The Georgia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) announced a new initiative this week designed to educate conservative activists about the basic beliefs and practices of America’s mainstream Muslims.
CAIR’s Georgia chapter will make overtures to conservative and Tea Party-affiliated groups across the state with an offer to deliver an “Islam 101” presentation, according to a press release sent to The Daily Caller.
The presentations will be followed by a question-and-answer period about various topics including terrorism. There will also be meet-and-greet sessions.
“During the 2000 presidential election, many American Muslims voted for George W. Bush,” said Edward Ahmed Mitchell, executive director of CAIR’s Georgia chapter. “However, the rise of violent extremism overseas and of Islamophobia here at home led some conservatives to fear and even loathe their neighbors. Georgia Muslims — who love God, family and country as much as any other American — hope to put those fears to rest by addressing them head-on at their source.”
Mitchell added that “Georgia Muslims look forward to meeting, greeting and dialoguing with various political groups, including Republican and Tea Party-affiliated activists.”
“We’re willing to answer any and all questions about Islam and American Muslims, whether those questions are tame or critical.”
Mitchell frequently gives his Islam 101 lecture to church groups and to groups visiting mosques.
CAIR’s Georgia chapter will also give the “Islam 101” presentations to progressive groups — and groups of various other political stripes.
CAIR is the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights group.
In January, CAIR’s national executive director, Nihad Awad, penned an essay observing that Muslims, Christians and Jewish people all worship the same deity. (RELATED: CAIR: Relax, Christians, You Worship Allah)
“‘Allah’ is merely the Arabic translation for ‘God,'” Awad observed, and “all Arabic-speaking Christians refer to ‘Allah’ in their prayers.”
“Islam’s Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: ‘Both in this world and in the Hereafter, I am the nearest of all people to Jesus, the son of Mary,'” the CAIR executive added. “The prophets are paternal brothers; their mothers are different, but their religion is one.”
Awad managed to end his essay by quoting a few Quran verses and suggesting that the unholy trio of ISIS, Donald Trump and Ben Carson exhibit similar “forms of religious and political extremism.”
CAIR is most notable, of course, because the organization was listed by the U.S. government as an unindicted co-conspirator in a scheme that provided funding to the terror group Hamas.
In 2014, the United Arab Emirates officially designated 83 groups as terrorist organizations, including CAIR. (RELATED: UAE Designates Two American Muslim Groups As Terrorist Organizations)
Follow Eric on Twitter. Like Eric on Facebook. Send story tips to erico@dailycaller.com.
