<p>GOP candidate Ben Carson was met with harsh criticism last month when he said that America was not ready for a Muslim president. The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a nonprofit Islamic advocacy organization better known as CAIR, responded with an attempt to knock Carson out of the presidential race. Carson now claims that CAIR broke the law. ;</p>
<p>&ldquo;The Council on American-Islamic Relations held a public press conference demanding that I withdraw from the presidential race,&rdquo; said Carson in an email Saturday. &ldquo;Here&rsquo;s the catch: CAIR is a tax-exempt nonprofit, and the IRS rules explicitly prohibit such groups from intervening in political campaigns on behalf of &ndash; or in opposition to &ndash; a candidate.&rdquo; ;</p>
<p>Carson has started a petition to force the IRS to remove the group&rsquo;s tax-exempt status. If Carson wins, it won&rsquo;t be the first run-in CAIR has had with the IRS. The group, currently listed as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization, temporarily lost its status in 2011 when it failed to file tax returns for three consecutive years. ;</p>
<p>&ldquo;We find it interesting that Dr. Carson seeks to use a federal government agency to silence his critics and wonder if that tactic would be used to suppress First Amendment freedoms should he become president,&rdquo; was the petty, predictable reply from CAIR. ;</p>
<p>The Islamic group argues that it did not break the law because it did not &ldquo;participate in or intervene in any political campaign.&rdquo; CAIR claims that the press conference was simply a way for the Islamic community to express their opinions about a presidential candidate &ldquo;whose views violate Article VI of the Constitution.&rdquo; ;</p>
<p>Critics believe the group to be linked to terrorism and after a trial in 2007 and a conviction in 2009, it is widely believed the CAIR has ties to the terrorist group Hamas. ;</p>
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