Brigitte Gabriel

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Brigitte Gabriel
Born October 21, 1964 (1964-10-21) (age 45)[citation needed]
Marjayoun, Marjeyoun District, Lebanon
Occupation author
activist
Years active 1986-present
Website
American Congress for Truth, ACT! for America

Brigitte Gabriel (born October 21, 1964) is a Lebanese American journalist, author, and activist. Gabriel says Islam keeps Arab countries backward,[1][2] and teaches terrorism.[3][4][5] In order to promote such views, Gabriel founded the American Congress For Truth and ACT! for America so that citizens may "Fearlessly speak out in defense of America, Israel and Western civilization."[6]

She frequently speaks at American conservative-leaning organizations such as The Heritage Foundation, Christians United for Israel, Evangelicals and Jewish groups, and says she gives voice to "what many in America are thinking but afraid to say out loud, for fear of being labeled a racist, bigot, Islamophobic, or intolerant."[7] Stephen Lee, the publicist at St. Martins Press for Gabriel’s latest book, called her views "extreme".[8]

Contents

[edit] Early life

Brigitte Gabriel was born in the Marjayoun District in Lebanon to a Christian family.

According to Gabriel, during the Lebanese Civil War, militants launched an assault on a Lebanese military base near her family's house and bombed her home. Gabriel reports that she and her parents were forced to live in an 8'x10' bomb shelter underground for seven years with only a small kerosene heater, no sanitary systems, no electricity or running water and little food.[9] To get water she states that she had to crawl in a ditch alongside a road to a spring in order to evade Muslim snipers.[9]

Later, in 1978, Gabriel says a man warned her family of an impending attack on Christians by militias. She says that her life was saved that night when Israelis invaded Lebanon in Operation Litani. Later, her mother was seriously injured and was taken to an Israeli hospital where Gabriel noted the humanity of the Israelis in contrast to the propaganda against the Jews she says she saw as a child.[10]

Critics of Gabriel state that her biographical account is riddled with factual inaccuracies. While she claims that she lived for seven years in a bomb shelter, her former neighbours in Marjayoun say that her family, like that of others in the village, may have spent a few nights in their shelter or basement at times, but that they otherwise lived relatively normally.[11]

Gabriel also used to tell audiences that Hizbullah was the group that terrorised her family for the seven years between 1975 and 1982. She stopped making this claim after people objected, pointing out that Hizbullah was formed after she left Lebanon, as a direct result of the Israeli invasion and occupation of 1982.[11]

[edit] Career

Gabriel is a former news anchor for World News, an Arabic-language evening news broadcast of Middle East Television, a Marjayoun-based station that was run by the now defunct SLA and funded by Israel.[11] Broadcast in Israel, Egypt, Syria, Jordan and Lebanon, through her work there, Gabriel covered the Israeli withdrawal from central Lebanon, the Israeli Security Zone (occupied South Lebanon), and the Palestinian uprising in the West Bank and Gaza. The television station moved to Cyprus for a time and was later purchased by Pat Robertson.[11] Gabriel moved to Israel[11] before immigrating to the United States in 1989 where she founded a television production, marketing and advertising agency. [12]

According to the Center for International Policy (CIP), Gabriel, "has made a post-9/11 career out of roundly denouncing Islam, decrying 'political correctness,' and promoting the concept of an existential clash of cultures.[13] The CIP aso states that, "Her pro-Israel, anti-Islam spiel, coupled with her compelling personal history, has made her a popular speaker, writer, and general 'expert.' She appears sometimes as a commentator on television news and radio programs, often speaking out for the rights of Muslim women."[13]

[edit] ACT! For America and American Congress for Truth

Gabriel is the founder of ACT! for America, a non-profit issues advocacy organization. ACT! for America has hundreds of chapters across America and members in 20 countries outside of America. She is also the founder of American Congress for Truth, a non-profit organization which denounces Islamic fundamentalism. [12]

Dr. Franklin Lamb, researcher and author at the American University of Beirut, states that American Congress for Truth and ACT! for America package, "hate and scare tactics much like Ann Coulter and the right-wing anti-Islam Human Events website."[11][14]

