ACT for America
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| Founded | 2007 |
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| Website | actforamerica.org |
ACT! for America, founded in 2007, is a U.S.-based group, dedicated to combating what it describes as 'the threat of radical Islam' to the safety of Americans and to democracy".[1]
Critics of the group accuse it of being an anti-Muslim hate group and Islamophobic. The group's founder, Brigitte Gabriel, has said that she is not anti-Muslim and that there are innocent Muslims who have nothing to do with radicalism and have not read the Quran.
Activities and views
The group's founder and central figure is the Lebanese-born Brigitte Gabriel[1][2] who is also a frequent speaker at conservative events. Guy Rodgers — a Republican consultant who was National Field Director for the Christian Coalition of America in the 1990s — is executive director.[2][1] The group was established in 2007, and grew out of the American Congress for Truth, which Gabriel established in 2002 to promote her beliefs, books, and public appearance. The American Congress for Truth was later renamed Act! for America Education and "continues to operate as a separate non-profit tax-exempt organization."[1]
ACT! members have introduced David Yerushalmi's anti-foreign law bill (also known as anti-Shariah bill) in several state legislatures,[2] accompanying it with "a public outreach blitz about the 'threat' of Sharia to America."[2] Gabriel has promoted the idea that there is an Islamic conspiracy in the United States, stating that "tens of thousands of Islamic militants now reside in America operating in sleeper cells, attending our colleges and universities, even infiltrating our government" and asserting that radicalized Muslims "have infiltrated us at the CIA, at the FBI, at the Pentagon, at the State Department."[1]
ACT! has lobbied state and federal officials, seeking "to impact national security policy."[2] These officials include U.S. Representative Peter T. King, Republican of New York, who appeared on ACT!'s "internet television show before hosting a series of hearings on radicalization that singled out Muslims in 2011".[2] It once counted former U. S. National Security Advisor Michael T. Flynn as a member of its board;[3] Flynn has criticized Islam in ways similar to ACT!, such as that the Muslim faith itself is one of the root causes of Islamist terrorism;[4] that Islam as a political ideology rather than a religion;[4] that it is a malignant cancer;[5] and that "fear of Muslims is rational."[6] The group has published voter guides and congressional scorecards, and as of 2014 employed a full-time congressional lobbyist, Lisa Piraneo, who is the group's director of government relations.[1]
ACT! says it is anti-radical Islam and not anti-Islam per se. In July 2011 ACT! sent an email to numerous addresses stating:
FACT: ACT! for America does not believe, nor advocate, that all Muslims are engaged in stealth jihad. ACT! for America does not believe, nor advocate, that all Muslims "must be stopped."[1]
The Southern Poverty Law Center, called this a "whitewash" and in reply quoted statements from founder Brigitte Gabriel:
If a Muslim who has—who is—a practicing Muslim who believes the word of the Koran to be the word of Allah, who abides by Islam, who goes to mosque and prays every Friday, who prays five times a day—this practicing Muslim, who believes in the teachings of the Koran, cannot be a loyal citizen to the United States of America.[1]
The Anti-Defamation League writes that while ACT!'s leadership denies holding bigoted views, "the group often argues against the distinction between radical and mainstream Islam."[7] The ADL noted, for example, that ACT! had posted an article on its website titled "Stop Muslim immigration to the United States" and has promoted a petition demanding that the U.S. "stop all immigration into free countries by Muslims while we can" because "WE HAVE NO way of determining which Muslims subscribe to pure Islam. The reason this matters is that pure Islam is seditious."[7]
March Against Sharia
The March Against Sharia was a rally planned for June 10, 2017. The Seattle Times described the goal as "purportedly to raise awareness of the practices of genital mutilation and cutting of young girls and women, which the organization attributes to the practice of Sharia law by faithful Muslims."[8] The rally was set to occur in more than 25 locations across the United States. Counter-protests by Muslim and Antifa groups were also planned.[9]
ACT! for America demonstrators in New York City, Chicago, Santa Clara, Seattle, and other cities were outnumbered by counter-protesters.[10][11][12] Demonstrators in front of Trump Tower Chicago also expressed support for President Donald Trump.[10][11]
