CAIR-Ohio fires director for being an anti-terrorist mole

The Ohio chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations fired its Executive and Legal Director Romin Iqbal for working with the Investigative Project on Terrorism, founded by Steven Emerson in 1995.

CAIR labeled the organization an anti-Muslim hate group, and thus the media did as well.

CBS reported, "A director of the Ohio Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Ohio) has been fired for allegedly aiding an anti-Muslim hate group."

Few media outlets named this alleged anti-Muslim hate group.

The Columbus Dispatch did name the group.

It said, "For several years, Iqbal, the executive and legal director of CAIR-Ohio, has been recording network meetings and sharing information regarding CAIR’s national advocacy work with the Investigative Project on Terrorism, a known anti-Muslim group, according to a Tuesday press release from the organization’s Ohio chapter.

"Saying he was among moles for the IPT, a Washington-D.C. Based nonprofit, Nihad Awad, CAIR’s national executive director, released information on the situation late Tuesday night, saying that last year the national office was sent information about the Investigative Project on Terrorism."

While the newspaper's story was thorough, no one contacted IPT for its side of the story. The fired director apparently did not return phone calls.

Also not mentioned in the Dispatch story -- or anyone's -- was IPT's work in bringing down the Holy Land Foundation, which 20 years ago was the largest Muslim charity in America. It also was funding Hamas. The founder of CAIR-Texas in Dallas was among those sentenced in 2008 for their terrorist activities. He got the longest sentence: 65 years.

I can see why CAIR might not like IPT and would brand it a hate group.

But CAIR may have had cause to fire Iqbal.

CBS reported, "CAIR-Ohio said its Columbus office found suspicious purchases from ammunition and gun retailers in recent weeks made with a credit card linked to Iqbal.

"Staffers also found a suspicious package Monday mailed to the CAIR-Ohio Columbus branch containing parts for an AR-15, the group said, adding that the parts were bought with the credit card, though it couldn't say who bought the parts.

"The organization filled in law enforcement, which is investigating."

I don't know.

'Tis a weird story. We shall see if the media bothers with it or it goes down the memory hole along with the black supremacist who ran his SUV into Waukesha's Christmas Parade, killing six people and injuring another 50.