CAIR is sort of the Muslim version of the Anti-Defamation League. You know, when Muslim terrorists kill innocent civilians, CAIR leaps into action to remind anyone who thinks there might be some kind of connection between the religion of Islam and terrorism that there's none. None at all. However, several of their senior directors have fundraised for various organizations that support jihad and terrorism against Israel.
When people in the media criticize Islam, CAIR brings pressure on their employers to silence them. Recently this happened to a radio host named Michael Graham. They brought pressure on conservative magazine National Review to stop advertising and selling a book critical of Islam. They forced the producers of Fox's show "24" to make a PSA stating that Islam doesn't condone terrorism, because the fictional show's terrorist villain was a Muslim.