(Tampa, FL) Yesterday, June 9, 2009, Americans Against Hate (AAH) Chairman Joe Kaufman received a call from Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio’s office informing him that the Mayor will no longer be issuing any proclamations to the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).
The past week, Kaufman had been speaking with the Mayor’s office and had sent information detailing CAIR’s involvement with the terrorist group Hamas and CAIR’s stated support for Hamas. Kaufman showed proof that CAIR was named a co-conspirator in a recent Hamas fundraising terrorism trial and that the FBI recently cut ties with CAIR.
Kaufman had previously called on the Mayor to rescind her November 15, 2008 proclamation for “CAIR Day,” an award she had given to the Tampa office of CAIR at least the last four years.
A member of Mayor Iorio’s staff, Santiago Corrado, said that, while the Mayor would not rescind any prior proclamations – because the “CAIR Days” had already taken place and she could not go back in time and change the calendar – she would no longer sign any further proclamations to the group in the future.
Kaufman stated, “While we had wished Mayor Iorio would rescind the past proclamations from CAIR, we are thankful that no more proclamations will be awarded to the group. No group that has ties to overseas terrorists should receive any type of award, proclamation or otherwise.”
This is just one of many successes Americans Against Hate has had against the organization CAIR. Others include:
In December 2006, AAH got United States Senator Barbara Boxer to rescind the award her office had presented to the Executive Director of CAIR-Sacramento, Basim Elkarra.
In November 2008, AAH stopped the Broward County School Board from reappointing CAIR Representative Jawhar Sadallah Badran to the School Board’s Diversity Committee, after he was caught on video making statements in support of Hamas.
In April 2008, AAH got the Mayor of Plantation, Florida Rae Carole Armstrong to cancel CAIR-Florida Executive Director Altaf Ali’s speaking engagement at the Mayor’s annual prayer breakfast.
In January 2008, AAH got the Department of Defense: Central Command (CENTCOM) to cancel CAIR-Tampa Executive Director Ahmed Bedier’s speech in front of the government agency.
Joe Kaufman is the Chairman of Americans Against Hate and the founder of CAIR Watch. He is also an investigative journalist for Frontpage Magazine and the spokesperson for the Terror-Free Oil Initiative.
