As a Rotarian, I can speak to this directly: this is exactly how political capture works.

First, they enter civic spaces. Then they take over caucuses, women’s political groups, student unions, and community organizations. Then they decide who is “acceptable” — and anyone who is a moderate Muslim, pro-America, pro-Israel, or willing to stand with Jews is pushed out, smeared, or silenced.

A Pattern in California Politics

Farrah Khan is, in my view, a clear example of this pattern in California politics. CAIR-LA has publicly promoted her and has publicly defended her, and published reports have described her as having served on CAIR’s board. So Rotarians, Democrats, women’s organizations, and civic leaders have every right to ask: who are we platforming, and what values are we endorsing?

In California, I watched DSA-style politics and CAIR-aligned activism move through the Democratic Party, women’s caucuses, South Asian and Arab political spaces, and campus groups. Once they gained influence, there was no room left for moderate Muslim Democrats who loved America, supported Israel’s right to exist, taught the Holocaust with moral clarity, and believed in excellence over victimhood.

The message was clear: if you did not hate America, blame Israel for everything, or attack Jews and Zionists, you were not welcome.

What I Witnessed

I lived this. I saw good teachers and moderate voices harassed, isolated, and pushed aside while radicals were elevated. We wanted to teach reading, writing, Holocaust education, civic responsibility, and success. They wanted to teach resentment, division, identity politics, and permanent victimhood.

And now America is seeing the result: campus chaos, antisemitism, anti-Americanism, and institutions afraid to tell the truth.

A Call to Rotary — and Civic America

Rotary should know better. Rotary is built on truth, fairness, goodwill, and service. As a proud Rotarian, I will continue warning fellow Rotarians: do not allow civic organizations to become platforms for extremism, antisemitism, or political Islamism.

The cat is out of the bag. The question now is whether decent people within Rotary International and across civic America will act on what they are seeing.