Anti-Muslim Stickers Sold At Conservative Conference

Islamic advocacy group calls on Republican leaders to repudiate hate

Posted: 29 Zul-Qa'dah 1423, 1 February 2003

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 1/31/03) - A national Islamic civil rights and advocacy group today called on Republican leaders to repudiate anti-Islam paraphernalia being sold at a right-wing conference kicked off by Vice President Cheney.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) made that request after learning that "virulently anti-Muslim" bumper stickers with text such as, "No Muslims -- No Terrorism," are being sold from exhibition booths at the 30th annual Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, D.C. Another sticker offered for sale at the conference replaces the letter "s" in "Islam" with a Nazi swastika.

The Islamophobic stickers were removed from view after the vice president's office received a complaint from the Washington-based Islamic Institute, but are still being sold under-the-table. The Washington Post reports that when asked about the anti-Muslim stickers, "a booth attendant smiled and reached behind a sheet, saying conference organizers had ordered her to take them off display." The attendant then offered the stickers for $2.75 each.

"Republican leaders, starting with Vice President Cheney, must once and for all repudiate the anti-Muslim bile being spewed by hate-mongers within their ranks. Otherwise, the party will justifiably be viewed as a last refuge for racism and religious intolerance," said CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad.

Awad added that just yesterday, CAIR alerted the American Muslim community to a Saturday panel discussion at that same conference, titled "Islam: Religion of Peace?" that will include a number of what the group says are "Muslim-bashers."

Panelists include a web site editor who claimed, "Islam has been at war

with the West, with Christianity, with Judaism…ever since the days of [the Prophet] Muhammad," a pro-Israel commentator who claims the "increased stature, and affluence, and enfranchisement of American Muslims...will present true dangers to American Jews," and a writer whose commentaries include "The Stupidity of Dialogue with Islam" and "Islam's Nazi Connections."