In a landmark vote, the Arkansas House of Representatives today passed HR1006—a bill authored by Arkansas state Representative Brandt Smith that encourages state and local law enforcement to “suspend contact and outreach with the Council on American-Islamic Relations” (CAIR).
Speaking to Islamist Watch, Rep Smith recounted that he had been determined to reintroduce the bill after its initial defeat; before the second committee vote, he said, he had “had a couple committee members who feared retribution from CAIR, but I convinced them to vote ‘Yes.’” Noting that “Oklahoma and Kentucky House members have been targeted by CAIR by way of emails and phone calls” in an effort to create alliances, Rep Smith emphasized that CAIR’s persistent local lobbying efforts show the necessity of preemptively cutting off its community engagement.
