CAIR Condemns Naming of Islamophobe John Bolton as White House National Security Adviser

WASHINGTON, March 22, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, tonight condemned President Trump's move to replace White House National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster with John Bolton, a notorious Islamophobe who as a history of ties to anti-Muslim extremists and organizations.

"We urge Americans across the political spectrum to speak out against the appointment of John Bolton as White House National Security Adviser because of his ties to anti-Muslim bigots and his promotion of extremist views that will inevitably harm our nation and that could lead to unnecessary and counterproductive international conflicts," said CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad. "Bolton is the last person who should be entrusted with this critically-important position, which requires sound judgment and a fact-based approach to national security matters."

Awad said CAIR is concerned about the safety of American Muslims and other minority communities with Bolton advising an already Islamophobic and white supremacist administration.

John Bolton Backgrounder:

Bolton has long been associated with anti-Muslim extremists Robert Spencer and Pamela Geller. He even wrote the forward for Spencer and Geller's book "The Obama Administration's War on America." Geller endorsed Bolton as a presidential candidate. 

SEE: John Bolton's Pamela Geller And Robert Spencer Problem
https://thinkprogress.org/john-boltons-pamela-geller-and-robert-spencer-problem-8219c2906319/  

John Bolton's Cozy Relationship with Anti-Muslim Hate Groups Should Disqualify Him from Public Service
https://www.thenation.com/article/john-boltons-cozy-relationship-with-anti-muslim-hate-groups-should-disqualify-him-from-public-service/

CAIR Islamophobia Monitor: Robert Spencer
http://www.islamophobia.org/islamophobic-individuals/78-robert-spencer.html

CAIR Islamophobia Monitor: Pamela Geller
http://www.islamophobia.org/islamophobic-individuals/77-pamela-geller.html

Bolton advocated for the Iraq War and promoted the false justification for the conflict. He has promoted anti-Muslim conspiracy theories and called for bombing Iran and North Korea.

In 2016, Bolton spoke at a conference of the American Freedom Alliance hate group. His speech at the conference, which had the overall theme, "Can Islam and the West Coexist?" contained a "joke" the punchline of which was that President Obama was a Muslim.

SEE: John Bolton, Trump's Ultra-Hawkish New National Security Adviser, Explained
https://www.vox.com/world/2018/3/22/17153338/john-bolton-national-security-adviser-trump-hr-mcmaster

Trump's Next National Security Adviser, John Bolton, Is as Dangerous as You Remembered
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/john-bolton-foreign-policy-history_us_5aaa8f31e4b045cd0a6f7926

Trump's Reported Finalist for Deputy Secretary of State Stoked a Muslim Conspiracy Theory
https://www.buzzfeed.com/talalansari/john-bolton-stoked-muslim-conspiracy-theory 

Bolton is also the chairman of the New York City-based anti-Muslim organization the Gatestone Institute. The organization produces a steady stream of false and fear-mongering Islamophobic articles. It published the myth that certain cities with Muslim majority neighborhoods were off limits to those who did not practice the faith.

An article in "The Intercept" also noted that the Gatestone Institute claimed that the Obama administration refugee policy "exposes Americans to the jihad." In its posts, the institute consistently depicts refugees as rapists and hosts of "highly infectious diseases" that threaten the health of the German people.

SEE: Her Father Championed Jewish Refugees. She Finances the Anti-Muslim Refugee Movement.
https://theintercept.com/2017/02/17/muslim-refugee-rosenwald/   

CAIR said it has witnessed an unprecedented spike in bigotry targeting American Muslims and members of other minority groups since the election of Donald Trump as president. The Washington-based civil rights organization has also repeatedly expressed concern about Islamophobic and racist Trump administration policies and appointments.

SEE: CAIR Opposes Nominations of 'Islamophobe' Pompeo for Secretary of State, 'Torturer' Haspel for CIA Director
https://www.cair.com/press-center/press-releases/15027-cair-opposes-nominations-of-islamophobe-pompeo-for-secretary-of-state-torturer-haspel-for-cia-director.html

Community members are being urged to report any bias incidents to police and to CAIR's Civil Rights Department at 202-742-6420 or by filing a report at: http://www.cair.com/report  

CAIR launched an app to share critical "know your rights" information and to simplify the process to report hate crimes and bias incidents. CAIR is urging American Muslims and members of other minority groups to download the app and utilize this resource to stay informed and empowered.

For a quick download of CAIR's civil rights app, click here: http://www.cair.com/app  

CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.

CONTACT: CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, [email protected]

SOURCE Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)

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