CAIR's Rabbi: Marc Gopin
By EVAN GAHR
CAIR, the putative Muslim civil rights organization, has hit publicity pay dirt yet again.
First, New York Post Editorial Page Editor Bob “Edith Bunker” McManus, published their op-ed.
Then, conservative writer David Frum praised CAIR’s Canadian affiliate to settle its libel lawsuit against him, first reported by chimpstein, with follow-ups by the Washington Times and Forward.
Now, CAIR which adamantly denies charges by author Steve Emerson of being terrorist-friendly, lists a prominent Washington area rabbi among the scheduled speakers at its February 16 conference on the Muhammad cartoon fracas
On Valentines Day, CAIR announced that its February 16th forum at the National Press Club, "Religious and Political Perspectives on the Cartoon Controversy," from Noon-4pm, offers “two panel discussions featuring speakers such as Georgetown University Muslim Chaplain Yahya Hendi, InterFaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington Executive Director Rev. Dr. Clark Lobenstine, University of Maryland Professor Louis Cantori, Dr. Ali Darwish, and Rabbi Mark Gopin, director of the Center for World Religions, Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution at George Mason University in Arlington, Va. ”CAIR Board Chairman Parvez Ahmed, Executive Director Nihad Awad and Research Director Dr. Mohamed Nimer will also take part in the panel discussions.”
Gopin, whose first name is actually Marc, could not immediately be reached for comment.
But, it's well to note, to use yet another Eric Breindelism, that his presence is entirely congruent with the rationale which Rabbi Barry Freundel and Rabbi Daniel Lapin used to justify working with another controversial Muslim group, ISNA, alongside the advisory board of the Alliance for Marriage, which opposes equal marriage rights for homosexuals.
Freundel and Lapin, who, we kid you not, once volunteered to William Buckley to defend the genuine demented anti-Semite Joe Sobran against charges of anti-Semitism, refused to resign from the AFM board.
Anyway, AFM-ISNA said they would work with any Muslim group not under federal investigation. CAIR is not under investigation and is never known to have been under investigation.
Finally, adverse adverse publicity generated by investigative reporter Evan Gahr in his exclusive reports for Ben Jolkovsky's JewishWorldReview led ISNA to formerly withdraw from the advisory board.
Are Barry Freundel and Danny Lapin ready, willing and able speak at the event also?
Steve Emerson tells Gahr via email that "Rabbi Gopinspeaking at a CAIR event is truly disturbing for it means that he legitimizing a jihadist organization that was created by Hamas front groups. It means that CAIR can point to a "useful idiot" in helping to legitimize its message. As for other Rabbis speaking at CAIR events, I don't keep a comprehensive tracking of such things but certainly it is not common or frequent. It is deeply disturbing that he would lend himself to conferring legitimacy to such a group, which has sponsored jihadist and anti-Semitic conferences in the past."
The official response from CAIR spokesman Ibrahim Hooper: "If you're quoting Emerson, you've already got the story written."
Hooper says Jewish leaders often appear at CAIR events, most recently in LA, but he could not think of any specific rabbi who has done so previously.
He was not aware of any other rabbis being invited to the panel discussion scheduled for tomorrow. This reporter does not remember any either.
Does Hooper expect conservative to intimidate Gopin from speaking?
"There are a lot of anti-Muslim bigots out there."
Does Hooper realize he spelled Gopin's first-name wrong.
"That's a problem."
Oh, you must have a journalism background. That's the first rule: get the spelling correctly.
"I have a masters degree."
Hooper is charming. He has an agenda.
But who advances his agenda?
The onus is on them, not CAIR, to explain themselves to the relevant worlds.
CAIR is CAIR.
It would be utterly foolish for the neo-con cabal to intimidate Gopin from speaking.
Let the Show Jew show.
Cancellation would merely pre-empt debate and allow CAIR to contend, not unreasonably, that anti-Muslim activists impeded their free speech rights.
Let's not kid ourselves.
CAIR's critics are, generally, anti-Muslim.
Not all anti-Muslim sentiment is hateful bigotry.
But they are anti-Muslim.
CAIR is an advocacy organization.
CAIR and other advocacy groups which Emerson criticizes depends on enablers in the media who never examine the group's background.
Gopin, ordained as a rabbi at Yeshiva University in 1983, his GMU website says, holds a Ph.D from in religious ethics from--where else would a Jew who speaks at CAIR events do his grad work?--Braindeis University?
