US Senator Asks IRS to Strip Muslim Civil Rights Group of Nonprofit Status

US Senator Asks IRS to Strip Muslim Civil Rights Group of Nonprofit Status
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Republican Senator Tom Cotton has formally requested that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) investigate and revoke the nonprofit status of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, Middle East Eye reported.

In a letter sent to IRS Commissioner Billy Long, Senator Cotton accused CAIR of having “deep ties to terrorist organizations” and providing material support to terrorism. Citing government exhibits from the largest terrorism-financing case in U.S. history, he alleged that CAIR was listed as a member of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Palestine Committee and that its founders attended a meeting of Hamas supporters in Philadelphia.

Cotton also referenced a November 2023 speech by CAIR’s national executive director, Nihad Awad, who stated he was “happy to see” Palestinians “breaking the siege” during the October 7th terrorist attacks. Cotton argued that tax-exempt status is a privilege that should not subsidize organizations with alleged links to terrorism.

This is not the first time CAIR has been the subject of such accusations. A bill titled the “Designate CAIR as a Terrorist Organization Act” was introduced in the House of Representatives, which cited the same allegations, including CAIR’s listing as an unindicted co-conspirator in the Holy Land Foundation terrorism financing trial.

In previous responses to similar accusations, CAIR has condemned Senator Cotton’s rhetoric as “Islamophobic and un-American,” particularly during the questioning of a Muslim American judicial nominee. The organization has consistently refuted claims of ties to terrorism, while also advocating for Palestinian rights and condemning what it describes as “anti-Muslim bigotry.”