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Washington asks UAE to clarify reason for classing US groups as 'terrorist'

November 18, 2014 at 4:30 pm

Washington announced that it has contacted officials in the UAE asking for reasons why two American-Islamic organisations were included in the country’s list of terror groups.

Yesterday, US State Department spokesperson Jeff Rathke responded to the list saying: “We have examined the list of organisations that were classified as terrorist groups that was published by the United Arab Emirates a few days ago, and we are aware that two of the organisations on that list are based in the United States. We are trying to get information on the reasons behind this decision.”

Last Saturday, the UAE published a list of 83 organisations, community groups and movements, which it classified as “terrorist organisations”. The list included the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the Muslim American Society (MAS), in addition to organisations such as the Islamic State (ISIS), the Muslim Brotherhood, 23 groups from Syria and 14 others from Europe.

CAIR responded to the UAE’s decision by saying: “The advocacy model that is practised by our organisation is the opposite of that which is used by extremist and terrorist groups.”