Hamas-linked CAIR and Charlie Kirk: Condemning Murder While Fueling Incitement

The Hamas-linked Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) issued a press release condemning the murder of Charlie Kirk. Of course, CAIR has nothing to do with this crime, and its condemnation is irrelevant. It is assumed that they oppose murder. But what they are not against — indeed, what they practice constantly — is hateful and dangerous incitement.

There are too many examples to include in one article, but a few stand out:

Dan Leonard (Toms River, NJ): CAIR spotlighted Facebook posts mocking Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, demanding Leonard’s resignation. When he refused, outrage in the community escalated to the point that his underage daughter was subjected to rape threats. CAIR never tried to calm the situation it helped ignite.
Bill Larion (Dearborn, MI): Larion posted a comment using the word “camels” and deleted it 30 minutes later. CAIR seized on it and helped turn the entire town against him.
Tamar Herman (New Jersey): When a rumor spread that Herman mishandled a student’s hijab, CAIR appeared repeatedly on TV calling for her firing — without evidence. Herman sued for defamation, and CAIR’s successful legal defense was that its rhetoric was “hyperbolic advocacy” and not to be taken literally. Herman nevertheless lost her career.
Steve Elzinga (Michigan): When an orchard owner lost his temper after repeated trespassing incidents, video of a confrontation went viral. Elzinga received death threats, and CAIR sided publicly with the mob rather than the victim of harassment.
John Grasso (Maryland): During his 2018 State Senate run, CAIR waged a week-long media campaign over Facebook posts, claiming he endangered his constituents. Grasso lost his election.
Elizabeth Wolf (Euless, TX): Wolf was arrested on a charge and released on bail. CAIR told local TV that Wolf had threatened to return and “kill the whole family.” But according to Euless police chief Brenda Alvarado — who confirmed this directly in conversation — that claim did not come from the police. It came from CAIR itself. Wolf was re-arrested with higher bail, showing how CAIR’s fabrication directly harmed her.
Colleyville, TX (2022): CAIR waged an international campaign for the release of convicted terrorist Aafia Siddiqui, known as “Lady al-Qaeda.” When a hostage-taker seized a synagogue in Colleyville to demand her release, CAIR denied involvement. Yet their years of agitation and promotion of Siddiqui helped create the climate for the attack.

All of these cases share a theme: CAIR takes a minor incident — a Facebook post, a rumor, a confrontation — and inflames it into a public firestorm, often destroying reputations, livelihoods, or even threatening lives.

And now, in response to Charlie Kirk’s assassination, CAIR-Chicago’s director Ahmed Rehab issued a statement saying:

I despise much of what Charlie Kirk stood for: his supremacy, racism and Islamophobia, his support and cheerleading for genocide, and his warped logic that ironically justifies his own shooting.

This is not condemnation. It is justification. Rehab is saying he disapproves of murder, but understands why someone would want to kill Charlie Kirk.

If CAIR were serious, its press release would have stopped at one line: