US Muslim civil rights group showing sympathy to terrorists?
Group's massive letter-writing campaign
This is a rush transcript from "Hannity," July 24, 2014. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
SEAN HANNITY, HOST: The Council on American Islamic Relations, better known as CAIR, has launched a massive letter-writing campaign calling on Israel to end its military offensive in Gaza.
Now, in a press release, the pro-Muslim organization said in part, quote, "The U.S. government must not remain silent about Israel's unjust and disproportionate use of force against the Palestinians in Gaza. Because American taxpayers provide Israel with billions of dollars of aid each year, we have a right to demand that those funds not be used to take the lives of innocent civilians."
Now, interestingly enough, there was no mention of the terrorist group Hamas and their role in this conflict. After all, they started this conflict.
So my question is, why is America's largest Muslim so-called civil rights group showing sympathy to terrorists?
Here to debate this, from the American Islamic Forum for Democracy, Dr. Zuhdi Jasser is with us. And also joining us, the executive director of the Jerusalem Fund and Palestinian Center in Washington, Yousef, well, Munayyer is with us.
Welcome all of you. Thanks for being here.
Yousef, let me ask you this. If I fire 1,600, 2,000 rockets into your neighborhood,I kidnap three children in your neighborhood, students, and I kill them, what do you think the proper proportionate response is?
YOUSEF MUNAYYER, JERUSALEM FUND AND PALESTINE CENTER: Well, maybe you should stop the ongoing for decades-long military occupation of Palestinian territory...
HANNITY: OK. OK, listen...
MUNAYYER: ... before you...
(CROSSTALK)
HANNITY: Listen, we can take it back to the 1948 partition plan, and we can look at the '67 war, the '73 war and the hostilities brought to Israel. They did give land for peace nine years ago. Now I'm asking you a question. If thousands of rockets are fired in your neighborhood, what -- and kids in your neighborhood are kidnapped, what are you going to do?
MUNAYYER: Sean, if the United States...
HANNITY: What are you going to do?
MUNAYYER: Sir, I'm going to try to answer your question...
HANNITY: Good. Answer it!
MUNAYYER: ... if you stop badgering me. Thank you. If the United States was invaded by a foreign military and besieged and surrounded, and the food that was coming into the United States was counted by the calories so that people would be put on a diet, as the Israelis claim...
HANNITY: You -- you have such a...
MUNAYYER: ... and bombs were being dropped...
(CROSSTALK)
MUNAYYER: Let me finish. Let me finish.
HANNITY: No, no, no, no! You're justifying...
MUNAYYER: Let me finish.
HANNITY: ... the terrorists and...
(CROSSTALK)
HANNITY: You are making a rationalization for rockets and kidnapping and murder! And you expect the -- you want to blame the victims in this case!
Zuhdi Jasser.
MUNAYYER: The only people blaming the victim here is you because there are countless...
(CROSSTALK)
DR. ZUHDI JASSER, AMERICAN ISLAMIC FORUM FOR DEMOCRACY: Yousef, this cycle of lack of -- Yousef, we can't continue to explain these things away. For crying out loud, it's Ramadan. And they continue to fly -- send rockets out, and organizations like CAIR, who, by the way, the FBI, by matter of policy, will not interact with because of the fact that they won't condemn Hamas as a terrorist organization. And still to this day, they will not recognize them because of that. So they, just like hitting a softball...
HANNITY: All right, Yousef, I have a question...
JASSER: ... Hamas launches -- let me finish. Hamas launches rockets on innocents, starts a war, war after war, and then they use that to say, Well, it's a bigger narrative. It's about the occupation. Meanwhile, they have a gender apartheid inside Gaza. Christians are evacuating because churches are being burned. Their doctrine is fascist and genocidal against Jews.
Palestinians aren't represented by Hamas, I don't believe, and yet they allow Hamas to drive the narrative globally...
HANNITY: Let me -- let me jump in here...
JASSER: ... and start wars.
HANNITY: I want to ask Yousef a question. Is Hamas a terrorist organization?
MUNAYYER: Do I get to actually speak now?
HANNITY: You get to answer the question! It's a simple yes or no question. Is Hamas...
MUNAYYER: Sir, you invited me on here.
HANNITY: Is Hamas...
MUNAYYER: Sir, you invited me on here...
(CROSSTALK)
HANNITY: I'm asking you a question! Is Hamas, whose charter calls for the destruction of Israel -- is that a terrorist organization? That's a yes or no question!
MUNAYYER: Thank you for your question. And now I will...
HANNITY: Now answer it!
MUNAYYER: ... provide an answer.
HANNITY: Finally!
MUNAYYER: It's very telling to me that, and it should be telling to your viewers, as well, by the way, that the moment you have a Palestinian voice on your program who begins to explain the legitimate grievances of Palestinian...
HANNITY: Is Hamas a terrorist organization?
(CROSSTALK)
HANNITY: Answer!
MUNAYYER: Sir, let me...
HANNITY: Answer the question!
MUNAYYER: Sir, let me finish. Am I guest on your program or...
HANNITY: Yes, you're a guest, but...
(CROSSTALK)
HANNITY: ... a filibuster! Answer! Is Hamas a terrorist organization?
MUNAYYER: The United States certainly considers Hamas a terrorist organization...
HANNITY: Do you consider -- I didn't ask what the United States thinks! I asked what you think! Can you hear?
MUNAYYER: Look, if you -- if you think -- if you think that we are going to have any progress in this situation by simply yelling at me...
HANNITY: Is Hamas -- I'll ask you...
(CROSSTALK)
MUNAYYER: ... not really going to be helpful.
HANNITY: All right, let me ask you nicely. Is Hamas...
(CROSSTALK)
MUNAYYER: Let me ask you, sir, a question at this point...
HANNITY: ... a terrorist organization? Is Hamas a terrorist organization? Yes or no!
MUNAYYER: Let me ask you a question, sir, at this point...
HANNITY: No! You don't answer a question with a question! Is Hamas -- what part of this can't you get through your thick head?
MUNAYYER: I think...
HANNITY: Is Hamas a terrorist organization?
MUNAYYER: Excuse me?
HANNITY: Yes or no!
MUNAYYER: Excuse me? I already answered...
HANNITY: Yes or no!
MUNAYYER: ... your question. I already answered your question.
HANNITY: You did not!
JASSER: Well, this is the problem, Yousef, is that we cannot -- why is he asking you if it's a terrorist organization? Because terrorist organizations use children as shields, launch rockets into civilian populations, start a war that victimizes the poor children that are being killed in this war.
And just like when America has to go into Afghanistan, has to go into Iraq, we saw pictures from CAIR and other organizations saying America is killing innocents, when, in fact, we were fighting a legitimate war that had unfortunate deaths that happened, and this is about if you want to fight...
MUNAYYER: Do I get to say anything?
(CROSSTALK)
HANNITY: You had your chance!
MUNAYYER: Do I get to say anything, Sean?
HANNITY: You didn't say Hamas is a terrorist organization. Good-bye.
MUNAYYER: Sir...
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