel by its neighbors, CAIR is less visible in the news, and on occasion can even be an ally to some culturally conservative causes. But it is absolutely committed to the other side in any conflict involving Israel.
On Tuesday, CAIR released an advisory for students and their parents:
In the wake of Israel’s recent assault on Gaza, many schools and universities have recently released one-sided statements of support for Israel that have been emailed to students, families, and community members in their school districts. The schools’ statements fail to acknowledge the dispossession of the Palestinian people under the illegal Israeli occupation and apartheid system or their humanity as they are bombarded and killed by Israeli forces.
“Israel’s recent assault on Gaza.” Let that sink in for a bit. Not a word about what preceded it, yet they complain about “one-sided.” The guide links to fill-in-the-blanks form letters that can be sent to colleges and schools that complain about any statements of sympathy with Israel following the brutal Hamas assault. A sample: “These statements, while intended to address the recent situation, have presented a one-sided perspective showing solidarity and concern only for Israel with no acknowledgment of the ongoing and historical suffering and death of Palestinians. This is an unbalanced and biased stance that can be harmful to the institution’s reputation and, more importantly, to the numerous students, faculty, and staff within your district who identify as Muslim, Palestinian, Arab, or Jewish.” There is no mention of Hamas or of its attack on Israel. Instead, the form letter calls Israel an “apartheid state,” rants about “Israel’s war crimes against Palestinians,” and concludes: “I ask that in lieu of the recent biased statements, you also issue a statement affirming the pain and suffering of the Palestinians—especially the more than two million Palestinians in occupied Gaza, half of whom are children. . . . These humans, who are being indiscriminately bombed by Israel at this very moment, are also worthy of your outrage.”
Administrators of colleges and K–12 schools should understand where this war propaganda is coming from, and treat it as such.