‘Reckless’: Rights Group Slams Elon Musk’s Labeling of Muslim Groups

IQNA – The largest Muslim civil rights organization in the United States, has responded to recent comments by Elon Musk, in which he falsely labeled American Muslim and Arab-American groups as “terrorist organizations.” 

Musk’s remarks came in response to a post on X (formerly Twitter) that listed multiple American Muslim and Arab-American organizations and claimed they had links to terrorism. Reacting to the post, Musk wrote: “As many people have said, why pay terrorist organizations and certain countries to hate us when they’re perfectly willing to do it for free?” 

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), issued a statement on Sunday rejecting the characterization, emphasizing that the organizations named in the post are legally registered nonprofits that operate within the bounds of U.S. law.

“The Muslim American and Arab American organizations smeared in these defamatory posts are duly registered nonprofit organizations that have the same right to apply for federal funding as every other eligible charity,” the statement read. 

CAIR further pointed out that many of these nonprofits had worked alongside the government and even received federal support during the Trump administration.

“Anyone who sees the word ‘Islam’ in the name of an American charity and then immediately declares that the charity must be a ‘terrorist organization’ is a hateful person who must know next to nothing about American Muslims and their contributions to our society, including humanitarian work.” 

The organization also called on Musk to shift his focus, stating, “When will @elonmusk stop defaming Americans and start calling out the billions in American taxpayer dollars that the Israeli government has used to slaughter tens of thousands of innocent men, women, and children in Gaza?” 

Nihad Awad, CAIR’s National Executive Director, also condemned Musk’s comments, warning that such rhetoric fuels discrimination.

“Elon, baselessly labeling law-abiding American Muslim organizations as ‘terrorist’ is reckless and dangerous,” Awad posted. “This kind of rhetoric fuels Islamophobia, endangers innocent lives, and undermines the values of justice and equality. Do better.”

Source: Agencies