[edit] Other affiliations

Gabriel is also a member of the Board of Advisors of The Intelligence Summit and lectures nationally and internationally on Global Terrorism. She has addressed former Prime Minister of Australia John Howard, Members of the U.S. Congress, The Joint Forces Staff College, The United States Special Operations Command, the FBI and members of the House of Commons in London.[12]

Ahmed Bedier of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has described The Intelligence Summit, for which Gabriel serves as a board advisor, as a body that holds events where "opportunists" are "[Muslim] bashing and cashing and making money from it."[15]

Gabriel is listed as a member of the Hasbara Fellowship Speakers Bureau, a pro-Israeli advocacy group, on their website[16]; but has denied being a member of that organization.[11] Describing her talks as "anti-Arab and anti-Muslim venom," Lamb says she is being bankrolled by Israeli and Zionist interests.[11]

[edit] Literary works

Gabriel is the author of two books: Because They Hate: A Survivor of Islamic Terror Warns America, and They Must Be Stopped: Why We Must Defeat Radical Islam and How We Can Do It. She is a regular guest analyst on Fox News Channel, CNN, MSNBC and various radio stations daily across America.[12]

[edit] Criticism of Islam

Gabriel is critical of Islam and believes that "the degraded state of Arab societies is caused by Islam",[1] and that Arab Muslims are "lagging behind" because of social and religious values.[2] She considers "Islamic terrorists" simply as devout followers of Islam,[5] following an example set by Muhammad's behavior.[3][4]

“ It is not politically correct to say that our Western societies are better than the Muslim Arab societies, but we are, we have been, and we always will be. ”

—Because They Hate[17]

Deborah Solomon of the New York Times Magazine, who interviewed Gabriel in August 2008, described her as a "radical Islamophobe."[18]

Gabriel is critical of Americans who "find all sorts of things wrong with America", who "badmouth and put down our culture, government, and country", while having "never experienced life in an oppressive culture or under an oppressive leadership such as is found in the Middle East."[17] She believes that Americans should "acknowledge that our Western culture is.. better than others."[19]

In viewing America as "a powerful and great nation" possessing "superior.. culture and values", Gabriel sees the entitlements that American Western culture has bestowed through "the Judeo-Christian value system" and the ideals of the Founding Fathers, who "worked to establish rights for the individual, rights that did not exist under other forms of government at that time."[20]

According to Gabriel, since Radical Islam views the destruction of Israel alongside the United States as "a parallel strategic objective",[21] she therefore sees the survival of Israel as being of paramount importance as a vanguard of Western culture and as "the only Western-style nation in the Middle East, one that Arabs despise, feel threatened by, and vow to destroy."[20]

In a symposium held in January 2009 titled "Homegrown Jihadis" by FrontPage Magazine, she stated Islam itself "promotes intolerance and violence", and that "Moderate Muslims must organize and engage those enlightened, educated and westernized Muslims in the community to begin a dialogue to discuss the possibility of reform in Islam just as Christianity and Judaism have been reformed."[22]

[edit] Arab-Israeli conflict

Gabriel views the Arab-Israeli conflict as being "intractable because the Arab world refuses to accept the right of a Jewish state to exist." This animosity, having once been rooted in Pan-Arabism has evolved, according to Gabriel, into the more sinister spectre of "radical Islamic supremacism" which now appears to seek "bigger game in the West." She cites examples such as the Iranian Revolution of 1979 and the rise of Hamas as bringing to the forefront radical Islamic ideologies that are rooted in "religious hatred, humiliation, and resentment" of Israel and the West.[23]

Gabriel believes this can be seen in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict where, in her view, Palestinian nationalism has largely been replaced by "holy obligation" motivating adherents to commit "terrorist murder."[24] She states that the legitimization of Palestinian suicide attacks within Israel has now evolved to where, "Islamists believe that they may commit mass murder anywhere in the world to advance their holy cause." As a result, she believes the world now suffers "from a plague of Islamic terrorism... authored and perfected by the Palestinians."[25]

With regard to the two-state solution, Gabriel states: "Forcing Israel to accept a two-state solution is not going to work unless the Palestinians first are forced to clean up their act and eliminate hatred from their schoolbooks, teach tolerance to their people, and preach acceptance of Israel and the Jews as a neighbor."[26]

