News Article Generates Controversy in American Muslim Community

August 28, 1999

Source: Star Tribune

On August 28, 1999, the Star Tribune of Minneapolis published a response by Ibrahim Hooper, Washington, D.C. National Communications director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), to a second article written by Daniel Pipes, director of Philadelphia-based Middle East Forum, in the August 24th issue of the Star Tribune. Hooper challenges several of the claims that Pipes makes in his article. First, Hooper calls Pipes' distinction between patriotic and chauvinist Muslims spurious. Second, Hooper states that CAIR has only refuted Hamas and Osama bin Laden and denies that CAIR has ever apologized for them. Hooper asserts that Pipes provides no objective support for his claim that CAIR promotes terrorism. Hooper finishes his response by refuting Pipes' claim that CAIR defends "honor killing" by showing that CAIR actually tried to distance Islam from the act of a possible honor killing in Ohio. The full quote from CAIR-Ohio on the criminal case: "Anyone guilty of murder should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law, but that prosecution must not be based on religious or ethnic stereotyping and bias." Hooper concludes his article by stating that CAIR will "defend Islam from smears."

See also: Islam, Civic