In praise of American Muslims

I know the ones I work with, who are my parents doctors, my neighbors have nothing in common with those I see on TV or rubbing wallets with Sestak with their membership cards with the German-American Bund .... oh, I'm sorry ... CAIR. Via Rusty at Jawa, The Washington Times has found something that should make us all feel good - American Muslims are turning their backs.

Membership in the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has declined more than 90 percent since the 2001 terrorist attacks, Audrey Hudson will report in Tuesday's editions of The Washington Times.

According to tax documents obtained by The Times, the number of reported members spiraled down from more than 29,000 in 2000 to less than 1,700 in 2006, a loss of membership that caused the Muslim rights group's annual income from dues to drop from $732,765 in 2000, when yearly dues cost $25, to $58,750 last year, when the group charged $35.

No shocker.

Critics of the organization say they are not surprised that membership is sagging, and that a recent decision by the Justice Department to name CAIR as "unindicted co-conspirators" in a federal case against another foundation charged with providing funds to a terrorist group could discourage new members.