Amid the catastrophe of October 7, 2023, most everyone overlooked a very important news story: “WIN! NJ court rejects CAIR and co-defendants’ motions to dismiss Lawfare Project defamation lawsuit on behalf of beloved Jewish teacher; suit to move forward,” The Lawfare Project, October 26, 2023:
On Monday, October 23, Judge Daniel Lindemann (Superior Court of New Jersey) denied all of the motions to dismiss the lawsuit, and one motion for summary judgment, which were filed by Defendants Ibtihaj Muhammad (an Olympic fencer and author), the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), CAIR-NJ (CAIR’s New Jersey Chapter), and CAIR-NJ’s Executive Director, Selaedin Maksut.
The lawsuit stems from a vicious and antisemitic smear campaign against Ms. Herman to falsely depict an innocent, seconds-long classroom interaction as an act of anti-Muslim bias.
Recall that the Hamas-linked Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) repeatedly accused Tamar Herman, a New Jersey elementary school teacher of 30 years, on TV of mishandling a hijab. Indeed, Tamar Herman’s lawsuit against CAIR mentions the WABC “Good Morning America” broadcast where CAIR-NJ’s Executive Director, Maksut Saladin says that Ms. Herman was “unfit to be a teacher.”
But after Tamar Herman sued CAIR for defamation, WABC and all the rest of the stations that helped spread CAIR’s rumor mongering have lost interest in this story. Yet WABC has not lost interest in CAIR.
Just this week, WABC ran this story: “Nurse says she was unjustly fired for making pro-Palestinian comments while receiving an award,” by Janice Yu, WABC, June 5, 2023.
In the lede, CAIR helper Liz Cho says:
The nation’s largest Muslim Civil Rights Organization is fighting for justice after they said a nurse was unjustly fired from NYU Langone for making pro-Palestinian comments while receiving an award last month.
Justice? Hesen Jabr’s bosses repeatedly asked to not bring her politics to work, and so the hospital fired her.
“I’m not surprised” says Jaber.
CAIR is now suing NYU Langone hospital, in what is the 43rd CAIR TV attack of the year.
It is outrageous that WABC would give favorable coverage to CAIR in this story, but ignore the developments in Tamar Herman’s case, a story that the station helped to create.
This is not the first time that WABC has acted against to public interest to serve CAIR.
CAIR and La Guardia High School
La Guardia is a school of dramatic arts, and things can get pretty dramatic there. For example:
“LaGuardia High School principal to leave after drama-filled tenure”
Vasconcelos, a 17-year-veteran of the education department, took the helm at LaGuardia in 2019 following widespread backlash against her predecessor, Lisa Mars. Parents and teachers accused Mars of pulling the school — the inspiration for the “Fame” movies and television series — from its arts focus and overemphasizing academics.
So a very sensitive young Muslim girl is holding a protest outside La Guardia High School with three of her friends over her claim that an instructor called her a “terrorist.” But how did the media hear about this little story, and why is CAIR there? Was he just walking by, or did he alert his friends at WABC? Does the school know CAIR is interacting this way with their students? Do the parents know? And, why does WABC file stories of this kind?
This is another example of WABC helping CAIR spread rumors and disrupt communities.
When a very imaginative young woman claims she was heckled during her graduation speech, WABC runs with it, and does zero investigation. The station doesn’t talk to anyone who was at the graduation ceremony; nor does it produce any evidence to support the claim of heckling. This isn’t what a TV station should be doing, and it should lose its license, or at least receive a fine for disrupting the (until then) peaceful village of Old Westbury, New York.
Another crisis point for CAIR is bacon. Here, an auto mechanic comes in contact with bacon at work.
He is reportedly throwing up, and having trouble sleeping.
And, of course, this is just another manifestation of the racist American society.
Musa was born and raised in this country. He first faced hate when he was only about 5 years old. He remembers it as if it was yesterday. “Right after 9/11 my father had a customer that came, he works at a rental car company, he came to pick up his rental,” he said. “My father is nothing but nice, polite, he tried to help the customer. The customer told him go back to your country.”
If this guy is more worried about coming in contact with bacon than he is about coming in contact with antifreeze, then he either needs a doctor, or a two-minute spot on the local news with the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
This is simply fake news concocted by WABC for the sake of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
If you ever get tired of TV stations telling you that you are a racist, that CAIR is good, that Palestinians are victims, and that you must love the hijab, you should complain – out loud. Starting with WABC.
mgoldberg says
Would it even help to email somewhere at ABC? And what would they do? Larry, do you have any suggestion how we folks can send your info to them and others who might be looking at the whole scenario with eyes other than those of ABC’s?
Larry Estavan says
Hi Mr. Goldberg,
You have been around a long time. There is not much I can tell you that you don’t already know. But, to answer the question “would it even help to email somewhere at ABC?” the answer is – yes. But, one email is not enough.
When Pamela Geller is canceled by PayPal, thousands of people call and send letters, and they reinstate her. When Linda Sarsour, and MPowerChange set a target, they send hundreds, or thousands of emails to pressure for change.
When CAIR went after Dan Leonard, his place of employment was deluged with vile phone calls, and emails (many of which were from fake accounts). Tamar Herman’s place of employment got the same treatment.
This is just the way it is done.
One email is not enough, but it is a beginning.
I have been watching CAIR on TV for 6 years now, and I am telling anyone who will listen, that they are a growing threat who want to hurt you. I have the receipts in the form of thousands of videos of local area TV newscasts.
The CAIR TV attacks are coming now at a rate of twice a week. It might be: a school, a police officer, a judge, a teacher, a child, a restaurant, an individual, someone who is mentally ill, or another Muslim. This has been going on for years with the help of the TV stations to the point that CAIR is now going after the President of the United States, threatening to deny Joe Biden the White House in 2024. This is in clear violation of CAIR’s 501c3 status, and they know that. Listen to Basim Elkarra flout the IRS regulations pointing his finger to the sky, saying “we’re coming”. – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AO3ETI6VCaI
This just came down today from Wisconsin while I was writing to you.. WISC is reporting that CAIR is calling for a probe into whether Matthew Eddy is a white racist after Eddy pushed a man on stage. This isn’t CAIR’s job, they have nothing to do with this, they don’t know anything about this incident. Why does WISC report CAIR’s statement as news? – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJXQB1vNtjo
It may not be possible to defeat Islam, but it is possible to demand TV stations engage in balanced coverage of this horrible group of people.
There are so many things to care about in the world, to say nothing of tending to your personal life: maintaining your house, raising your family, taking care of your health.
But, they are Hamas. This is your life.
I leave you with this: now that CAIR has made it glaringly obvious their loyalties lie with Hamas, and not the United States, they are on TV more than ever.
What are you prepared to do about it?
Lawrence Estavan
Citizens for Confronting Television on Television
128swift@gmail.com
jerry glenn says
Rampant Islamopandering.