California Funneled Millions to Group Whose Leader Coaches Members to Hide Their Hatred

There’s something deeply unsettling about watching someone coach others on how to hide their prejudices rather than abandon them. That’s exactly what appears to be happening in a viral video featuring Zahra Billoo, the executive director of the California chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. The clip shows her advising supporters to think strategically about when and where they express their views, particularly their hatred of Zionists.

“Now imagine your LinkedIn profile says, ‘I hate all Zionists,'” Billoo says in the footage. “Not strategic. Right? You may say that sitting around Kahwah House on a Friday night, but you’re not going to say it on your LinkedIn.” She frames the whole thing as a matter of being strategic versus reckless. Not right versus wrong. Not hateful versus compassionate. Just smart versus dumb about where you broadcast your animosity.

Guy Benson nailed it when he pointed out the real message here. “Notice, the message here isn’t ‘don’t hate people and don’t be bigots,'” the Fox News political analyst wrote. “The message is ‘we must hide our hatred and bigotry more strategically.'” That’s the heart of it, isn’t it? This isn’t about encouraging tolerance or understanding. It’s a masterclass in public relations for people who apparently harbor serious antipathy toward an entire group.

The timing of this video’s circulation couldn’t be more relevant. CAIR-CA has been under growing scrutiny after a City Journal report revealed the organization has received roughly forty million dollars in state-administered funds in recent years. That’s your tax money, by the way. Much of it tied to federally funded programs, flowing to an organization whose leadership apparently thinks the problem with hatred isn’t the hatred itself but getting caught expressing it publicly.

Governor Gavin Newsom’s administration has some serious explaining to do. How does a state justify funneling millions to an organization with longstanding allegations about historical connections to the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas? CAIR has denied these claims, calling them baseless and part of a defamation campaign. But when your executive director is caught on camera essentially teaching people how to mask their bigotry for professional advancement, you’ve got a credibility problem that goes beyond historical allegations.

This speaks to a broader issue about how we fund advocacy organizations in America. There’s a difference between supporting civil rights groups that genuinely work toward equality and bankrolling organizations whose leaders coach members on hiding controversial views from employers. One builds bridges. The other just teaches people to be better at concealing what they really think.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis took action in December, designating CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood as foreign terrorist organizations at the state level. Other Republican-led states are watching closely. You can disagree with that approach, but you can’t ignore the pattern of concerning behavior that prompts such responses.

The reaction online has been swift. Harmeet Dhillon, Republican National Committeewoman, simply wrote “Wow.” Christopher Rufo from the Manhattan Institute amplified the video, connecting it to larger questions about CAIR-CA’s role in California public life. These aren’t fringe voices raising concerns. These are serious people asking legitimate questions about accountability and where our money goes.

Here’s what bothers me most. We live in a country where freedom of association and speech are fundamental rights. You want to advocate for causes you believe in? Go ahead. But when you’re taking millions in government funding while your leadership advises followers to hide their true beliefs depending on the audience, that’s a betrayal of public trust. It suggests a fundamental dishonesty about your organization’s actual goals and values.

The message to young professionals in that video is particularly troubling. Don’t change your views, just change how you present them based on who’s listening. Keep your hatred private where it won’t cost you career opportunities. That’s not wisdom. That’s cynicism dressed up as strategy.

California taxpayers deserve answers about why their government continues funding an organization facing these kinds of questions. Forty million dollars isn’t pocket change. That’s real money that could go toward genuinely constructive programs. Instead, it’s supporting a group whose executive director apparently sees public versus private personas as a strategic calculation rather than a moral failing.

This isn’t about silencing dissent or opposing legitimate advocacy. It’s about basic standards for organizations receiving public funds. When your leaders are caught coaching members on concealing bigotry, you’ve lost the moral authority to claim you’re working toward a more just society. You’re just working toward better cover.