Loading ...Anti-Muslim Hate Group Led by an Arab American Announces White House Meeting
Image Credit: The AtlanticBY: Nisreen Eadeh/Staff Writer
Brigitte Gabriel, the proud anti-Muslim activist and leader of the designated hate group, ACT for America, said Monday evening that she has a meeting at the White House. In a tweet, she asks followers to send her topics to discuss with the Trump administration at her meeting.
Among the replies were calls to “Ban sharia law from US”, “Officially identify Islam as a political system and not a ‘religion’” and “ask how we can get islam [sic] ed out our schools & universities?”
In D.C, preparing for my meeting at the White House. What topics would you like me to address? #actforamerica #makeamericasafeagain pic.twitter.com/ptep2ZCTje
— Brigitte Gabriel (@ACTBrigitte) March 21, 2017
A White House official, however, has told BuzzFeed News that they are “not aware of any meetings.”
The announcement of the meeting comes after a year of ACT for America campaigning on Trump’s behalf both before and after the election. President Trump is currently under fire for signing two executive orders banning travel from six Muslim-majority countries, and now a ban on traveling with electronics from ten Arab-majority countries – all policies that Gabriel staunchly supports.
Last December, Gabriel wrote that “ACT for America has a direct line to Donald Trump, and has played a fundamental role in shaping his views and suggested policies with respect to radical Islam.”
Founded in 2007 by Gabriel, ACT for America’s mission is to “protect America from terrorism” and alleges “every practicing Muslim is a radical Muslim.”
Gabriel was born in Marjayoun, Lebanon to a Christian family and is known for distorting the country’s history to call for the persecution of Muslims. She once said that Islam is contributing to “the degraded state of Arab societies,” and claims that Arab Muslims are “lagging behind” in society because of their religious beliefs. Gabriel has also suggested that Islam should be reformed as Christianity and Judaism have in the past, and views Israel as the vanguard of Western culture in the Middle East.
Although Arab herself, Gabriel has also referred to Arabs as barbarians and believes the difference between Israel and the Arab world is the difference “between good and evil.”
Throughout her career as an author and public speaker, Gabriel has been labeled an Islamophobe and anti-Arab hate speech advocate. The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) has placed her in the country’s “Anti-Muslim Inner Circle”.
Heidi Beirich, director of the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Intelligence Project, said, “Hate has no place in the White House and she should not have an audience with the Trump administration. There have been enough anti-Muslim people in this administration already – enough is enough.”
According to the Muslim Public Affairs Council, “Gabriel has absolutely no formal credentials — academic or otherwise — to be an expert on Islam or Muslims… Until the administration is willing to hear from and speak directly to credible experts, they will continue to create policies that are based on fear, not fact.”
It is no secret that Gabriel’s views are shared with select members of the Trump administration, such as Stephen Bannon, Mike Pompeo, and Ben Carson, all of whom have expressed falsities about American Muslims and Islam, or made racist remarks about the religious group.
Whether the White House meeting is happening or not is still unclear, but Gabriel is currently in Washington, DC. President Trump, who campaigned on a Muslim ban, does not need another baseless Islamophobe whispering counterproductive policy proposals in his ear.
