Designated terrorist group CAIR appeals decision by Arizona Court to reject CAIR’s legal challenge against a professor’s critical teaching about Islamic terrorism

In other words, the Court denied CAIR’s (Council on American-Islamic Relations) attempt to impose Islamic blasphemy laws on an American college. CAIR an unindicted co-conspirator in the terror-financing trial against the Holy Land Foundation and its former officials, filed an appeal in the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn a decision dismissing a case against the Maricopa Community College District and one professor for teaching material that the CAIR ‘claims’ is slander against Islam.

AZ Central The Scottsdale professor, Nicholas Damask, and the college came under harsh criticism in May by CAIR when one of his MUSLIM students, Mohamed Sabra, posted three of the professor’s quiz questions on social media.

The questions frame terrorism as a mandate of Islam, leaving no room for interpretation, according to the Council for American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). The appeal details objections to these questions, after Sabra received wrong marks for stating terrorism in Islam is “always forbidden.”

“Damask misquotes and misuses [quotes] in order to show a distorted message of Islam in his classroom which is on political science, not religion,” said Imam Omar Tawil from the Islamic Community Center of Tempe in a CAIR video press release.

In a statement,CAIR-Arizona Civil Rights Director Ahmed Soussi said: “In addition to violating the Constitution, Professor Nathan Damask put the safety of Muslim students at risk by teaching that the only true and acceptable interpretation of Islam gives all Muslims a ‘mandate’ to kill anyone else.”

Judge Susan Brnovich dismissed the case on Tuesday, Aug. 18 saying Damask’s course did not inhibit Sabra’s personal worship in any way.

The video release also references a multiple-choice question that asks the reader to define “contemporary terrorism.” The choice options are communist/left-wing, Mormon, fascist/right-wing, or Islamic.

“It’s forcing someone to denounce their own faith in order to receive a good grade,” said Tawil. “This would be unacceptable. If it was done to a Christian student or someone of another faith, just as it should be unacceptable and detestable if it were to happen to a Muslim.”

The video release also references a multiple-choice question that asks the reader to define “contemporary terrorism.” The choice options are communist/left-wing, Mormon, fascist/right-wing, or Islamic.

“It’s forcing someone to denounce their own faith in order to receive a good grade,” said Tawil. “This would be unacceptable. If it was done to a Christian student or someone of another faith, just as it should be unacceptable and detestable if it were to happen to a Muslim.”

FRONTPAGE MAG – Robert Spencer Damask, who has an MA in International Relations from American University in Washington, DC, and a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Cincinnati, says he is “to my knowledge, the only tenured political science faculty currently teaching in Arizona to write a doctoral dissertation on terrorism.” He has taught Scottsdale Community College’s World Politics for each of the 24 years he has worked at the school.

Professor Damask’s troubles began during the current Spring semester, when a student took exception to three quiz questions. The questions were:

QUESTION: Who do terrorists strive to emulate? ANSWER: Mohammed
QUESTION: Where is terrorism encouraged in Islamic doctrine and law? ANSWER: The Medina verses [i.e., the portion of the Qur’an traditionally understood as having been revealed later in Muhammad’s prophetic career]
QUESTION: Terrorism is (what) in Islam? ANSWER: Justified within the context of jihad.

Arizona Daily Independent Damask claims the questions were taken out of context, from a unit geared towards terrorist sects within Islam. He also references the Jewish Zealot and Hindu Thuggee cult as educational objectives.

“If there was such a thing as Mormon terrorism and Southern Baptist terrorism, we would have a unit on that, too,” Damask said in a May interview with The Arizona Republic. “But we don’t, so we don’t spend any time talking about that.”

Damask held his ground and refused to apologize for the questions despite pressure from the college.

“It goes without saying,” says Damask, “that I will not apologize for anything, that it is perfectly appropriate to discuss Islam, Muhammad, the Quran, the hadiths and any other matter related to Islamic terrorism. Incidentally: there has been no official complaint, no due process for me, just a mad scramble by the school to appease Islam.”

“I was explaining to the students that this were the justifications that they were using for terrorist acts,” Damask said. “Al Qaeda would say where they get their example from. They would point to Mohammed and point to certain verses from the Quran. To relay this information to students shouldn’t be controversial at all,” he told the ADI.

Below video starts at discussion of this professor:

Robert Spencer of Jihad Watch sums up the court decision:

This is a victory for common sense and the freedom of speech, and a setback to Hamas-linked CAIR and others who are trying to intimidate the West into accepting Sharia blasphemy laws, but it is not a huge defeat for them, either. After all, as a campaign of intimidation, it has already served a great deal of its purpose. It has blackened the reputation of Nicholas Damask and of Scottsdale Community College, and made college and university administrators nervous that teaching that is critical of Islam, even accurate teaching about jihad violence and Sharia oppression, will get them embroiled in costly and time-consuming court battles. Better to leave the subject alone, or praise Islam fulsomely. Mission accomplished.

For background on this story see:

ARIZONA: Designated terrorist group CAIR sues college professor for teaching the truth about Islam

Arizona college demands professor apologize for offending (telling the truth about) Islam, while Muslim students threaten to kill him

ARIZONA Court denies designated terrorist group CAIR’s attempt to impose Islamic blasphemy laws on a community college

Comments

Linda Rivera says

January 28, 2021 at 10:06 pm

MUSLIM:
If it was done to a Christian student or someone of another faith, just as it should be unacceptable and detestable if it were to happen to a Muslim.”
END of MUSLIM QUOTE

It’s not unacceptable and detestable for Christianity to be explained and Bible Scriptures to be quoted.

Bible, Matthew 5:5-9
5 “Blessed are the gentle, for they will inherit the earth.

6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.

7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.

The Golden Rule:
Matthew 7:12
“In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

livingengine says

January 28, 2021 at 8:21 pm

Samuel Paty, Nicholas Damask, and CAIR
https://youtu.be/4wuDb2Z-810?t=305

- BareNakedIslam says
  
  January 28, 2021 at 9:05 pm
  
  Thanks, LE, added this to the post.
  
Pray Hard says

January 28, 2021 at 7:49 pm

Hey, cair, come to mewe to find out what people really think about islam. BNI is mild compared to that.

Pray Hard says

January 28, 2021 at 7:44 pm

Keep talking, cair. We’re waiting.

- Donovan Nuera says
  
  January 30, 2021 at 1:00 am
  
  Keep up the great work thank you for standing strong, Professor Damask.