John James Seeks Terror Label for CAIR Amidst Controversy Over Dearborn Ashura Procession
In a heated political move, Republican gubernatorial hopeful John James has vowed to classify the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) as a terrorist organization. This pledge comes in the wake of backlash over his comments labeling participants of an Islamic event in Michigan as “extremists.”
During an interview with Rob Finnerty on Newsmax, James criticized the Ashura procession in Dearborn, a significant event in Shia Islam that combines religious commemoration with acts of charity. Finnerty highlighted the absence of American flags among the procession’s numerous banners, implying a lack of patriotism.
Dearborn saw thousands of Muslims marching to honor Ashura. While many observers focused on the participants, the event also featured numerous tents providing meals and refreshments to those enduring the heat.
“I didn’t go and fight extremists to have them on our doorstep here,” stated James, referencing his military service as a helicopter pilot in Iraq. He emphasized, “Under no circumstances will we be a home in Michigan for extremism.”
The Michigan branch of CAIR, the largest Muslim civil rights group in the United States, has strongly criticized James’s remarks. Dawud Walid, executive director of CAIR Michigan, said, “Mr. James is literally labeling the First Amendment, constitutionally protected right of freedom of assembly, as somehow un-American and attached to extremism.”
CAIR-MI released a statement condemning James’s comments, prompting his campaign to respond by branding CAIR as a “radical extremist group” and promising to pursue its designation as a terrorist entity. Recent moves in Texas and Florida have seen their governors, Greg Abbott and Ron DeSantis respectively, take similar actions against CAIR’s state chapters.
CAIR has responded by filing lawsuits in both states, challenging the constitutionality of these designations and defending its right to continue operations.
Walid remarked that the measures against CAIR in Michigan and elsewhere resemble tactics from the McCarthy era. He also noted, “The irony of it is that the same people that [James] criticized in Dearborn as extremists have family members displaced or killed” in the Iraq war.
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