CAIR urges US Congress to probe anti-Muslim bias

WASHINGTON A prominent Muslim civil rights organisation Friday called on US Congress to probe allegations of anti-Muslim bias at the taxpayer-funded agency that advises the President and other government officials on issues related to religious freedom worldwide.
Current and former staff and commissioners of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom say the agency discriminates against Muslim staffers, targets Muslim countries for extra scrutiny, focuses disproportionately on the persecution of Christians, and downplays violations of religious rights in places like Israel and Europe, according to the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).
A Muslim policy analyst contracted by the commission recently filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) alleging that her contract was cancelled because of her faith and her past affiliation with an American Muslim organisation, it said in a news release.
The disturbing allegations of anti-Muslim bias at the US Commission on International Religious Freedom must be investigated by Congress prior to instituting any necessary reforms, said CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad. Taxpayer dollars should not be used to promote the religious agendas or pet projects of those with an ideological axe to grind.
Awad noted that the commission devoted extensive resources to examining the textbooks used at an Islamic school in Virginia, despite the fact that the agency was created to monitor religious freedom overseas.
In 2001, a group of American Muslim, Christian and secular organisations criticised the commissions lack of balance in its reporting on violations of religious freedom.