CAIR-California’s Affad Shaikh is a
rebel Islamist. While he performs the normal extremist activities, like
obsess over Israel, rail against American troops, and defend militant
Islamic groups overseas, he also does many things that could be considered
unbecoming of a CAIR leader, at least by CAIR’s disjointed standards
of conduct. Yet the group still keeps him on board. Could it be that
CAIR has warmed to Shaikh’s offensive disposition?
Affad Shaikh is the Civil Rights Coordinator
of CAIR-Los Angeles, the main office of CAIR-California, one of the
main offices of CAIR itself. Although, he has another role as well,
which seems to take up more of his time, and that is as an internet
blogger.
Since October 2005, Shaikh has posted
his almost daily thoughts on a weblog he runs called This American Muslim
and another blog he contributes to named Muslamics. When he was stopped
with others at the US-Mexico border, suspected of plotting to murder President
Bush , he blogged about it.
When he wanted to express his anger about what he thought was the Pope’s
“extremism,” he blogged about it. And when he felt the need to tell
his fellow Muslims that they should end their full participation in
interfaith gatherings with Jews, calling the gatherings a “façade,”
he blogged about that too.
These postings, of course, are little
more than typical behavior for radical Muslims. Yet some of Shaikh’s
more recent writings can be seen as even too risqué for his jihadi
colleagues.
The
Muslim Sex Shop
On October 24, 2008, Shaikh wrote of
his fondness of a blog which goes by the name Muslim Sex Shop. On his
own blog, he stated, “Here I was cooking Macaroni [sic] Bashamel,
for a friend, who wanted to get some of my good grubbing, when low and
behold someone out in the cyber world sent over a link to the ‘Muslim
Sex Shop.’ This American Muslim highly recommends that you visit it.”
When viewing Muslim Sex Shop, which Shaikh
described as “ a
fascinating find ,” he suggests
to “keep an open mind.” This is sound advice, when one considers
the outrageous and perverted nature of the site. In the Sex Shop’s
‘Muslim Jurists on Female Masturbation and Dildos. Who Knew?’ a
discussion is presented about how women are allowed to place certain
foreign objects in their private areas. According to the site, these
objects include tiny cucumbers, squash, and leather devices shaped like
penises.
In its ‘Lustrous Companions,’ about
a Muslima’s best friend’s sex-starved aunt Maryam, the first paragraph
of the piece begins with the line, “Do we get d**k in heaven?” Soon
after, the story quotes the aunt, who is married, as saying to the narrator,
regarding a young guy they had just met, “I’d f**k him in a Muslim
minute.”
Legalizing
Prostitution and Drugs
On February 3, 2009, Shaikh discussed
the possibility of legalizing prostitution and pot. He wrote, “Thinking
creatively might for some mean legalizing some sin taxes – like Nevada,
our brothel oriented neighbor – and even things like marijuana. If
it works lets take a look at it seriously…”
Later, Shaikh described legalizing pot
as a “ GREAT
idea ” and wrote, “[I]t
might be a worthwhile venture to explore legalization of marijuana.”
He said that he based the “notion from the facts gleaned from” a
pro-legalization propaganda video. The video, entitled ‘The Shocking
Truth!’ instead of discussing the ill effects of drug use, sought
to blame Presidents Nixon and Reagan for fighting the
‘drug war.’
Additionally, Shaikh lauded an article
from a group called Campus Progress, which criticized gold medal Olympian
swimmer Michael Phelps, who recently had a photo of himself smoking
pot published in a British tabloid. The piece, which Shaikh characterized
as a “decent editorial,” didn’t criticize Phelps for doing the
drug; it criticized him for apologizing for doing it. The author
said that, instead of the apology, he should have stated that he “enjoyed”
the pot.
The
“Crap Tasting” Cola
On February 8, 2009, Shaikh blogged about
his experiences with certain popular beverages. He began his post stating,
“When I was in college I got addicted to cola.” This revelation
is interesting, given the fact that he is in favor of legalizing drugs.
He later confessed that “the addiction got to the point where cola
would have no [sic] affect on me.”
Shaikh then talked about his elation
at his discovery (not literally) of the energy drink Red Bull. He wrote,
“I then found the world of energy drinks! It was Red Bull all the
way baby. The taste took time to get used [sic] too, but the kick was
immediate.”
However, he soon found a version of Red
Bull – the new Red Bull Simply Cola mix – that didn’t sit well
with him. In fact, he hated it so much that he blasted the drink with
a profanity-laden outburst. He wrote, “ That
crap tastes like crap …
I think mixing cola and Red Bull yourself is a much better tasting concoction
[sic] then the crap they are selling.”
Affad Shaikh is undeniably a crude and
colorful character. On the one hand, his terror-related associations
make him a danger to society and at one time possibly the U.S. President
himself. On the other, his profane nature makes him a threat to his
own organization and how that organization is viewed by the public.
Given CAIR’s goals of replacing the
Constitution with the Quran and distancing America from her friends
and allies abroad, the group needs to keep the public’s trust and
maintain positive PR. That is at least the case until CAIR is successful
in achieving its goals. For now, though, Affad Shaikh has found himself
unrestrained, as he continues to show another side of CAIR’s image.
On his blog, Shaikh writes, “I don’t
know about a ‘moral mission.’ I am more of the sort that believes
in ‘morally being upright’ and setting an example…” Question:
What example is Shaikh setting? It must be one that only he could understand.