Opinion

A MIX OF IDEAS

Israel's Future from page 37

people everywhere.
cational excellence to the arena of interna-
Historically, the Israeli government
tional business and entrepreneurship.
has provided a significant portion of the
After graduating from the University of
operating budgets of universities but little,
Michigan, Steve Grand traveled to Israel
or nothing, for capital projects crucial to
in 1969 and spent two years working for
providing students the best-possible educa- Israel Aircraft Industries. He was virtu-
tion and necessary to attract the very best
ally surrounded by Technion graduates
researchers and instructors from around
and saw firsthand their impact on Israel's
the world. Over the years, Detroiters who
development. Years later, Steve and his
have shared the vision of a secure and
wife, Nancy, funded the establishment of
prosperous Israel have understood the
the Grand Water Research Institute at the
limitations placed on the Technion by the
Technion. Penny and Harold Blumenstein
government's funding policies and have
also realized the importance of water
responded in significant and dramatic
to Israel and the region and threw their
ways. Among them is Larry Jackier, who is
family's enthusiastic support behind this
the current chair of the International Board project. Their son, Ricky, also provided
of Governors of the Technion. He repre-
financial support and important leader-
sents the second generation of a deeply
ship for the local American Technion
involved Technion family. Dr. Joe Epel and
Society chapter by serving as its president.
Alex Etkin, of blessed memory, provided
Thanks to the vision and commitment of
countless hours and substantial resources
these Detroiters and others, this institute
to spread awareness of the unique role
is now Israel's premier center for desalina-
Technion has played in Israel's develop-
tion and water treatment research.
ment. Bill Davidson, of blessed memory,
It seems nearly every area of research
provided significant funding to enable the
these days depends on making something
Technion to extend its standards for edu-
lighter, stronger, faster and less expen-

sive. D. Dan Kahn, a legendary Detroit
entrepreneur and longtime Technion sup-
porter, understands the significant role
that mechanical engineering plays. One
year ago, Kahn announced a significant
effort to advance this field by commit-
ting to build the D. Dan Kahn Mechanical
Engineering Center on the Technion
campus. His unflagging support for the
Technion has spanned decades and is an
example worth emulating.
Other Detroiters strengthen the Technion
not with money but with their own brain-
power. Michal (Michelle) Berris, after
graduating from Birmingham Groves
High School, went on to receive her under-
graduate and master's degrees from the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology in
mechanical engineering. She then enrolled
at the Technion for her Ph.D. studies and
also entered the Technion's medical school
to round out her education with a doctor
of medicine degree at the same time! She
is focusing in the area of medical robot-
ics. The medical school is also the current
home-away-from-home for Jordan Orley,

another impressive student, currently in the
third year of his studies.
There are many wonderful Technion
supporters in our community, too many
to mention by name. They know the
Technion and the intellectual capital it
produces is as crucial to the bright vision
of Israel's future today as it has ever been.
It would be sound policy for Israel's politi-
cal and government leaders to come to
the same realization and restore to Israel's
universities the funding that has been
taken away in recent years.

Scott Leemaster of Franklin is president of the

American Technion Society's Detroit Chapter
based in Farmington Hills.

The community in invited to hear the
new Technion president, Dr. Peretz
Lavie, at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23,
at Temple Israel, West Bloomfield.
At this Technion Shabbat, Lavie will
discuss "Building a Nation: The
Technion Story."

CAIR's Inner Workings Exposed

Philadelphia

T

he Council on American-Islamic
Relations has, since its founding
in 1994, served as the Islamist
movement in North America's most high-
profile, belligerent, manipulative and
aggressive agency. From its headquarters in
Washington, D.C., CAIR also sets the agen-
da and tone for the entire Wahhabi lobby.
A substantial body of criticism about CAIR
exists, some of by me, but until now, the
group's smash-mouths and extremists have
managed to survive all revelations about its
record. The publication last week of Muslim
Mafia: Inside the Secret Underworld That's
Conspiring to Islamize America (WND
Books) may, however, change the equation.
Written by P. David Gaubatz and Paul
Sperry, the investigation is based largely
on the undercover work of Gaubatz's son
Chris who spent six months as an intern at
CAIR's D.C. headquarters in 2008. In that
capacity, he acquired 12,000 pages of docu-
mentation and took 300 hours of video.
Chris Gaubatz's information reveals
much that the secretive CAIR wants hidden,
including its strategy, finances, member-
ship and internal disputes, thereby expos-
ing its shady and possibly illegal methods.
As the book contains too much new infor-
mation to summarize in small compass, I
shall focus here on one dimension — the