[edit] Controversy at speaking engagements

When Gabriel was invited to speak as part of a lecture series organised by Duke University's Jewish community in October 2004, many in attendance were angered by her referring to Arabs as "barbarians." The Freeman Centre for Jewish Life at Duke University later apologized for her comments.[11] Following her speech at women's campaign event for the Jewish Federation of Ottawa (JFO) in November 2008, many in attendance registered their protests, leading Mitchell Bellman, president and CEO of the JFO, to write a letter in which he acknowledged that Gabriel made, "unacceptable gross generalizations of Arabs and Muslims," distancing his organization from her views.[18]

In 2007 at the Christians United For Israel annual conference, Gabriel delivered the following speech:

The difference, my friends, between Israel and the Arab world is the difference between civilization and barbarism. It's the difference between good and evil [applause].... this is what we're witnessing in the Arabic world, They have no SOUL !, they are dead set on killing and destruction. And in the name of something they call "Allah" which is very different from the God we believe....[applause] because our God is the God of love.
—Christians United For Israel annual conference 2007[27]

This speech was subsequently criticised by journalist Bruce Wilson as being "hate speech" and stated the following:

Bridgette Gabriel's diatribe, painting a wide swath of humanity as subhuman, would have been well at home in Goebbel's Reich and should have been denounced for the hate speech that is was rather than sanctioned by the presence of national politicians and presidential candidates. But such expressions - leveled towards Islam - rarely are denounced at present.
—Bruce Wilson, journalist[27]

[edit] Books by Brigitte Gabriel

[edit] Because They Hate

Because They Hate: A Survivor of Islamic Terror Warns America. St. Martin's Press. 5 September 2006. ISBN 0312358377. 

In her first book Gabriel discusses her experiences as a Maronite Christian living in Lebanon during the civil war in the 1970s. She describes the story of her family and her childhood, hiding in a bomb shelter. She details her opinions that her country's inherent multicultural acceptance of all faiths and cultures including the then dominant Lebanese Christian phalangists, led to Lebanon's ruin by the continuous attacks from indigenous Muslims, other Christian groups and migrant Palestinians.

Gabriel comments that "anyone who voices his or her opinion contrary to 'politically correct think' is immediately tagged" a "racist" or "bigot" and that this has resulted in a "social paranoia which discourages free thought and expression."[28] Moreover, she states that societies and cultures must be held accountable for their actions and that "by not judging others... we have helped create the monsters we are dealing with today."[19]

The book made The New York Times hardcover best seller list.[29] According to the introduction of the 2008 edition of Because They Hate, the book was put on the reading list at the FBI Academy and was assigned as mandatory reading for Navy SEALs heading to the Middle East.[30]

[edit] They Must Be Stopped

Gabriel, Brigitte (19 August 2008). They Must Be Stopped: Why We Must Defeat Radical Islam and How We Can Do It. St. Martin's Press. ISBN 9780312383633. 

