EXCLUSIVE: County civil rights commission teams with CAIR despite terror ties in Washington state

The inaugural annual report from the Human and Civil Rights Commission (HCRC) shows the commission partnering with CAIR and other activist organizations on issues involving federal immigration enforcement, immigration policy, and civil rights initiatives in King County.

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According to the report, commission members held a joint meeting in December 2025 with the King County Immigrant and Refugee Commission alongside representatives from organizations including CAIR, the Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network (WAISN), the Muslim Association of Puget Sound (MAPS), and others.

The meeting included “updates regarding local Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity and funding challenges facing nonprofit organizations serving immigrant and refugee communities,” according to the report. WAISN, "a queer and transgender founded and led nonprofit," admits on its website that the organization works with all immigrants, including illegals.

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The HCRC was established in 2024 and formally launched in 2025 as an independent county commission tasked with advising King County on civil rights policy, anti-discrimination enforcement, and equity initiatives. King County Executive Girmay Zahilay praised the commission in a statement, saying it was working to ensure King County remained “an inclusive, welcoming place for all people” at a time when “our federal government is attacking civil rights.”

But CAIR’s inclusion is drawing criticism, given the organization’s alleged ties to terror. CAIR, which presents itself as a Muslim civil rights organization, was identified by the Justice Department’s Office of the Inspector General as an unindicted co-conspirator in the Holy Land Foundation terrorism financing case, the largest terror financing trial in US history, as part of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Palestine Committee, an entity formed to support Hamas in the United States.

Federal evidence introduced during the case reportedly “linked CAIR leaders to Hamas, a specially designated terrorist organization.” Previous court proceedings also found “ample evidence” connecting CAIR to Hamas, though the organization itself was never criminally charged. Steve Emerson, founder of the Investigative Project on Terrorism, previously said that “CAIR was created as a Hamas front group and still functions as a propaganda arm of Hamas to this day.”

More recently, CAIR was removed from the Biden administration’s antisemitism task force after national executive director and co-founder Nihad Awad said he was “happy to see” Palestinians “breaking the siege and throwing down the shackles of their own land” during Hamas’ October 7 terrorist attacks on Israel that killed 1,200 people and resulted in more than 240 hostages being taken.

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The organization has also faced increasing scrutiny from Republican-led states. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott designated CAIR a terrorist organization last year, while Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis followed with similar action, citing the Holy Land Foundation case and allegations involving Hamas. Earlier this year, Abbott announced a federal court granted his request seeking CAIR donor records, donor lists, and travel details related to Awad’s trips to countries hosting Islamic terrorist groups.

“Progress in my legal fight against CAIR,” Abbott wrote. “I declared CAIR a Foreign Terrorist Organization. They sued to block it. I demanded CAIR give us its donor list, donee list, and details for Nihad Awad’s travel to 9 countries hosting Islamic terror. A federal court granted my request.” Last year, CAIR also reportedly settled a lawsuit with a former employee rather than open its financial records to reveal sources of foreign funding.

The controversy surrounding CAIR has become increasingly relevant in Washington state politics. Former Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson sued the Trump administration on CAIR’s behalf during litigation over the administration’s travel ban targeting several terror-linked countries.

CAIR’s Washington chapter, led by executive director Imraan Siddiqi, has also come under fire for anti-Israel activism and inflammatory rhetoric surrounding Hamas and the October 7 attacks. Siddiqi, who recently received the endorsement of anti-Israel “Squad” member Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) in his Washington state House campaign, previously told Democrats condemning Hamas’ October 7 massacre to “STFU,” accused Israel of “genocide,” and called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a “war criminal.”

CAIR-WA also opposed labeling the phrase “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” as antisemitic in Washington state school materials despite the slogan’s documented use by Hamas as a call for Israel’s elimination.

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Last week, it was revealed that CAIR received over $40 million from the state of California despite the alleged ties to terror. The radical activist group also receives funding from Washington state.

CAIR was joined on the commission by the Muslim Association of Puget Sound (MAPS). The radical organization frequently features antisemitic speakers and was alleged to be involved in anti-Israel walkouts from area public schools in the aftermath of the Oct. 7 Massacre.

Zahilay’s office, the KCHRC and the King County Council did not respond to requests for comment.