Source: St. Petersburg Times

http://www.sptimes.com/2003/02/03/Floridian/Muslims__growing_voic.shtml

On February 3, 2003 the St. Petersburg Times reported that "CAIR (Council on American-Islamic Relations), an 8-year-old grass roots organization that started out combating Muslim stereotypes in movies and discrimination in the workplace, has become the voice for Muslim rights... Since Sept. 11, 2001, discrimination complaints have poured into its 21 chapters and liaison groups and its national office in Washington, D.C. Membership and contributions more than doubled, to 15,000 and $2.5-million, respectively. Plans are under way to expand CAIR's presence in central and northern Florida... But as its membership and budget prosper, so, too, do CAIR's adversaries. Some say the organization is trampling free speech rights and belittling an ongoing threat of terrorism by fanatic Muslims."