A national organization with ties to Islamic terror is reportedly connected to the East Plano Islamic Center.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is one of the most prominent Islamic advocacy organizations in the United States.
After the Holy Land Foundation trial in 2007 that focused on American Islamic groups funneling money to Palestinian Hamas, the “trial linked CAIR leaders to Hamas, a specially designated terrorist organization, and CAIR was named as an unindicted co-conspirator in the case,” according to a 2013 report to Congress from the U.S. Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General.
CAIR’s website condemns its mention on a list of almost 250 unindicted co-conspirators, adding that neither the organization nor its leadership were convicted of anything.
“CAIR has never been indicted and can attest to the enormous reputational damage done by the inclusion on the massive list,” the website states.
Nevertheless, concerns about CAIR’s connections and financial backing have endured. The cabinet of the United Arab Emirates designated CAIR as a terror organization in 2014.
Moreover, after years of opaqueness about its financial support, a judge ruled that the non-profit must open its books for discovery in a lawsuit in late November 2024, the New York Post reported.
CAIR’s co-founder and executive director is Nihad Awad. He came under fire in late 2023 after he said he “was happy to see” Palestinians break out of Gaza on October 7 of that year.
“We condemn these shocking, antisemitic statements in the strongest terms,” Whitehouse spokesman Andrew Bates responded at the time, per The Washinton Post.
Awad spoke to congregants at the East Plano Islamic Center (EPIC) and laid out a wide-ranging plan to reshape American politics in the model of Islam in late August 2024.
He reportedly established a framework for creating scholarships for Muslims to study journalism, law, political science, and history.
The Middle East Media Research Institute [MEMRI] said, “He said that the uncommitted movement [Muslims who were not supporting the Democrat presidential nominee] was not enough to change the policies of Vice President Kamala Harris, but creating an “army” of 50,000 journalists, lawyers, and members of the academia, who will potentially run for public office, can create 40-50 Muslim members of the U.S. Congress in ten years. Awad claimed that Islamophobia is deep-rooted in American culture, in Hollywood, and literature and that this influences public policies. He shared that CAIR has been working to eliminate and change textbooks in public schools that portray Islam and the Prophet Muhammad negatively.”
MEMRI then reported Awad as saying that this would move Muslims to “the next phase.”
The EPIC Masjid hosted events with CAIR Texas in 2021 to support Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani woman who was renditioned by the U.S. and reportedly charged with crimes connected to shooting at American soldiers.
The center’s Youth Sisters branch frequently posts content on Instagram that accuses Israel of oppressing Gazans and committing “genocide.”
EPIC’s website states, “When it comes to social issues, we have a lot of catching up to do.”
The center introduces the CARES – Enhancing Social Justice Initiative, which the website says “is an attempt to mobilize the Muslim community to tackle Social Justice issues on race, religion, color, creed and discrimination (just to name a few) at all levels.”
“EPIC is a non-profit tax-exempt organization (with Tax-ID: 20-0629612) that has been formed exclusively for educational, religious, and social purposes. It is registered with the Internal Revenue Service under revenue code 501(c)(3),” reads the “About Us” page on EPIC’s website.
“All of its activities are in accordance with the teachings of the Quran and following the teachings and traditions of Prophet Mohammed (Peace Be upon Him).”
EPIC serves a variety of people from all walks of life, according to its website.
“EPIC is a multi-ethnic, multi-racial, multi-lingual, non-sectarian, diverse, and open community committed to full and equal participation and involvement of men and women who are community members of EPIC and subscribe to accept its rules, regulations, and procedures. EPIC is committed to civic and civil engagement with communities of other faiths and society at large,” reads the center’s website.
EPIC’s board was contacted for comment but did not respond by publication time.