Demanding that the Islamic Association for Palestine
either denounce Hamas as a Terrorist Organization
or come clean on their support of the Hamas political agenda

I am denouncing the Islamic Association for Palestine as an organization that espouses the Hamas terrorist organization policies. Hamas has been declared a “terrorist organization” by the United States, and all organizations that embrace Hamas are also terrorist organizations.

I am demanding that the IAP immediately disavow Hamas and denounce Hamas as a terrorist organization, or come clean on their relationship with Hamas and its political agenda.

Raed Tayeh, a long time associate of the IAP and a spokesman for the American Muslims for Jerusalem organization has engaged in a slander and intimidation campaign for more than a decade not only against me but against anyone who has spoken out against Hamas or Muslim extremism. Recently, he issued an attack against me (read Raed Tayeh’s email) because I support the denunciation of Islamic Organizations (and all organizations, including Christian and Jewish) that embrace extremism and violence, and that oppose compromise. Raed Tayeh inaccurately claims I am anti-Islamic and he makes special effort to spotlight my Christian heritage. That is a slanderous, vicious lie typical of the kind of hate campaign organized in the past by the IAP, Raed Tayeh and others who espouse Hamas political goals.

Over the years, I have openly denounced Hamas, beginning with their first act of suicide bombings in 1994 through the most recent suicide attacks in Palestine and in Israel. I continue to denounce Hamas and call for the Palestinians and Israelis to end all violence and return to the peace negotiating table.

Why do I denounce Hamas?

First, I oppose the use of violence and I find it reprehensible that an organization would coerce young Palestinians into committing acts of suicide bombing on the basis of a distortion of the Islamic religion.

Second, Hamas was never elected by the Palestinians and they have no right to represent the Palestinian cause. Hamas was not a part of the elected Palestinian leadership and have opposed the government of Yasir Arafat and the legitimate mandate that Arafat received from the Palestinians who live under occupation. Hamas has no moral right nor a legitimate mandate to act as a shadow government.

Third, Hamas rejects the notion of compromise with Israel and compromise based on negotiations. The sole purpose of Hamas is to establish a religious state that will discriminate against non-Muslims. And I want to stress that I do not believe that the Muslim World is anti-Christian.

I find his references to my religion of Christianity to be repulsive and symptomatic of the extremism that Raed Tayeh, the IAP and the AMJ represent.

I want to remind everyone that the IAP, Raed Tayeh and his cohorts have consistently attacked me and other Christians who have spoken out in opposition to violence and opposition to Hamas and opposition to suicide bombings.

I want to remind everyone of the words published in Az Zaytona magazine, the mouthpiece of Raed Tayeh and those who embrace all that Hamas stands for, when I was elected the National President of the Palestinian American Congress in June 1995. They wrote “Electing Ray Hanania, a Christian, as national president, is the same as electing an African American president of the United States.”

Why is Raed Tayeh attacking me? Because I am Christian. Because I speak out against suicide bombings and against the use of violence. Because I have denounced Hamas as a terrorist organization consistently over the years and believe that Hamas is a sickness not a salvation that threatens to doom the Palestinian national movement for a homeland.

I have demanded an immediate apology from the IAP, from Raed Tayeh, from the American Muslims for Jerusalem organization and from all of the organizations that have embraced or distributed his attack.

I will continue to be a champion of Palestinian rights and a defender of the rights of Muslims, but I will do it from the position of moderation, realism and fairness. I have spoken out against bigotry against Muslims and have been the victim of bigotry by Americans who believed I was Muslim. I have denounced the violence and what Amnesty International has declared are the “war crimes” of the government of Ariel Sharon. I am not against Israel or Jews, I am against bad government policies, and I believe that separates me from the extremism of individuals like Raed Tayeh who is a longstanding associate of the IAP and a spokesman for the American Muslims for Jerusalem organization based in Washington D.C., extremists who happen to be “Muslim.”

I won’t submit to intimidation from extremists like Raed Tayeh nor abandon my support for compromise that results in the recognition of Israel and Palestine, or take back my statements denouncing the murder of innocent Israeli civilians, Jewish civilians or others by Hamas terrorism. I refuse to be pushed into anti-Semitism in order to satisfy Raed Tayeh’s or the IAP’s political agenda of extremism and fanaticism that has distorted and defamed the true essence of Islam, which they could not even come close to representing.

I make no apologies for speaking out against extremism on any side.

Ray Hanania is a Palestinian American writer based in Chicago and a regular contributor to Media Monitors Network (MMN). He is member of SPME.