The largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization in the country is taking aim at Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-Kan.) for remarks he made Tuesday, which the group called, "false and irresponsible."
While on the floor of the U.S. House, Pompeo stated that American Muslim leaders have failed to speak out against terror attacks.
"Mr. Speaker, it's been just under two months since the attacks in Boston, and in those intervening weeks, the silence of Muslim leaders has been deafening," spoke Pompeo.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) fought back with a letter from Corey Saylor, the director of CAIR's Department to Monitor and Combat Islamophobia today. In the letter, Saylor clarified how not long after hearing of the Boston marathon bombings, several Muslim institutions put out press releases asking for support and prayers for the victims, and openly condemned the attacks.
The Boston attacks occurred on April 15 at approximately 2:49 p.m. The Universal Muslim Association of America spoke out against the attacks at 5:17 p.m.; the Muslim Public Affairs Council at 5:53 p.m.; the Council on American-Islamic Relations 7:46 p.m.; the Muslim Peace Coalition 8 p.m. and the Muslim American Society Public Affairs and Engagement 10:52 p.m. The only organization which moderately delayed a response was the Islamic Society of North America, and that was 12:09 a.m. on April 16.
Pompeo neglected to point out how the Muslim community has helped isolate terrorists and thwart attacks countless times since 9/11.
In July of 2009, mosque leaders in Raleigh, North Carolina contacted law enforcement, stating there is, "violent, threatening action... considered to be dangerous", leading to the arrest of Daniel Boyd and six others. Boyd recruited the men, two of which were his own sons, to "advance violent jihad, including supporting and participating in terrorist activities abroad and committing acts of murder, kidnapping or maiming persons abroad." Boyd, who was born in the US had converted to Islam when he was 17.
Another example Pompeo conveniently forgot about happened in Tyler, Texas in April of 2003. A concerned Muslim citizen notified local officials after mistakenly receiving a suspicious package intended for someone else. His tip-off led authorities to the anti-government terrorist, William Krar.
Krar, his common-law partner, Judith Bruey, and Edward Feltus were part of a white supremacy group called The New Jersey Militia. Thanks to the call by the citizen, police were able to seize a 100 conventional bombs, a cyanide gas bomb, machine guns, an assault rifle, 500,000 rounds of ammunition and an unregistered silencer. The group also had a chemical stockpile of acetic acid, sodium cyanide, hydrochloric acid and nitric acid.
"It is our sincere hope that you will return to the House floor, correct your remarks, and acknowledge the strong messaging coming from American Muslim leadership that clearly states there is never any justification for terrorism, that denounces violent extremist leadership and is a reliable partner in pushing back against the ideology of al Qaeda and its allies," Saylor concluded in the letter to Pompeo.