Islamic group whose leader celebrated terror attacks is reportedly working with Chicago Public Schools

The Council on American-Islamic Relations may be too extreme now, even for the Biden White House, but apparently not for Chicago Public Schools. The Center Square recently highlighted that the Chicago chapter of CAIR is working with the CPS on countering so-called Islamophobia as well as on other student-focused initiatives.

According to the CAIR-Chicago website, the extremist group "has been working with Chicago Public Schools (CPS) as well as numerous private and suburban public school districts on numerous projects to promote inclusion and understanding about Islam and the Muslim community."

This partnership affords schools the ability to subject parents, children, and faculty to CAIR training on matters of rights, cultural sensitivity, and Islam. Extra to propagating its preferred narratives, CAIR-Chicago purportedly "meets and advocates to schools and districts to ensure that students' rights are protected."

Despite masquerading as experts on sensitivity and combating bullying in the classroom, CAIR has a well-earned reputation for hatred and anti-Semitism — and not just because the Obama Justice Department noted that "evidence at trial linked CAIR leaders to Hamas, a specially designated terrorist organization, and CAIR was named as an unindicted co-conspirator in the case."

Blaze News previously reported that Nihad Awad, the executive director and co-founder of CAIR, said during his Nov. 24 speech at the American Muslims for Palestine conference that the Hamas terror attacks on unarmed women and children made him "happy."

"The people of Gaza only decided to break the siege, the walls of the concentration camp, on Oct. 7," said Awad, who previously spoke explicitly in support of Hamas. "And yes, I was happy to see people breaking the siege and throwing down the shackles of their own land and walk free into their lands that they were not allowed to walk in."

"And yes," continued Awad, "the people of Gaza have the right to self-defense, have the right to defend themselves. And yes, Israel as an occupying power does not have that right to self-defense."

Awad's extremist rhetoric was hardly exceptional where CAIR was concerned.

Zainab Chaudry, the director of the CAIR chapter in Maryland, was temporarily suspended from her position on the state's new hate crime task force in late November after referring to the Hamas terror attacks, which left thousands dead, as the "uprising in Palestine."

Chaudry, who was ultimately reinstated, also claimed that the Hamas terrorists were akin to "Ukrainian freedom fighters," Israel was a Nazi state, and the Israeli babies butchered by Hamas were "fake."

The head of CAIR in Los Angeles, Hussam Ayloush, said in a Dec. 1 address to the Islamic Society of Greater Oklahoma City, "Israel does not have the right to defend itself as an occupier. ... This is not a rhetorical thing. It doesn't, legally, under international law."

When pressed about the CAIR-CPS partnership, Roz Rothstein, co-founder and CEO of StandWithUs, told the Center Square, "While we can't comment on this specific program without seeing its content, we urge institutions that work with CAIR to seek alternative partners that genuinely support mutual respect and understanding between all communities."

Blaze News reached out to CPS to determine whether this partnership was still active despite the terror apologetics and hateful remarks issued by elements of the Islamic activist group's leadership but did not receive a response by deadline.

Regardless of whether this formal partnership persists, CAIR-Chicago continues to exert pressure on CPS.

CAIR-Chicago recently leaned on CPS last month to take action against a Chicago Academy Elementary School substitute teacher who dared to call Hamas terrorists "terrorists" on Dec. 15.

Mahmoud Ihmud, an 8-year-old student at the school, told WBBM-TV that his substitute art teacher "said that Hamas are terrorists."

"I said I was from Palestine. She said, 'Hamas are terrorists.' I was like, 'That's not true.' She was like, 'Yes it is.' I was like, 'That's not true.' She goes, 'No, it's true - and it's true, I'm going to hit you,'" recalled Ihmud. "And then I pushed her away, and then I ran back to my desk."

CAIR-Chicago joined the boy's father in seeking the departure of the Hamas critic.

"We call on CPS to intensify its investigative efforts, engaging additional witnesses to ensure a comprehensive understanding of the events that transpired," said Phil Robertson, litigation director of CAIR-Chicago. "This is fundamental in taking appropriate actions to address any misconduct and restore a sense of security for the affected student."

The teacher was placed under investigation and removed from the school.

Chicago Academy Principal Joyce Pae notified parents and staff, "We received a report that a substitute teacher used Islamophobic language in one of our classrooms on Friday. Upon receiving this report, we immediately launched an investigation, and have notified the CPS Office of Student Protections and Title IX to support our school as needed. This substitute teacher has been blocked from working in our school."

"I want to make it extremely clear that we are taking this incident very seriously, and that Islamophobia and bias-based language has no place at our school and will not be tolerated," added Pae.

According to CAIR, "Islamophobia" includes any allegation that Islam is "inherently or uniquely violent, misogynistic, inferior, intolerant, primitive, devious, or that Islam is the antithesis of civilization."

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