Sen. Tom Cotton (R., Ark.) on Tuesday petitioned the Department of Education to investigate the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) for running "possibly illegal" anti-Israel educational initiatives inside the country’s public schools.
CAIR, whose leaders celebrated Hamas’s Oct. 7 terror spree, announced late last month its Philadelphia office is partnering with K-12 schools across Pennsylvania and Delaware "to make sure every student feels seen, safe, and supported." While the advocacy group says it wants to make public schools "more inclusive," its lesson plans actually "perpetuate pro-terrorist, anti-Israel rhetoric," Cotton wrote in his letter to Secretary of Education Linda McMahon.
These lesson plans include a handbook for teaching a course titled, "Teaching September 11, 2001 in Diverse Classrooms"—which instructs educators to avoid using "inaccurate and inflammatory terms such as ‘Islamic terrorists,’ ‘jihadists,’ or ‘radical Islamic terrorists’" when discussing the al Qaeda attack—and a class that focuses on "American Jews and Political Power."
"Such an organization should never have access to our nation's children," Cotton wrote. "The U.S. Department of Education must ensure that CAIR is not given an opportunity to push its radical, pro-terrorist, anti-Israel ideology on American schoolchildren."
In its "Educator’s Guide to Islamic Religious Practices," CAIR argues "jihad" does not refer to "violence committed in the name of Islam," but to the internal struggle "to become a better person." The organization also claims "most" oppression of Muslim women "is not related to their adherence to Islam, but rather tied to local customs and traditions."
Other courses include "What is Sharia?" and "Politics, Islam and Violence."
The "American Jews and Political Power" class asks students to examine "the controversial topic if [sic] Jewish political power in a fair and balanced manner" and "discuss the key organizations in the American Jewish Community," like the Anti-Defamation League, the American Jewish Committee, and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
The course description says students will learn about "the heated debate inside the Jewish establishment over Israel’s occupation of Palestinian lands" as well as "the young Jewish activists who are supporting the [Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions] campaign," a global movement that seeks to use economic warfare to bring about the end of the Jewish state.
While CAIR claims it will treat the subject even-handedly, its record suggests that assertion is far from the truth.
As Cotton notes in the letter, CAIR has long faced accusations of maintaining a financial relationship with Hamas. The organization was named as a co-conspirator in a 2009 federal court case related to terrorism financing and has since become a leading force in the pro-Hamas movement that erupted after the terror group’s attack against Israel.
"CAIR Philadelphia's Executive Director, Ahmet Selim Tekelioglu, stated that Israeli 'occupation' was the reason for the October 7th terrorist attack by Hamas in Israel," Cotton wrote about the leader of the particular CAIR chapter pushing the lesson plans on K-12 schools in Pennsylvania.
The national organization’s executive director, Nihad Awad, said in November 2023 he was "happy to see" Palestinians in Gaza "breaking the siege and throwing down the shackles of their own land" on Oct. 7.
Cotton’s letter to McMahon comes a month after he asked the IRS to formally investigate CAIR over violations of its tax-exempt status, citing "ties to terrorist organizations, including Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood," as the Washington Free Beacon first reported. CAIR is one of many anti-Israel groups currently under congressional investigation for its support of pro-Hamas protests across the United States.
The organization’s Philadelphia branch announced on its Instagram page last month its partnership with K-12 schools will include trainings for both teachers and students.
"The CAIR Philadelphia staff works not only with staff and administration, but also directly with students!" the group said. "We can visit classrooms as guest facilitators to lead student-centered discussions."
Neither Delaware governor Matt Meyer (D.) nor Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro (D.) responded to Free Beacon requests for comment about CAIR’s plans to partner with K-12 schools in their states.
