The Philadelphia Branch of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) will hold its annual fundraising banquet later this month, and for the first time in 13 years, it will not be held at the Springfield Country Club in Springfield, Pa., after its support for Hamas was revealed.
The venue sits on property owned by Delaware County, a suburb of Philadelphia. After efforts by groups like the nonprofit Middle East Forum exposed the local CAIR chapter’s ties to terrorism, the venue chose not to host the event this year. By doing so, the Springfield Country Club has sent a decisive message that public funds should not be used to support organizations linked to terrorism.
CAIR has been connected to Hamas for decades. Nihad Awad, the founder and current national executive director of CAIR, announced as far back as 1994, “I am in support of the Hamas movement.” He also said in response to the brutal Oct. 7 Hamas attacks, “happy to see people breaking the siege and throwing down the shackles of their own land.”
Awad was not the only CAIR official to praise the Oct. 7 attacks. Zahra Billoo, the executive director of CAIR San Francisco, called the atrocities “decolonization,” and the executive director of CAIR Los Angeles, Hussam Ayloush, asserted that Israel had no right to defend itself.
As the Middle East Forum has noted, in past years, CAIR’s galas have featured keynote speakers who support terrorism. Rep. Summer Lee (D-Pa.) was scheduled to speak at last year’s CAIR Greater Philadelphia banquet, but she pulled out when previous extremist statements by CAIR employees and past honorees were brought to light.
This year’s speakers and honorees for the gala will follow a similar pattern to years past. Among them is City University of New York professor Marc Lamont Hill, who was fired from CNN after endorsing genocidal violence against Israel. On a radio show recently, he lamented that Hamas wasn’t invited on television or radio programs to air its perspective. Even after the terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023—and the murder of 1,200 people with 251 taken hostage into Gaza—Hill insists that Hamas should not be labeled a terrorist organization.
The event will also honor Amer Zahr, a writer and professor at the University of Detroit’s Mercy School of Law, who has firmly endorsed terrorism. Zahr commented, “We say very proudly that we stand with every resistance against Israel … whether it’s called Hamas, whether it’s called Hezbollah.” Delaware State Rep. Madinah Wilson-Anton, who called President Joe Biden a “war criminal” for his support of Israel, will also be honored at the event. She has claimed that Israel and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were responsible for civilian deaths on Oct. 7 and not Hamas.
Contrary to CAIR’s claims that its 2025 gala was “canceled” or “moved at the last minute,” the reality is simple: The venue declined to renew its contract for 2025 and refused to host a group that openly supports terrorism.
The Springfield Country Club not only sits on county tax-exempt property but also has a contract with Marriott to run a hotel onsite. The hotel hosts guests coming for banquets, weddings and corporate events at Springfield Country Club, such as the CAIR’s previous galas.
Marriott’s Commitment to Human Rights policy elucidates the importance that the hotel chain places on “upholding the principles contained in the U.N. Universal Declaration of Human Rights” and the corporation’s “commitment to conduct its business in a manner consistent with these principles.” By any reasonable standard, CAIR’s support for Hamas and Hezbollah is not in line with international human rights. CAIR’s honorees and speakers who either justify or deny the killing, raping and torturing of innocent civilians on Oct. 7 are likewise not upholding the fundamental dignity of all people.
CAIR’s leaders and their honorees may have a First Amendment right to express their views no matter how reprehensible, but CAIR should not benefit from federal tax-exempt status or utilize county-owned tax-subsided properties such as the Springfield Country Club.
Taxpayers owe a debt of gratitude to Delaware County and the Marriott Corporation, which have finally done the right thing in refusing to host CAIR. The decision by the Springfield Country Club should serve as a role model for other organizations and municipalities to take a stand against extremism and refuse to have taxpayer dollars used to promote organizations that support terrorism.