The Philadelphia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) plans to host its annual banquet at the Springfield Country Club on March 11, 2017, featuring Linda Sarsour. The Middle East Forum calls on the Springfield County Club to cancel this event and commit to not hosting CAIR events in the future. Here's why:

The FBI has banned outreach with CAIR since 2008. CAIR was named as an unindicted co-conspirator in the 2008 Holy Land Foundation terrorism financing trial. In 2014, the United Arab Emirates, a Muslim ally of the United States, designated CAIR a terrorist organization. The Anti-Defamation League accuses CAIR of promoting anti-Jewish sentiment. Six CAIR leaders have been arrested, convicted, or deported for terrorism-related crimes: Randall ("Ismail") Royer, Ghassan Elashi, Bassem Khafagi, Rabih Haddad, Nabil Sadoun, and Muthanna Al-Hanooti.

Linda Sarsour has a history of promoting fake hate crimes, antisemitism, and other extremist groups. She has claimed that Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the 2009 "underwear bomber," was a CIA provocateur. Further, Sarsour is a frequent participant and fundraiser for Al-Awda, a Palestinian group that endorses terrorism, calls for the destruction of Israel, and relays the slogan of Hamas, the Palestinian terrorist group: "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free."

We differentiate between Islam and Islamism. American Muslims are an important part of our country; but Islamists pursue an extreme political ideology that, with little mandate from ordinary Muslims, seeks to impose a medieval law code on the United States. Islamists such as those running CAIR encourage hatred against women, Jews, Christians, the LGBTQ community, and Muslims belonging to minority sects. Islamists radicalize Muslims in the United States and fund jihadi violence abroad.

The Middle East Forum and its Muslim allies oppose all collaboration with Islamist organizations because this both legitimizes Islamists as the voice of America's Muslims and betrays those moderate Muslims working to free their faith from the grip of hatred and extremism.

We call on the Springfield Country Club to cancel this upcoming CAIR event and commit to never hosting Islamist groups and the hate speech they generate. We encourage them to work with moderate Muslim groups instead.

Contact the Springfield Country Club at two numbers and two locations to voice your opposition to its hosting of CAIR banquets. First, Metro Philly Management is in charge of managing the Springfield Country Club. Their phone number is (610) 622-1520. Send mail to:

Patrick J. Burns, President and CEO

5004 State Rd

Second Floor,

Drexil Hill, PA 19026

Contact the Springfield Country Club directly at 610-690-7600, by email at JRickards@SpringfieldCountryClub.net, and mail correspondence to:

Janet Rickards, Sales Manager, Springfield Country Club

400 W. Sproul Road

Springfield, PA 19064

Appendix: Examples of CAIR Hate Speech

Siraj Wahhaj is a former member of CAIR's advisory board and one of CAIR's most regular speakers.

LGTBQ: "I don't believe any of you are homosexual. This is a disease of this society. ... you know what the punishment is, if a man is found with another man? The Prophet Mohammad said the one who does it and the one to whom it is done to, kill them both." Infidels: "Woe to the Muslims who pick kafirs [a derogatory Arabic word meaning non-Muslims] for friends. ... Take not into your intimacy those outside of your race. They will not fail to corrupt you. Don't you know our children are surrounded by kafirs. I'm telling you, [they're] making the hearts of our children corrupt, dirty, foul."

Abdul Nasir Jangda, from the Deobandi sect, has been promoted and given platforms by CAIR.

Non-consensual sex: Detailed notes published by his student indicate that Jangda defends the use of female sex slaves and justifies marital rape: "The thing to understand is that the husband has his set of divinely given rights one of which is the right to have his physical desires satisfied." Death penalty: He advocates the killing of apostates and adulterers,

Omar Suleiman is one of CAIR 's most regular speakers.

Non-marital sex: "Sisters ... you know what happens with a really jealous Dad? He kills you and he kills the guy. You are offending Allah ... whenever you make yourself promiscuous or you open yourself up to a relationship." Homosexuality: "When Allah describes homosexuality as a repugnant shameless sin and details his punishment of a people that practiced sodomy, how can anyone who believes in Allah not find it immoral? ... If as Muslims we don't take a clear stance on this, we will be forced to conform and watch this disease destroy our children."

Muzammil Siddiqi is director of the Islamic Society of Orange County and works closely with CAIR and often speaks at its events.

Homosexuality: He publicly supports the death penalty for homosexuals.

Hassan Shibly is a CAIR staffer, the head of its Florida office.

Homosexuality: He expresses hatred for the LGBT community, as in the (since deleted) Facebook message: homosexuality is a quick way "to earn God's wrath."

Jamal Badawi a recent board member of CAIR's Canada branch and a popular speaker at CAIR events in the United States.