In June 1994 , IAP President Omar Ahmad and others founded the Council on American-Islamic Relations ( CAIR ) , and Awad was hired as the Executive Director . In a March 1994 speech at Barry University , future CAIR Executive Director Awad said in response to an audience question about the various humanitarian efforts in the Palestinian Occupied Territories , " I am in support of the Hamas movement more than the PLO ... there are some Hamas radicals , we are not interested in those people . " A few days after the September 11 attacks in 2001 , Awad was one of a select group American Muslim leaders invited by the White House to join President Bush in a press conference condemning the attacks and acts of anti-Muslim intolerance that followed
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
Nihad Awad