"We, as infidels in the eyes of our enemy, need to understand the danger we face: A totalitarian ideology — whether its origin is mainstream or marginal — threatens to enslave, dominate, and murder us in order to realize its vision for global conquest."[31]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Gabriel, 2006, p. 189. "It kills self-expression, self-improvement, and empowerment because the religion demands that Islam be the center of one's life and existence, and it dictates how you should be, how you should live."
  2. ^ a b Gabriel, 2006, p. 188. "[T]hey have an ingrained corruption that runs throughout their societies. They respect craftiness and deceit over honesty and virtue. They are consumed with hate for one another."
  3. ^ a b Gabriel, 2006, p. 202. "[Muhammad] was a warrior who preached violence and the slaughter of thousands in establishing and spreading Islam."
  4. ^ a b Gabriel, 2006, p. 203. "[T]he prophet Mohammed, a successful military leader who led his Muslim army against non-Muslims, is an inspiration to almost a billion people around the world."
  5. ^ a b Gabriel, 2006, p. 205. "Islamic terrorists [...] are really just very devout followers of Muhammad. They are following his example and doing exactly what the Koran teaches and their mullahs exhort them to do with a daily diet of righteous jihad."
  6. ^ "American Congress for Truth". Mission Statement. American Congress for Truth. http://www.americancongressfortruth.com/mission-vision.asp. Retrieved 2008-04-19.  One of the 7 mission statements.
  7. ^ Gabriel, 2006, p. 205.
  8. ^ Hoyt, Clark (2008-08-21). "A Radical Islamophobe?". The New York Times. http://publiceditor.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/08/21/a-radical-islamophobe/?apage=2#comments. Retrieved 2010-04-26. 
  9. ^ a b Gabriel, 2006, p. 44.
  10. ^ "Because They Hate: A Survivor of Islamic Terror Warns America". Heritage Live - Events. The Heritage Foundation. http://www.heritage.org/Press/Events/ev092706a.cfm. Retrieved 2008-03-09. "Brigitte Gabriel lost her childhood to militant Islam."  – speaker profile from lecture series
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h i Lamb, Franklin (6 - 12 March 2008), "Al-Ahram Weekly", AL-AHRAM (Cairo), http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2008/887/focus.htm 
  12. ^ a b c d "ACT! for America". About Ms. Gabriel. ACT! for America. http://www.actforamerica.org/index.php/learn/about-ms-gabriel. Retrieved 2009-11-05.  About Ms. Gabriel.
  13. ^ a b "Americas Program Profile: Brigitte Gabriel". Center for International Policy (CIP). August 23, 2007. http://americas.irc-online.org/am/4493. Retrieved 2010-02-11. 
  14. ^ Hoyt, Clark (2008-08-21). "A Radical Islamophobe?". The New York Times. http://publiceditor.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/08/21/a-radical-islamophobe/. Retrieved 2010-04-26. 
  15. ^ "Moderate Muslims Speak out Against Extremism". Presenters: Glenn Beck. GLENN BECK on CNN. CNN. 2007-03-05.
  16. ^ "Hasbara Fellowship Speakers Bureau". Isralactivism.com. http://www.israelactivism.com/speakers. Retrieved 2010-02-11. 
  17. ^ a b Gabriel, 2006, p. 185-186.
  18. ^ a b Mira Sucharov (December 18, 2009). "Use the anti-Semitism test". Jewish Independent. http://www.jewishindependent.ca/archives/Dec09/archives09Dec18-06.html. 
  19. ^ a b Gabriel, 2006, p. 186. "... stand up and lift your head and be proud of what America and Western culture stand for."
  20. ^ a b Gabriel, 2006, p. 184.
  21. ^ Gabriel, 2006, p. 169.
  22. ^ "FrontPageMagazine.com". Symposium: Homegrown Jihadis. FrontPage Magazine. http://www.frontpagemag.com/readArticle.aspx?ARTID=33886. Retrieved 2009-05-09.  Symposium held in January 2009.
  23. ^ Gabriel, 2006, p. 173-174.
  24. ^ Gabriel, 2006, p. 181.
  25. ^ Gabriel, 2006, p. 182.
  26. ^ DEENA YELLIN (25/06/2009). "An inside ally". Jerusalem Post. http://www.jpost.com/Magazine/Features/Article.aspx?id=146686. Retrieved 2010-03-16. 
  27. ^ a b BRUCE WILSON (15/08/2007). "McCain and Lieberman Frolic At CUFI's Festival Of Hate". Talk 2 Action. http://www.talk2action.org/story/2007/7/27/22357/2657/Front_Page/McCain_and_Lieberman_Frolic_At_CUFI_s_Festival_Of_Hate. Retrieved 2010-05-09. 
  28. ^ Gabriel, 2006, p. 216.
  29. ^ "Hardcover Best Seller List". The New York Times Books (The New York Times Company). 17 November 2006. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/17/books/16blog-polibooks.html?_r=1&oref=slogin. Retrieved 2008-03-09. "The author (who describes herself as an Arab Christian and victim of radical Islam) presents her view of Islamic Terrorism." 
  30. ^ Gabriel, 2006, p.xx of the 2008 edition.
  31. ^ Gabriel, 2008, p. 7.

[edit] Bibliography

[edit] External links

[edit] Video

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