The Southern California office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations has accused two politicos of smear campaigning and fear mongering in separate Orange County races.
Hussam Ayloush, executive director of the CAIR office based in Anaheim, cited the remarks by former California Republican Party chairman Shawn Steel, who in a letter called Anaheim City Council candidate Bill Dalati, who is of Arab descent, a "Manchurian candidate." He also questioned Dalati's patriotism for supporting political candidates opposed to George W. Bush's Iraq policies, and criticized Dalati for participating in a rally--attended by Christians, Jews, Muslims and people of other faiths--that called for an immediate cease-fire in the Middle East. Steel, who supports the candidacy of Dalati's incumbent opponent Bob Hernandez, "has a history of Islamophobia," and "he once claimed Islam is a diseased religion," reports CAIR.
Meanwhile, CAIR is also lashing out against Tan Nguyen, the Republican seeking to upset popular Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez (D-Garden Grove). Nguyen has angered local Muslims with "his offensive and inflammatory use of a photograph of a Middle Eastern terrorist to link the hot-button issues of illegal immigration and terrorism," claims CAIR, which notes that Sanchez has worked closely with all religious groups, including Muslims.
"We call on all Californians to repudiate attempts to spread fear of Islam and Muslims by falsely labeling Arab-American and Muslim candidates seeking office as extremists," Ayloush says. "It is disturbing to see public officials exploit growing anti-Muslim prejudice and bias within our society by using smear campaigns and fear mongering."
October 14, 2006 14:10
If you can get a CAIR representative to come out an say without any hesitation that there ARE NOT 72 Virgins awaiting Islamic Suiciders in Heaven, and say it on film, and publish it on YouTube, then at that point I would consider his word to be valid.
Don't even try, he won't. He can't. It would cost him his life, probably...
October 21, 2006 23:10
Orange County Register
Letters
Saturday, October 21, 2006
At issue are the issues, not his religion
Sometimes tempests carry implications beyond the immediate teapot. And I seem to have created just such a mini-storm with my letter, which was posted on OC Blog (www.ocblog.net), about Bill Dalati, a candidate for the Anaheim City Council next month ["Letter on candidate condemned," Local, Oct. 13].
To review: I expressed concerns about Mr. Dalati because:
1) He supported an anti-American rally billed on a Council for American Islamic Relations Web site as "Rally Against U.S.-Israeli Terror in Palestine & Lebanon";
2) In 2004, he made a campaign contribution to Cynthia McKinney in her race for Congress (the donation was made after McKinney's infamous views were publicized on President Bush's pre-knowledge and alleged involvement in the 9/11 attacks); and
3) He argued that dowries given in Muslim marriages should be viewed legally as prenuptial agreements (he was quoted in this newspaper in 2001: "I think it is a prenuptial agreement, and it should be enforced here").
Mr. Dalati is a candidate for an important public office, and so his views and political affiliations and public activities are wholly appropriate for examination and criticism.
Mr. Dalati and his CAIR allies now are denouncing me as a racist and an Islamophobe. This is nothing but a smokescreen to muddle the public debate.
When I was the chairman of the California Republican Party, I encouraged Muslim Americans to join the GOP. I sponsored the first Muslim prayer at the party convention, despite criticism from some Christians.
I support another Arab American for mayor in Orange County because of his political views.
I do not judge candidates based on their religion or race.
Shawn Steel
Newport Beach
former chairman of the state Republican Party
December 24, 2006 21:12
Maybe if CAIR would stop letting nutty people speak at their conventions someone would listen.