Bush Annoys U.S. Muslim Group with Pipes Nomination

Reuters ^ | April 7, 2003 | REUTERS

[l33t]

Filed at 6:42 p.m. ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush has named controversial Middle East commentator Daniel Pipes to the board of the U.S. Institute of Peace to the dismay of a major American Muslim organization, which described Pipes on Monday as a ``Muslim-basher'' with bigoted views.

Institute spokesman John Brinkley said on Monday that Bush had nominated Pipes to replace Zalmay Khalilzad, who left the institute in 2001 to work in the White House.

The nomination needs confirmation by the U.S. Senate because the institute, a Washington think tank set up to promote peace, relies on federal government funds.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, said it asked Bush to withdraw the nomination and the institute to reject it because Pipes was an ``inappropriate choice.''

``The Council ... called on the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) to reject the nomination of a 'Muslim-basher' to its board of directors. ... Pipes' bigoted views have been instrumental in widening the divide between faiths and cultures,'' said Nihad Awad, the council's executive director.

Pipes' office, asked to comment on the charges, referred callers to his Web site, which chronicles his long battle with CAIR but does not answer the specific allegation of bigotry. It describes CAIR as ``a foremost sponsor of anti-Semitism.''

The Washington Post quoted Pipes as saying: ``For reasons of its own, CAIR has been trying for years to place me in the category of those who consider Islam the enemy, which is not where I belong. My position is that militant Islam is the problem, and moderate Islam is the solution.''

White House officials were unavailable for comment.

Last year, Pipes aroused criticism when he launched Campus Watch, an organization that collects complaints against professors and academic institutions deemed to be biased in favor of Islam, Muslims and Palestinians.

In a commentary in the New York Post on March 25, Pipes wrote that a grenade attack on U.S. troops at a camp in Kuwait that killed two soldiers and for which an American Muslim has been charged, ``fits into a sustained pattern of political violence by American Muslims.''

``There is no escaping the unfortunate fact that Muslim government employees in law enforcement, the military and the diplomatic corps need to be watched for connections to terrorism, as do Muslim chaplains in prisons and the armed forces. Muslim visitors and immigrants must undergo additional background checks,'' he added.

[rageaholic]

Good news, Bush is doing the right thing again.

[wardaddy]

I feel awful for them...maybe they'll leave.

[TheConservator]

Let's hope so.

[EternalVigilance]

CAIR thinks it has a veto on nominations now. Wow.

More proof the war is far from over.

[goldstategop]

I hope he gets confirmed. Never underestimate the willingness of Democrats to aid the enemy.

[Shermy]

Where's the CAIR comments about helping the Iraqi people? Or would they rather not say.

[Matchett-PI]

Great News!!! It shows for sure that Bush now knows the score. Can't wait to see Norquist's reaction.

[Ima Lurker]

Not a chance. They like to complain about how they are mistreated here, but you couldn't pay them enough to leave. If you could, I'd be glad to chip in.

[MississippiMan]

Wonderful choice, President Bush. Stand fast.

MM

[RAT Patrol]

``There is no escaping the unfortunate fact that Muslim government employees in law enforcement, the military and the diplomatic corps need to be watched for connections to terrorism, as do Muslim chaplains in prisons and the armed forces. Muslim visitors and immigrants must undergo additional background checks,'' he added.

I would like the CAIR representatives who disagree with this statement to step forward and explain why. I am truly sorry that innocent Muslims must suffer because militant Muslims want to kill us. But the murderous Muslims in their midst are the ones to blame, not guys like Pipes who are simply trying to deal with the problem effectively.

[jmax]

OK...now I've got it: "Daniel Pipes to the board of the U.S. Institute of Peace"

It's an Indian story: Peace Pipes. : )

[sweetliberty]

Why the heck do these Muslim "groups" who are delusional in their own sense of self-importance think we should care what they think? These people have no place in the decision making process of this country.

[Hibernius Druid]

Another gutsy move by President Bush. Professor Pipes is a one-man smoke evacuator when it comes to the unpatriotic American Muslims' half-hearted rejection of global terrorism.

His unrelenting, erudite scholarship exposes their non-allegiance to the United States and their primary loyalty to a supra-national Islam.

[headsonpikes]

This will also annoy Senate Democrats.

Common interests, one supposes.

[Andy Ross]

"... but does not answer the specific allegation of bigotry."

It's anything but a specific allegation.

Andrew

[Andy Ross]

"... but does not answer the specific allegation of bigotry."

It's anything but a specific allegation.

Andrew

[FreedomPoster]

Good news, indeed. An indication that Dubya knows the real score about the "religion of peace".

[FreedomPoster]

Check this out!

[TheRedSoxWinThePennant]

thank god for bush bump