UAE designates CAIR and The American Muslim Society, terrorist groups
United Arab Emirates released a list of designated terrorist groups and organizations over the weekend, with more than 80 different groups from around the world blacklisted. The list covers a variety of well-known names, including al-Qaeda, the Islamic State, al Shabab and Boko Haram.
It is the inclusion of two very specific groups, however, that made the list a hot topic on a number of right wing U.S. news sites. Two American groups that represent Muslims — the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the Muslim American Society — had been designated terrorist groups by the Gulf state.
Neither CAIR nor the Muslim American Society are designated terror groups by the U.S. government, which is a major ally and trading partner of the U.A.E., and their inclusion on the list surprised many analysts — especially when more established groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah in Lebanon were left off. CAIR put out a statement that said they were seeking clarification on their "shocking and bizarre" inclusion on the list, while the Muslim American Society said that they had had "no dealings with the United Arab Emirates" and were "perplexed by this news."
CAIR and the Muslim American Society are not alone in their shock. Diverse groups across Europe were also added to the list, leaving many observers perplexed at the scope and sheer scale of the list. Norway's foreign ministry has already publicly requested an explanation as to why one of the country's largest Islamic groups, the Islamic Organization, was included, and on Monday, the U.S. State Department said they would be seeking more information from the U.A.E.
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http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2014/11/17/why-the-u-a-e-is-calling-2-american-groups-terrorists/
