US Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) has urged the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to launch an investigation into the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), which is a leading Muslim-American civil liberties group, claiming the largest Muslim organization in the US has terror ties.

Look who is talking! Ever since he became a U.S. Senator, Cotton put the interests of Israel ahead of the good old USA.

* First, he called Biden last year a "coward" if he does not unleash "devastating military retaliation" both inside Iran and across the Middle East (on behalf of Israel, of course). I have no clue how bombing Iran benefits the American people or the people of Arkansas? 

* Would Sen. Cotton care to tell us what he gets out of lobbying on behalf of a foreign lobbying organization that is not even registered in compliance with US law? 

 * Cotton, a former Army veteran has the nerve in February 2024 to question the loyalty and patriotism of Aaron Bushnell, a fellow USAF active-duty member who set himself on fire in front of the Israeli embassy in Washington, D.C. in an extreme act of protest against the US involvement in the Israeli genocide in Gaza. While in America, we hold veterans in high regards , Sen. Cotton mocks and ridicules a highly regarded veteran.

* Tom Cotton said Israel can 'bounce the rubble' in Gaza amid the humanitarian crisis. That implies that Israel has the right to act indiscriminately against civilians in Gaza.

* According to the Huffington Post, the Arkansas Republican essentially said bombing Palestinian women and children is a justified response to the Palestinian fighters breaking the illegal and inhumane siege on Gaza on October 7, 2023.

* Last December, Israel Minister of Diaspora and Apartheid Defense League (ADL) publicly defended the Israeli genocide in Gaza as "self-defense." However, when Nihad Awad, the head of CAIR said, "Yes, I was happy to see people in Gaza breaking the 17-year-old illegal and inhumane siege, the walls of the contraction camp, on October 7," they falsely accused him of praising the October 7 attacks. Defending the Palestinian rights to freedom is one thing and praising Hamas and PIJ is another. The fact is that the Israeli officials, Israel cheerleaders, and Israeli firster Cotton are accusing CAIR of what they are doing and supporting Israeli terrorism and genocide against defenseless Palestinians in Gaza.

* When four members of the Christian Peacemaker Team were taken hostage in Iraq in 2005, CAIR demanded their immediate and unconditional release, stating that harming them would not advance the cause of innocent Iraqi prisoners held by U.S. forces. Where was Tom Cotton then?

Just for the records:

* After American journalist Jill Carroll was taken hostage in Iraq in 2006, CAIR risked the lives of its members by sending a delegation to Iraq to plead for her release. Eventually, she won her freedom. CAIR did it because it cares about America!

* By the way, I still have a copy of The New York Times in which CAIR took out a full-page ad to condemn the 9/11 terrorist attacks in which it urged all American Muslims to contribute money, donate blood, and help with the medical relief operation. (The N.Y. Times 16 September 2001) Shame on Sen. Cotton!

* Cotton's slanderous remarks damage the reputation of highly respected Muslim organizations. In fact, they add insult, subtract pleasure, and divide attention.

* According to Team Decoding Affair. Com's August 2, 2025 report, Cotton has accepted $237,077 campaign contribution from AIPAC, making him one of the organization’s significant beneficiaries in the Senate. This always comes with a string attached. "If you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours." In politics, it implies a reciprocal arrangement where mutual favors or support are exchanged.  

I am not a CAIR member but I highly suggest that Sen. Tom Cotton be prosecuted to the fullest for aiding and abetting genocide and accepting bribes from an unregistered foreign lobbying group, aka, AIPAC.

 Mahmoud El-Youseph is a Palestinian freelance writer and retired U.S. Air Force veteran. He writes on U.S. foreign policy, Middle East affairs, and justice. Email: elyousseph6@yahoo.com