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Senate engaged in 'McCarthyite witch hunt' say Muslims
24 U.S. Islamic groups targeted for IRS tax, donor records
WASHINGTON, D.C., Jan 14, 2004: The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today accused a Senate committee of engaging in a "McCarthyite witch hunt" by seeking the IRS tax and donor records of 24 American Muslim charitable, youth and civic organizations.
The Washington Post reports that the request "marks a rare and unusually broad use of the Finance Committee's (http://www.finance.senate.gov/) power to obtain private financial records held by the government."
In a statement, the Washington-based civil rights and advocacy group said:
"The Senate Finance Committee's investigative net has been cast so wide that it seems to target all American Muslims as terrorism suspects. Its indiscriminate scope smacks of a McCarthyite witch hunt and creates the impression that the presumption of innocence no longer applies to Muslims.
"As in the past, the real test of America's commitment to equality before the law comes at times of national insecurity. We will pass that test if we reject demands, from any source, to single out Americans based on their race, religion or national origin."
Washington Report: "MUSLIM GROUPS' IRS FILES SOUGHT"
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A14205-2004Jan13.html
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