CAIR pouts, whines, seethes at Audrey Hudson and the Wash Times

CAIR is angry that JYB favorite Audrey Hudson proved a precipitous decline in their membership. Hey, if they're really that mad, you know what they should do? Rent two or three buses, and get every paid-up member of CAIR in the United States to go to the Washington Times HQ to protest.

In a statement sent to the Washington Times prior to publication of the false and misleading article, CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad stated:

"Comparing CAIR's 2000 dues figure to that of 2006 is a misleading and mischievous 'apples and oranges' exercise because those figures were calculated based on different criteria. They do not include the thousands of people of all faiths who became CAIR members through several free or low-cost membership drives. For example, between 2002 and 2006, more than 25,000 people became active members for $10 or less during those drives.

Looking at CAIR's site, I was under the impression that membership costs $35 a year. They certainly give the impression that their membership all paid this amount. There's no mention of those special bargain rates:

Finally, CAIR attempts to dodge its recent inclusion as a co-conspirator in a terrorism trial--brought up by Hudson as one more reason people might be deserting the organization--by citing retired FBI counterterrorism official Michael Rolince.

An interesting choice. I'm grateful for Agent Rolince's distinguished career in law enforcement, but his track record on identifying threats wasn't really the best. And writing in The New Republic (subscriber only, but full text here) terror expert Steven Emerson claims Rolince has a conflict of interest:

Former FBI agent Michael Rolince--who spent much of his time at the agency championing "partnership" between Islamist groups and law enforcement (and has, since his retirement, frequented the Islamist speaking and fund-raising circuit) told MacFarquhar, "Of all the groups, there is probably more suspicion about CAIR, but when you ask people for cold hard facts, you get blank stares."

Not only is this a total falsehood, but it's also a conflict of interest. Rolince was involved in a highly controversial program, eventually de-funded and cancelled by the FBI, that would have funneled millions of dollars to a constellation of radical Muslim groups, including CAIR (to, in the words of the Times, "institutionalize bridge building"). I have met with Rolince several times, and he simply refused to read the materials on CAIR that I, and others, provided. Moreover, Mike Rolf, a retired FBI agent, disagrees with Rolince's casual acceptance of CAIR.

What's even more interesting about CAIR relying on Rolince, is that the Bush administration relied on memos written by Rolince in support of "preventive detention" of terror suspects at Guantanamo Bay. And that's not the sort of thing CAIR likes at all.

I guess Rolince is supposed to be authoritative when he says CAIR's being persecuted, but he's a worthless Islamophobe when he says Muslims in Gitmo aren't being persecuted. Like how CAIR membership is $35, except when it's free.

UPDATE: Greetings, Power Line visitors! There's more hysterical Hudson bashing at this entry too.