38 October 22 • 2009

JN

organization's inner workings, where the
from Saudi prince Abdullah bin Mosa'ad,
data shows that CAIR's claims amount to
at least $300,000 from the Saudi-based
crude deceptions.
Organization of the Islamic Conference,
Claim 1: According to Ibrahim Hooper,
$250,000 from the Islamic Development
the organization's communications director, Bank and at least $17,000 from the
"CAIR has some 50,000 members?' Fact:
American office of the Saudi-based
An internal memo prepared in June 2007
International Islamic Relief Organization.
for a staff meeting reports that
Claim 4: CAIR is an indepen-
the organization had precisely
dent, domestic human rights
5,133 members, about one-tenth
group "similar to a Muslim
Hooper's exaggerated number.
NAACR" Fact In a desperate
Claim 2: CAIR is a "grass-
search for funding, CAIR has
roots organization" that
offered its services to forward
depends financially on its
the commercial interests of
members. Fact According to
foreign firms. This came to light
an internal 2002 board meet-
in the aftermath of Dubai Ports
ing report, the organization
World's failed effort to purchase
received $33,000 in dues and
six U.S. harbors in 2006 due
$1,071,000 in donations. In
to security fears. In response,
Daniel Pipes
other words, under 3 percent of
CAIR's chairman traveled to
S pe cial
its income derives from mem-
Dubai and suggested to busi-
Comm entary
bership dues.
nessmen there: "Do not think
Claim 3: CAIR receives "no
about your contributions [to
support from any overseas group or gov-
CAIR] as donations. Think about it from
ernment"Fact: Gaubatz and Sperry report
the perspective of rate of return. The invest-
that 60 percent of CAIR's income derives
ment of $50 million will give you billions of
from two-dozen donors, most of whom
dollars in return for fifty years."
live outside the United States. Specifically:
Combining these four facts reveals a
$978,000 from the ruler of Dubai in 2002
CAIR quite unlike its public image. Almost
in exchange for controlling interest in
bereft of members and dues, it sustains
its headquarters property on New Jersey
itself by selling its services to the Saudi
Avenue, a $500,000 gift from Saudi prince
and United Arab Emirates governments by
al-Waleed bin Talal and $112,000 in 2007
doing their ideological and financial bid-

ding.
This, in turn, raises the obvious question:
should CAIR not be required to register as a
foreign agent, with the regulations, scrutiny
and lack of tax-deductible status that the
designation implies? Data in Muslim Mafia
certainly suggests so.
Looking further ahead, I expect CAIR's
days are numbered. It's a dirty institution,
founded by Islamic terrorists and with
many subsequent ties to terrorists. Over
the years, it has established a long record of
untrustworthiness that includes doctoring
a photograph, fabricating anti-Muslim hate
crimes and promoting suspect polling. It
has also intimidated critics via libel suits,
boasted of ties to a neo-Nazi and allegedly
paid hush money. Eventually, close scrutiny
of this outfit will likely lead to its demise.
That's the good news. Less happy is my
expectation that CAIR's successor will be a
more savvy, honest, respectable institution
that continues its work of bringing Islamic
law to the United States and Canada while
avoiding the mistakes and apparent illegali-
ties that render CAIR vulnerable. In that
sense, the fight to preserve the Constitution
has just begun.

Daniel Pipes (www.DanielPipes.org ) is director of

the Middle East Forum and Taube distinguished
visiting fellow at the Hoover institution of

Stanford University, Palo Alto, Calif.

