A growing body of evidence shows that the Council on American-Islamic Relations is not simply a civil-rights organization defending student protesters. Multiple investigations reveal that CAIR and several allied activist groups belong to a coordinated, well-funded network with documented ties to Hamas, the Muslim Brotherhood, and other designated terrorist entities. That same network is now paying cash “rewards” to students disciplined for anti-Israel agitation on American campuses.
According to a New York Post investigation, CAIR-California paid $1,000 checks to students who were suspended, arrested, or lost housing or scholarships for their involvement in aggressive anti-Israel activism. Through its “Champions of Justice Fund,” the group distributed $20,000 to students who led building takeovers, blockaded facilities, disrupted campus events, or confronted Jewish students. The funding functioned as an incentive to escalate campus confrontation. As Joel Finkelstein, founder of the NCRI, explained, “these programs support students after acts of criminality and violence, creating a reward structure for building the most militant face of the movement.”
Source: NY Post
The financial incentives are only one piece of a larger coordinated effort. NGO Monitor reports that Students for Justice in Palestine, Jewish Voice for Peace, Within Our Lifetime, the U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights, Samidoun, and CAIR form a tight network that distributes protest toolkits, trains students, funds organizers, provides legal support, and coordinates messaging across campuses nationwide. Several of these groups have documented ties to Hamas, the PFLP, or the Muslim Brotherhood.
Source: NGO Monitor
CAIR’s own origins are deeply rooted in this ecosystem. Research from the Program on Extremism at George Washington University shows that CAIR was founded in the mid-1990s by individuals tied to Hamas-linked organizations, including the Islamic Association for Palestine and the Holy Land Foundation. Federal investigators traced CAIR’s early structure to the 1993 Philadelphia meeting, where Hamas operatives strategized about building a “neutral” front group to influence U.S. institutions while avoiding scrutiny. One participant emphasized the need to ensure that “the growing generation in America [does not] surrender to peace with Jews.”
Source: GWU Program on Extremism
The ideological through-line continues today. Nihad Awad, CAIR’s executive director, publicly celebrated the October 7 Hamas massacre, saying, “I was happy to see people breaking the siege on October 7.” The remark underscores how closely CAIR’s leadership remains aligned with the ideology that drives Hamas.
Source: Public remarks documented by Israeli officials
What emerges is a clear picture: cash rewards for disciplined students are not a one-off scandal. They are part of a broader strategy by a network of extremist-aligned organizations to radicalize campuses, inflame unrest, and mainstream an ideology connected to designated terrorist movements.
