Has CAIR Violated its Tax Exempt Status?

In today's FrontPage.com, Joe Kaufman has an excellent piece detailing numerous violations by both local chapters and the national organization of CAIR (Council on American-Islamic Relations) of the tax code as it relates to political activities by non-profit groups.

Kaufman found some blatant politiking at several CAIR websites:

In another of the site's articles, ‘Smear Campaign Speaks Volumes About Society,' authored by CAIR National Director of Communications Strategy and Executive Director of CAIR-Chicago, Ahmed Rehab, the following is written: "I was recently asked on Fox News Radio which candidate impressed me most. ‘Obama,' I answered... I am not drawn to Obama for any other reason but his political outlook, one that brings me hope that we can move beyond divisiveness and polarization and toward a new unity for the common good... I am [not] offended as a Muslim that Obama would not want to be one [a Muslim]; I couldn't care less.  I am casting a vote for the next president of the United States, not the next imam of my mosque."

These statements showing favoritism towards a particular candidate, including one denouncing that candidate's opponent, flies in the face of the 501(c)(3) rules, as put forward by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) of the United States Department of Treasury.

According to the IRS, under its ‘Ban on Political Campaign Intervention,' "For an organization to be tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) it cannot "participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing or distributing of statements) any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office."

One of CAIR's local chapters, CAIR-Chicago, has its own politics-based website, The Mobilizer.  The group's political bent can easily be seen on it, with descriptions of the U.S. President as being the "war mongering, Muslim hating Bush" and White House activities as being the "crimes of this rogue administration."

However, President Bush isn't running for office.  Senator John McCain is.  And like CAIR National, CAIR-Chicago has denounced Senator McCain, even going so far as to say that Muslims will not be voting for him in November.

Kaufman points out there are several Congressmen who would like to investigate the group, named as a co-conspirator in the Dallas based Holy Land Foundation trial with ties to Hamas. It is a astonishing that this group - for all its anti-American statements and failure to fully renounce terrorism - is still in business.

After reading the article, you may want to call your representative and senators and tell them to get moving on investigating this blatant violation of the law. Some Christian churches and groups have lost their tax exempt status for doing much less.