CAIR spent $160,000 to silence Savage

Michael Savage (San Francisco Chronicle)

An explosive new book based on a daring six-month undercover operation exposing the subversive agenda of the Council on American-Islamic Relations reveals the Muslim group spent $160,000 in an unsuccessful effort to run top-rated nationally syndicated radio host Michael Savage off the air.

Internal CAIR documents uncovered in "Muslim Mafia: Inside the Secret Underworld That's Conspiring to Islamize America" show that despite its high cost and the continued success of Savage's show, CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad believed the campaign was "worth every penny," because, he says, the radio star lost at least $1 million in advertising.

Authors P. David Gaubatz and Paul Sperry recount how CAIR ran out of money before it could crack Savage's most loyal sponsors.

As WND reported, Savage sued CAIR in December 2007, two months after the Muslim lobby group began urging "people of all faiths" to contact Savage's advertisers to protest "anti-Muslim bigotry" on the air. CAIR cited Savage calling the Quran "a throwback document" and "a book of hate" and demanding CAIR be thrown out of the country for promulgating it.

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Savage's copyright infringement and RICO lawsuit alleged CAIR illegally published singled-out quotes and audio excerpts from the show regarding Islam, misappropriated his words and used the clips for its own fundraising purposes, damaging the value of his copyrighted material. Judge Susan Illston of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California dismissed the case, determining CAIR had a legal right to use excerpts of a public broadcast for purposes of comment and criticism. But Illston ruled in Savage's favor when CAIR attempted to extract attorneys' fees. Savage declared Illston's November 2008 decision a "huge victory for me, personally, but also for the rest of America who is afraid of this lawsuit-happy group of intimidators."

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In their new book, Gaubatz, a counter-terrorism investigator and former federal agent with vast experience in the Middle East, and Sperry, a veteran reporter on the war on terror and author of "Infiltration," document CAIR's role as a U.S. front for the Muslim Brotherhood's plan to transform America into an Islamic nation under the authority of the Quran.

In a chapter titled "Blackmailing Corporate America," the authors show how CAIR tries to intimidate major corporations and media figures, such as Savage.

An internal memo – one of thousands of pages extracted by Gaubatz's son Chris, who posed as a Muslim convert and became a CAIR intern for six months – showed CAIR considered broadening its campaign against Savage.

The effort against the talk-radio star included formation of a nonprofit called Hate Hurts America, which published on its website lists of advertisers along with contact information.

A CAIR staffer wrote in an internal memo that the "idea behind Hate Hurts America is great and has the potential to go far. However, I feel that if you want to continue with HHA and not lose momentum, the campaign needs to expand beyond Michael Savage to other bigoted talk show hosts."

The report noted that it's much easier to get the attention of large corporations rather than small firms or franchises, because large corporations like AT&T have a reputation at stake and "don't want to be associated with anything that might seem controversial."

The CAIR memo said, however, companies that are endorsed or directly promoted by Savage on the air, such as Life Lock or Swiss America, are "an absolute no" for targeting.

"They are loyal to Savage and there is a chance they might sue," the memo said.

False figure

As WND reported, the British government apparently seized on campaigns against Savage by CAIR and others when it used his name to provide "balance" to a "least wanted list" dominated by Muslim extremists. Savage's ban from entry to the U.K. prompted an invitation from the Cambridge Union to debate political correctness via a video link, but the society canceled his appearance, scheduled for tomorrow, citing "legal issues" among other problems.

The chapter in "Muslim Mafia" covering Savage's ordeal with CAIR also shows how the Islamic group has tried to intimidate Hollywood and companies such as Nike, Bank of America and US Airways by citing a false figure of 7 million American Muslims who are ready and willing to boycott their services.

Despite widespread use of the figure in media, propagated by CAIR and others, the Pew Research Center recently estimated the American-Muslim population to be only about 2.35 million.

The book also reveals CAIR recently has teamed up with the American Civil Liberties Union to consolidate resources on Muslim cases.

"Muslim Mafia" includes new revelations about CAIR's role in the "flying imams" case in 2006, in which six Muslim leaders were removed from an airline flight in Minneapolis after passengers and crew members reported what they believed to be suspicious behavior.

The book already has moved lawmakers on Capitol Hill to action.

U.S. Rep. Sue Myrick, R-N.C., co-founder of the Congressional Anti-Terror Caucus, and other members of Congress – including Reps. John Shadegg, R-Ariz., and Paul Broun, R-Ga. – plan to hold a press conference today in Washington calling for an investigation and an end to political lobbying by front groups such as CAIR.

"Now we have proof – from the secret documents that this investigative team has uncovered, coupled with the ones recently declassified by the FBI – that [radical Islamist] agents living among us have a plan in place, and they are successfully carrying out that subversive plan," Myrick said.

If you're a member of the media and would like to interview Paul Sperry, Dave Gaubatz or Chris Gaubatz, e-mail WND's marketing department or call Tim Bueler at (530) 401-3285.

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