Talking about Islam is Islamophobic, says CAIR

Of course it is, and we must all just shut up about the hegemony, the stonings, the subjugation of women, the amputations, the global domination by Islam through demographics, the creep of sharia law, the intolerance towards other religions and belief systems...

From TwinCities November 7 by Richard Chin

Groups object to St. Paul Somali seminar, call it anti-Muslim

A group of Islamic and Somali organizations said Monday that an upcoming educational seminar on Somalia organized by former Ramsey County sheriff Bob Fletcher is anti-Muslim and anti-Somali and will lead to a rise in racial and religious profiling.

The seminar, called "Understanding the People of Somalia," will be put on Thursday at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in St. Paul by the Center for Somalia History Studies, an organization founded by Fletcher this year.

The seminar brochure says training will be provided on al-Shabaab, "an Islamic Extremist Organization," and says that topics covered will include "Clans and Sub Clans," "Black Hawk Down," "Youth Gangs," "Transition to America" and "Somali Culture."

But a message being emailed to law enforcement agencies throughout the state who might be sending people to the seminar warns that the attendees "will receive inaccurate and biased information about Muslims and Somalis," according to A. Lori Saroya, president of the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MN).

The message says two speakers at the seminar - Omar Jamal, former executive director of the Somali Justice Advocacy Center, and Abdirizak Bihi, director of the Somali Education and Social Advocacy Center - are "unrepresentative of their community and unqualified to speak on the topics outlined in the upcoming presentation."

The message describes Jamal as "highly controversial and a convicted felon" and Bihi as having a "checkered past" and "no known educational qualifications."

A woman obtained a harassment restraining order against Bihi in 2004 after she said he stalked and threatened her in a dispute over Somali terrorism. This year, she praised him for his work with Somali youth.

On Monday, Bihi told the Pioneer Press that he did not wish to immediately comment.

The CAIR-MN message also objected to the description of al-Shabaab as an "Islamic extremist terrorism" organization because it "fails to distinguish between Islam and terrorism."

Jihadists routinely fail to distinguish between Islam and terrorism, maybe CAIR should send someone right away to straighten everyone out.

The message is endorsed by about 30 organizations, according to Saroya, including mosques, Islamic centers, the Muslim American Society of Minnesota and Somali Action Alliance.

Saroya said she feared the seminar would result in "just a lot of bias and misinformation."

Fletcher, now a St. Paul police watch commander, noted that aside from himself, the three other speakers at the seminar are Somali.

"I am befuddled that three Somali persons could be perceived as anti-Somali," he said.

Al-Shabaab is anti-Somali; they want a caliphate instead of a representative, secular government.

Read it all