CAIR, the putative Muslim civil rights organization, has hit publicity pay dirt yet again.
First, New York Post Editorial Page Editor Bob “Edith Bunker” McManus, published their op-ed.
Then, conservative writer David Frum praised CAIR’s Canadian affiliate to settle its libel lawsuit against him, first reported by chimpstein, with follow-ups by the Washington Times and Forward.
Now, CAIR which adamantly denies charges by author Steve Emerson of being terrorist-friendly, lists a prominent Washington area rabbi among the scheduled speakers at its February 16 conference on the Muhammad cartoon fracas
On Valentines Day, CAIR announced that its February 16th forum at the National Press Club, "Religious and Political Perspectives on the Cartoon Controversy," from Noon-4pm, offers “two panel discussions featuring speakers such as Georgetown University Muslim Chaplain Yahya Hendi, InterFaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington Executive Director Rev. Dr. Clark Lobenstine, University of Maryland Professor Louis Cantori, Dr. Ali Darwish, and Rabbi Mark Gopin, director of the Center for World Religions, Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution at George Mason University in Arlington, Va. ”CAIR Board Chairman Parvez Ahmed, Executive Director Nihad Awad and Research Director Dr. Mohamed Nimer will also take part in the panel discussions.”
Gopin, whose first name is actually Marc, could not immediately be reached for comment.
But, it's well to note, to use yet another Eric Breindelism, that his presence is entirely congruent with the rationale which Rabbi Barry Freundel and Rabbi Daniel Lapin used to justify working with another controversial Muslim group, ISNA, alongside the advisory board of the Alliance for Marriage, which opposes equal marriage rights for homosexuals.
Freundel and Lapin, who, we kid you not, once volunteered to William Buckley to defend the genuine demented anti-Semite Joe Sobran against charges of anti-Semitism, refused to resign from the AFM board.
Anyway, AFM-ISNA said they would work with any Muslim group not under federal investigation. CAIR is not under investigation and is never known to have been under investigation.
Finally, adverse adverse publicity generated by investigative reporter Evan Gahr in his exclusive reports for Ben Jolkovsky's JewishWorldReview led ISNA to formerly withdraw from the advisory board.
Are Barry Freundel and Danny Lapin ready, willing and able speak at the event also?
Steve Emerson tells Gahr via email that "Rabbi Gopinspeaking at a CAIR event is truly disturbing for it means that he legitimizing a jihadist organization that was created by Hamas front groups. It means that CAIR can point to a "useful idiot" in helping to legitimize its message. As for other Rabbis speaking at CAIR events, I don't keep a comprehensive tracking of such things but certainly it is not common or frequent. It is deeply disturbing that he would lend himself to conferring legitimacy to such a group, which has sponsored jihadist and anti-Semitic conferences in the past."
The official response from CAIR spokesman Ibrahim Hooper: "If you're quoting Emerson, you've already got the story written."
Hooper says Jewish leaders often appear at CAIR events, most recently in LA, but he could not think of any specific rabbi who has done so previously.
He was not aware of any other rabbis being invited to the panel discussion scheduled for tomorrow. This reporter does not remember any either.
Does Hooper expect conservative to intimidate Gopin from speaking?
"There are a lot of anti-Muslim bigots out there."
Does Hooper realize he spelled Gopin's first-name wrong.
"That's a problem."
Oh, you must have a journalism background. That's the first rule: get the spelling correctly.
"I have a masters degree."
Hooper is charming. He has an agenda.
But who advances his agenda?
The onus is on them, not CAIR, to explain themselves to the relevant worlds.
CAIR is CAIR.
It would be utterly foolish for the neo-con cabal to intimidate Gopin from speaking.
Let the Show Jew show.
Cancellation would merely pre-empt debate and allow CAIR to contend, not unreasonably, that anti-Muslim activists impeded their free speech rights.
Let's not kid ourselves.
CAIR's critics are, generally, anti-Muslim.
Not all anti-Muslim sentiment is hateful bigotry.
But they are anti-Muslim.
CAIR is an advocacy organization.
CAIR and other advocacy groups which Emerson criticizes depends on enablers in the media who never examine the group's background.
Gopin, ordained as a rabbi at Yeshiva University in 1983, his GMU website says, holds a Ph.D from in religious ethics from--where else would a Jew who speaks at CAIR events do his grad work?--Braindeis University?
posted by Washington Gadfly Evan Gahr at
10:42 AM
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