Islamic civil rights group says nothing about civil unrest in Iran

By Johnny Edwards
The Center Square

America’s largest Muslim advocacy group speaks out regularly about Israel’s alleged abuses in Gaza. But it has yet to say anything about ongoing human rights protests in Iran.

Iran’s latest civil uprising broke out on Sunday, starting in Tehran as a demonstration against severe economic woes and depreciation of Iranian currency, then expanding nationwide into a broader protest against the country’s religious regime.

During that time, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) issued five press releases about Israel and the Palestinians and four complimenting or defending New York City’s new Mayor Zohran Mamdani, according to the news section on CAIR’s main website.

There’s nothing on the site, though, addressing Iranian citizens’ latest outcry against the Islamic Republic – known for its harsh oppression of women and girls, political dissidents and gay people. A half dozen or more protesters have been killed since the latest unrest began, news outlets have reported.

Georgia state Rep. Esther Panitch, a Democrat and the only Jewish member of the Georgia House, said she’s not surprised the Islamic group has been mum.

“That’s their MO,” Pantich said. “If it’s not Israel, they don’t care.”

CAIR, a 31-year-old, Washington-based civil rights organization with chapters throughout the country, came under heavy scrutiny late last year from Republican governors and lawmakers who accused it of ties to Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood.

Both Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis formally declared the group a terrorist organization, with both governors subsequently being sued by CAIR, which strongly denies supporting terrorism or ties to foreign entities. The Center Square has reported that no other Republican governors apparently plan to follow their lead.

CAIR spokesman Ibrahim Hooper confirmed for The Center Square on Friday that it’s issued no public statements about the situation in Iran. Asked if one may be forthcoming, he said, “I doubt it.”

Hooper explained that he doesn’t know what CAIR’s position is, but he would ask internally if the group plans to say anything.

“We don’t weigh in on every issue,” Hooper said.

However, CAIR has weighed in on Iran plenty of times before, such as in June when the organization condemned President Donald Trump’s “unjustified act of war against Iran,” which it contended in an X post was carried out “under pressure from the out-of-control Israeli government.”

“It’s hypocrisy,” said Pantich, the Georgia representative who as an attorney represents a Jewish surgeon suing CAIR and others for defamation after he was allegedly pilloried for volunteering with the Israel Defense Forces. “They claim to be a Muslim civil rights organization. They advocate for Muslims outside the United States, but not ones who are subject to the worst type of oppressive regimes that exist, like Iran. They’re very selective.”

The U.S. State Department does not consider CAIR a foreign terrorist organization, though U.S. Rep. Randy Fine of Florida introduced a bill last year that would direct Secretary of State Marco Rubio to review if it meets the criteria. Texas Congressman Chip Roy also introduced legislation that would strip CAIR’s tax-exempt status.

On its website, CAIR describes itself as “a leading advocate for justice and mutual understanding.” One of its stated core principles is supporting “foreign policies that help create free and equitable trade, encourage human rights and promote representative government based on socio-economic justice.”

Actor and director Michael Rapaport, who has announced a 2029 run for New York City mayor, echoed many X users this week when he demanded those protesting in favor of the Palestinians do the same for the people of Iran.

“Where’s the outrage for the Iranian people living under a brutal theocratic regime?” Rapaport said on X. “Where’s the rage for women who don’t have basic rights? For girls beaten, jailed, or killed for not wearing a hijab ‘correctly’? For journalists, artists, LGBTQ people, dissidents – silenced, tortured, disappeared? Nothing. No marches. No tents. No screaming into megaphones. No viral chants.”