10 January 2006
The United States senator Barbara Boxer has rescinded her award to a Muslim American activist after hearing claims that the man's group has ties to anti-Israel terrorist groups. In November, Boxer awarded Bassim Elkara, who heads Sacramento's chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a "Certificate of Achievement." A number of conservative groups that monitor CAIR nationally campaigned against the award, and Boxer rescinded it last week after her office looked into the group. "I hope they won't believe that I did this to hurt the Muslim community," Boxer, a Democrat from California, said. "We just have to be more careful when we reach out." CAIR said it was targeted for its criticism of Israel. CAIR, founded in 1994, at one time vigorously defended Hamas and Hezbollah. In recent years it has taken a tougher line against the terrorist network al-Qaeda and terrorism in general and has avoided ties with Hamas and Hezbollah, though it would not condemn the two anti-Israel groups.
