Muslim conference boots independent reporter while other media speak

(The Center Square) – The Council on American-Islamic Relations, one of the country’s largest Muslim rights groups, booted a reporter from The Center Square when he tried covering the group’s annual policy conference in Washington, D.C. 

“Unfortunately, you won’t be able to attend the conference,” Corey Saylor, the group’s research and advocacy director, said Saturday morning at the Washington Hilton Hotel. "It’s a private event.” 

 An about-face

The Center Square requested press passes and when there was no response by Aug. 19, The Center Square reporter, identifying himself as a member of the media, bought a $100 ticket to attend the policy conference. Three members of the media were listed as speakers: Hena Zuberi, Editor in Chief, Muslim Matters; Ryan Grim, co-founder and senior investigative reporter at Drop Site News; and Cenk Uygur, co-creator and host of The Young Turks, a progressive online news and commentary site.

On Sept. 10, CAIR sent The Center Square an email welcoming the reporter's attendance:

CAIRCon 2026-CAIR's Leadership & Policy Conference and 32nd Annual Gala is just a few days away! We look forward to welcoming you at the Washington Hilton. 

The next morning, Saylor appeared to qualify Mitchell’s remark. “Unfortunately,” Saylor said, “we didn’t want all coverage of the event.”  

The Center Square covers government and public policy with taxpayers in mind and sought to attend CAIR’s conference after finding that CAIR and its affiliated chapters have received nearly $500,000 in federal grants and tens of millions of dollars in state grants, primarily California.

The decision to ban media coverage seems to contradict CAIR's mission statement, which says it seeks to “enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims."

Since 1995, one year after its founding, the group has usually published an annual report that documents anti-Muslim incidents and barriers to American Muslims’ civil rights, including what it says is a rising tide of Islamophobia. 

A controversial past and present

CAIR’s co-founder and national executive director, Nihad Awad, has an extensive public record. 

In March 1994, as a spokesman for the Islamic Association for Palestine, he said he supported the Hamas movement more than the Palestine Liberation Organization. On Sept. 17, 2001, six days after 9/11, President George W. Bush met with Islamic leaders in Washington, D.C, including Awad, to condemn anti-Muslim violence and to state that American Muslims deserve respect. In 2006, Awad said, “I don’t support Hamas today” and said he and CAIR condemned suicide bombings. 

After Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups killed about 1,200 people in southern Israel, abducted 251 people and committed sexual violence, according to U.N. investigators, he condemned the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorism. “Targeting civilians is wrong, whether they are Palestinian or Israeli," he said four days later.

More than a month later, in November 2023, Awad said he was “happy to see” Palestinians break through the Gaza-Israel border on Oct. 7.

“The people of Gaza only decided to break the siege, the walls of the concentration camp, on Oct. 7,” he said. “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 land that they were not allowed to walk in.”

A month later, CAIR distanced itself from Awad’s remarks and reiterated its opposition to “all forms of unjust violence” and antisemitism. “Mr. Awad recognizes and agrees that some of the other remarks he made at that conference should have been explained and expressed more clearly.”

In June 2025, Rep. Randy Fine, R-Fla., sponsored legislation that would direct the State Department to investigate assigning CAIR as a terrorist organization.

"Why would you say the killing of 1,200 people made you happy?" Fine told The Center Square Wednesday. "Look, he's a liar."

Late last year, the governors of Texas and Florida, both Republicans, designated CAIR as a terrorist organization under their respective state laws. CAIR challenged the designations in court. A federal judge in March preliminarily blocked enforcement of Florida's order, and the litigation continues. 

Changing the story 

CAIR is upfront about its desire to shape media coverage.

“Media narratives play a critical role in shaping public perception, and misrepresentations of Muslim communities can fuel misunderstanding and bias,” the group says on its website. “Recognizing this, CAIR actively works to promote fair and accurate media coverage through targeted media training for community spokespeople, strategic partnerships with journalists, and proactive public relations initiatives.” 

At the conference this past weekend, CAIR held panels on contentious policy issues. Among those was a panel on countering anti-Sharia rhetoric hosted by Corey Saylor, the official who denied the reporter's access to the event.

"Panelists discuss the resurgence in organized anti-Muslim hate," according to a conference description, "including conspiracy theories about 'sharia law' and increasingly vitriolic rhetoric from conservative and pro-Israel politicians, what's behind it, and how to expose and defeat it." 

Another panel sought to educate attendees about strategies to protect nonprofits from "hate groups and state governments (that attempt) to defame, harass, and drain the(ir) resources" for "causes of justice, including Palestinian freedom."

Saylor promised to discuss the selective media ban after the conference but did not respond to a follow-up question as to why The Center Square was singled out. The media organizations that attended did not produce public stories and did not respond to The Center Square's requests for comment.