Bush administration needs to screen terrorist supporters from Muslim outreach programs

The State Department has designated the Palestinian group Hamas as a foreign terrorist organization – yet Secretary of State Colin Powell met April 3 with Hamas supporters during an outreach meeting with American Muslims.

The meeting is just the latest instance of the administration failing to screen terrorist supporters out of its Muslim and Arab outreach programs – even though some of the individuals and groups are tied to organizations that are under state or federal investigation or have been raided for allegedly financing terrorism.

Supporters of President Bush are concerned that the continuing failure to screen such individuals and groups is politically dangerous, could jeopardize ongoing criminal investigations, and could undermine the anti-terrorism war effort.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) sent out a news release announcing its meeting with Powell concerning the increased violence in Israel.

CAIR founder and executive director Nihad Awad is named in the news release. However, journalists, former FBI counterterrorism chiefs, and others have identified CAIR leaders as supporters of Hamas. Awad publicly has announced support for the terrorist group.

According one report, “CAIR was critical of the prosecution of Sheik Omar Abdul-Rahman, whom U.S. authorities deemed the ringleader of the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center, and who was convicted with nine followers in October 1995 of conspiring to blow up the Lincoln Tunnel along with other New York City landmarks.”

Surely the president and top officials have no idea that terrorist supporters have infiltrated the important Muslim outreach program. They are not being well served.

UPDATE: President Bush calls for Palestinian supporters to condemn Hamas, Hezbollah and other terrorist groups, calling them ‘murderers.’