Membership
The group describes itself as a nonpartisan and nonreligious national security group and its base of support comes from "evangelical Christian conservatives, hard-line defenders of Israel (both Jews and Christians) and Tea Party Republicans."[13] In 2011, the group said it had some "500 chapters and 155,000 members nationwide."[7] In 2015, Jordan Denari and Nathan Lean of Georgetown University's Bridge Initiative research project wrote ACT! for America "boasts nearly 300,000 members and 890 chapters across the country."[2]
Criticism
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Ryan Lenz of the Southern Poverty Law Center criticized the group as having "eagerly tapped into a groundswell of anti-Muslim rage and done what it could to fan the flames."[14]
It has been labelled a "hate group" by Center for American Progress and Southern Poverty Law Center, with critics arguing that it is a "Single-minded Islamophobia group" which targets muslims with hate. Huffington Post, linking to a report by Center for American Progress,[15] described ACT! for America as "a central player in the movement to generate fears about Islamic Sharia law"[2]. According to New York Times the conspiracy theorist Frank Gaffney, "a hawkish policy analyst and commentator, who has been known to take polarizing positions" described the group as a "force multiplier" in promoting laws proposed by David Yerushalmi.[16]
The Guardian has called it "America’s largest anti-Muslim organisation".[17]
Response
In response to her critics, Brigitte Gabriel has said that "I am not anti-Muslim, I am anti ideologies which want to kill free people and subjugate them right now, in the name of the Islamic religion. I would fight with the same passion if crazy Christians were trying to do that, if crazy Jews were trying to do that, or whatever crazy religious is trying to do that. I am for the human spirit and for the individuality of the human spirit." She argued that there are innocent Muslims who have not even read the Quran.[18]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h . Anti-Defamation League https://www.adl.org/sites/default/files/documents/assets/pdf/civil-rights/discrimination/act-for-america-2014-01-14-v1.pdf. Retrieved 25 May 2017.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help); Unknown parameter|ti3tle=ignored (help) - ^ a b c d e f g h Lean, Nathan (12 August 2015). "Hirsi Ali Teams Up With Act for America for Event on Islam". Huffington Post. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
- ^ "Trump adviser joins ACT for America's board". IMAGINE 2050. 2016-06-28. Retrieved 2017-05-25.
- ^ a b Rosenberg, Matthew; Haberman, Maggie (November 17, 2016). "Trump Is Said to Offer National Security Post to Michael Flynn, Retired General". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 18, 2016.
- ^ Mangla, Ismat Sarah. "Islam is a 'malignant cancer': The hateful rhetoric of Trump's new national security adviser". Quartz. Retrieved November 18, 2016.
- ^ Khan, Mariam (November 18, 2016). "Trump's National Security Adviser Has Called Islam 'a Cancer'". ABC News. Retrieved November 18, 2016.
- ^ a b c Backgrounder: ACT! for America, Anti-Defamation League (March 25, 2011).
- ^ Carter, Mike (June 8, 2017). "Seattle police prepare for Saturday's 'March Against Sharia' and counterprotest". The Seattle Times. Retrieved June 10, 2017.
- ^ Moses, Sarah (June 8, 2017). "'Anti-Sharia law' march planned for Syracuse; counter rallies organize". Syracuse.com. Retrieved June 10, 2017.
- ^ a b Siddiqui, Sabrina (June 10, 2017). "Anti-Muslim rallies across US denounced by civil rights groups". The Guardian. Retrieved June 10, 2017.
- ^ a b Johnson, Gene (June 10, 2017). "Rallies Against Sharia Law Draw Counter-Protests". Time. Associated Press. Retrieved June 10, 2017.
- ^ Ravani, Sarah (June 10, 2017). "Anti-Muslim law protesters meet opposition at Santa Clara rally". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved June 10, 2017.
- ^ Goodstein, Laurie (March 7, 2011). "Drawing U.S. Crowds With Anti-Islam Message". New York Times. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
- ^ Lenz, Ryan (August 24, 2011). "Acting Out". Intelligence Report. Southern Poverty Law Center. Retrieved June 10, 2017.
- ^ Clifton, Eli; Ali, Wajahat (2011). "Fear, Inc.The Roots of the Islamophobia Network in America" (PDF). www.americanprogress.org.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|dead-url=(help) - ^ Elliott, Andrea (July 30, 2011). "The Man Behind the Anti-Shariah Movement". The New York Times. Retrieved August 9, 2011.
- ^ Mulhall, Joe (2 February 2017). "It's not just Trump's US. Anti-Muslim hate threatens Europe too". TheGuardian.com. Retrieved 16 July 2017.
- ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmHZ4hDvzb0&t=942s