The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and its San Franciso Bay Area office (CAIR-SFBA) today condemned the appointment of venture capitalist Shaun Maguire to the Pentagon’s Science, Technology and Innovation Board (STIB) despite his record of racism and anti-Muslim extremism.
In a statement, CAIR and CAIR-SFBA said:
“Someone with a history of racist and bigoted remarks has no place advising the Pentagon. Appointing Shaun Maguire to a Defense Department advisory board sends a disturbing message to every American who supports human rights and the First Amendment. The U.S. military, which includes thousands of Muslim service members, should reject anti-Muslim hate, not reward those who promote it with positions of influence and authority.”
Last year, CAIR condemned false allegations by Maguire and others who smeared and endangered an innocent Muslim student and anti-genocide activist at Brown University by raising suspicion that he was responsible for the deadly shooting on campus.
CAIR previously called for the firing of Maguire over racist, anti-Muslim remarks posted on social media. In a tweet about then-mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, Maguire said Mamdani “comes from a culture that lies about everything. It’s literally a virtue to lie if it advances his Islamist agenda.” Maguire later doubled down on his remarks and responded to public criticism by writing to one individual critical of his remarks, “You may not know this…but I’ve been watching you.”
WATCH: Tweet from Sequoia VC Shaun Maguire fuels anti-Muslim hate against Zohran Mamdani
SEE: CAIR Calls for Firing of Sequoia Partner Shaun Maguire After Racist, Anti-Muslim Rants
BACKGROUNDER:
In July 2025, more than 1,100 leaders in the tech industry sent an open letter to Sequoia Capital calling for “immediate and decisive action” over Maguire’s “…post on X on July 4, 2025, along with a documented pattern of anti-Muslim rhetoric over the past two years, [that] has caused significant harm to the global tech community.”
Sequoia Capital’s chief operating officer quit after the company supported Maguire’s anti-Muslim bigotry.
SEE: Letter from Global Founders from Across the Tech Industry to Sequoia Capital Leadership
SEE ALSO: Roelof Botha explains why Sequoia supports Shaun Maguire after COO quit
Maguire’s documented pattern of Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian racism through his social media platforms resulted in CAIR identifying him as an anti-Muslim extremist in July 2025.
SEE: CAIR Calls for Firing of Sequoia Partner Shaun Maguire After Racist, Anti-Muslim Rants
SEE ALSO: Shaun Maguire anti-Muslim extremist profile
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
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CONTACT: CAIR-SFBA Communications Manager Lorrie Adam, 408-498-5779, ladam@cair.com; CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, rmccaw@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com