(Oklahoma City, OK 11/16/2011) - The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) announced yesterday that 15 of its chapters nationwide have filed 87 separate public records requests seeking information about state-level trainings that may have used federal taxpayer dollars to fund anti-Muslim trainers-- a phenomenon highlighted in recent reports.

Attorney General: FBI Hurt Terror Fight with 'Violent Muslim' Training

In a statement, CAIR said:
"CAIR's public records requests seek to ensure that law enforcement agencies are using qualified trainers who present objective and unbiased information to help protect Americans. We firmly believe that good training leads to good investigations, while biased training leads to biased investigations. We are particularly concerned with ensuring that taxpayer dollars are not wasted on training that is agenda-driven, inaccurate or Islamophobic."

Both Attorney General Holder and FBI Director Mueller have acknowledged that the Department of Justice and the FBI are reviewing their training materials to remove inaccurate and biased information.

CAIR has in the past called on the Obama administration, DHS, the Department of Defense, and Congress to provide oversight for apparently widespread anti-Muslim bias in the training of law enforcement, security and military personnel nationwide.

Trainers for American law enforcement and military personnel have included Islamophobes such as Robert Spencer, co-founder of Stop the Islamization of America (SIOA), and "former terrorist" Walid Shoebat. SIOA has been designated as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center and CNN aired a two-part series exposing Shoebat as an anti-Muslim fraud.

A number of recent reports have documented the disturbing growth and promotion of Islamophobia nationwide.

CAIR: Same Hate, New Target
Political Research Associates: Manufacturing the Muslim Menace
Center for American Progress: Fear Inc., the roots of the Islamophobia Network in America

CAIR-Oklahoma is a local chapter of America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

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CONTACT: CAIR-OK Executive Director Muneer Awad, 405-415-6851, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it