Rantz: CAIR-WA, Seattle Times frames Oct. 7 about Muslim victimhood, not antisemitism against Jews

The Washington chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR-WA) released a poll ahead of the one-year anniversary of the October 7 Hamas terrorist attacks against Israel to claim it’s local Muslims, not Jews, who are victims.

It’s disgusting that CAIR-WA decided to make October 7 all about their phony victimhood through their recently released propaganda poll. But it’s beyond the pale that The Seattle Times uncritically reprinted the results in a news report that reads like a press release. As thousands have marched against Israel, celebrating Hamas as “resistance” and “freedom fighters” and promoting genocide against Jews, CAIR-WA wants us to believe eight in 10 Washington Muslims have experienced Islamophobia in the last year, according to their poll.

The timing of their propaganda poll couldn’t be more cynical, as the report is tied to October 7, the anniversary of Hamas’s terrorist assault on Israel, and yes, we’re supposed to believe the narrative that progressive, deeply blue Washington is somehow a hotbed of Islamophobia. Give me a break.

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Should we believe the CAIR-WA poll results ahead of October 7? Nope

The results of the poll provide every reason to be skeptical.

CAIR-WA claims that 82.5% of Washington Muslims experienced discrimination in the past year. This number conveniently ticks up to 91.7% when accounting for lifetime experiences. The poll itself doesn’t require there to actually have been discrimination, just how a respondent felt about their interactions. For example, a Muslim respondent can say “Yes” or “No,” to the question, “Have you experienced heightened discrimination since October 7, 2023?”

If one celebrated Israel being attacked as a joyous day because the Jews had it coming — much like the condemnable comments by Nihad Awad, CAIR’s national executive director — it’s fair to assume we may not have reliable or honest responses. Perhaps when “The Jason Rantz Show” on KTTH condemned people tearing down flyers of Jewish hostages hurt their feelings?

The poll report even includes essays that are, of course, skewed against Israel. Hamas is not mentioned once, but the war against them is labeled as “the Israeli war on Gaza.”

Thankfully, not all Muslims side with CAIR-WA, nor do they want to see Israel wiped off the map. But too many buy into the antisemitism and viewpoints propped up by CAIR-WA.

A truly flawed poll to stymie important coverage of October 7

If you dig into the methodology of the survey, it’s riddled with bias and skewed sampling.

According to the poll’s own fine print, the respondents were reached primarily through mosque announcements via CAIR-WA and CAIR-WA social media. Well, shocker — the people who respond to a survey distributed by CAIR-WA social media, where grievances about discrimination are regularly claimed, are going to report high levels of discrimination. The poll essentially functions as an echo chamber designed to manufacture data that fits CAIR-WA’s victim narrative. It’s like setting up a survey at a PETA meeting to ask if people have ever been offended by a steakhouse advertisement.

It’s also worth questioning just how a region like Seattle, known for its far-left politics, could harbor so much discrimination without being reported. KING 5 has a Facing Race team dedicated to inventing stories about the plight of the demographics they claim to care about most. How many stories are they ignoring?

Washington is where you find non-binary activists named Wildflower marching in support of Hamas. The cognitive dissonance is laughable. Are we really expected to believe the same progressive activists who are out in the streets waving Palestinian flags and chanting “From the river to the sea” are turning around and discriminating against Muslims in their daily lives?

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What was the purpose of this CAIR-WA poll?

The purpose of this poll seems clear: take away any sympathy from Washington Jews and ignore the rampant antisemitism on display. CAIR-WA has been successful thus far.

Their position makes sense given the national CAIR has well-documented ties to Hamas. Numerous credible sources, including court documents from a 2008 Holy Land Foundation trial, confirmed that CAIR has connections to Hamas. Yet here we are, a Hamas-linked organization making the anniversary of a terror attack about their own supposed victimhood.

The Seattle Times must be proud for uncritically reprinting CAIR’s press release as if it were gospel. Even in its coverage of the October 7 terrorist attack, Seattle Times reporter David Gutman labels Hamas terrorists merely as “militants” and dedicates a significant portion of his piece to the so-called plight of area Muslims.

Not only does Gutman cite the CAIR-WA study, he does so before mentioning a poll about antisemitism from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). The left-wing reporter even offers subtle criticism of the ADL’s poll, writing, “The methodology was changed after Oct. 7 to include expressions of anti-Zionism that could be perceived as supporting violence.” He seems to have no issue with CAIR-WA merely asking someone if they felt discriminated against after October 7. And for the record, anti-Zionism is, indeed, antisemitism.

Nowhere in the piece does Gutman provide a critical look at CAIR’s poll or question the motivations behind its release ahead of October 7. He just parroted the talking points, treating this PR stunt as if it were an objective piece of reporting.

There’s no need to “both sides” October 7. It was a terrorist attack that resulted in the rape, kidnap and slaughter of innocent Jews. The other side is a terrorist group responsible — though, not at The Seattle Times.

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No, October 7 isn’t about area Muslims

Let’s not ignore how CAIR-WA is brazenly tying this poll to the broader political context, especially in regard to “Palestine.”

According to their report, nearly 40% of respondents experienced heightened discrimination since October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched its attacks. The implication is clear — CAIR-WA wants to shift the focus away from Hamas’s barbarism and paint Muslims in the U.S. as victims of that violence. And the mainstream media is all too willing to play along.

And what’s the result of this dishonest narrative? According to The Seattle Times,  Muslims in Washington feel “unsafe.” Really? In a state where defund-the-police policies are celebrated, where radical left-wing politicians support open borders, and where anti-Israel protests regularly take over downtown streets, you want us to believe Muslims are living in constant fear?

This entire poll reeks of propaganda designed to deflect attention from the atrocities committed by Hamas and push a victimhood narrative that doesn’t hold up under scrutiny. Washington is not a hotbed of Islamophobia, and if anything, CAIR-WA’s exploitation of October 7 for their own gain is a slap in the face to those who were truly victimized by that day’s events — the innocent Israelis who were slaughtered by terrorists and the local Jews threatened by locals who march in support of a cause the seeks the end of Israel’s existence. If CAIR-WA truly cared about fighting discrimination, they wouldn’t be standing in solidarity with those who commit mass murder. Instead, they are twisting reality to fit their agenda, and The Seattle Times is shamefully enabling it.

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