BREAKING: American Muslims Feeling More at Home in Political Process

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CAIR Asks Fla. U.S. Senate Hopeful Not to Attend Anti-Islam Rally
Rally keynote speaker says she would bar Muslims from public office

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 7/20/10) –- The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today called on Florida GOP U.S. Senate candidate Marco Rubio not to accept an invitation to take part in an August 21 Tea Party rally featuring an extremist anti-Islam keynote speaker who has stated that Muslims should not be allowed to hold public office, that an American Muslim "cannot be a loyal citizen" and that Islam is the "real enemy."

Emerald Coast Tea Party Patriots invited Brigitte Gabriel, the head of the anti-Islam hate group ACT! for America, to be the keynote speaker at its "U.S. Constitution Freedom Rally" on August 21 in Fort Walton Beach, Fla. Rubio is listed on a rally flyer as "invited waiting for confirmation."

Last week, CAIR asked the group to drop Gabriel as a speaker because of her hate-filled views.

SEE: CAIR Asks Fla. Tea Party to Drop Anti-Islam Speaker

The Washington-based Muslim civil rights and advocacy group notes that the Tea Party Patriots web site currently features a blog post attacking "Muslim Family Day" September 12 at the Six Flags theme parks. The writer states that the "closest parallel to Islam is the Ku Klux Klan. . .stop the Muslim day -- They are not Americans."

SEE: Stop Six Flags 'Muslim Family Day'
Beck Freaks Out About Six Flags' "Muslim Day"
Six Flags Events

Yesterday, CAIR called for an educational initiative by the American Muslim community to respond to a Florida church's planned "International Burn a Koran Day" on September 11. CAIR says the Quran burning and growing opposition to American mosques are evidence of the nationwide growth of anti-Islam sentiment promoted by hate groups like ACT! for America and Stop the Islamization of America (SIOA).

SEE: CAIR Seeks Educational Response to 'Burn a Koran Day'
Right Wing Takes on Muslim Worship Anywhere and Everywhere
SIOA is an Anti-Muslim Hate Group

"We ask Mr. Rubio not to lend legitimacy to this hate rally and to demonstrate through his actions that the Republican Party will not seek to benefit from the rising level ofIslamophobia in our society," CAIR-Tampa Communications Director Ramzy Kiliç. "Since the rally organizers obviously believe a hate-monger is an appropriate keynote speaker, we ask all the elected officials and candidates listed on the event flyer to cancel their appearances."

Hooper noted that along with her stated desire to have Muslims barred from public office, Gabriel has also claimed that Arabs "have no soul" and that Muslims worship "something they call 'Allah,' which is very different from the God we believe [in]."

SEE: A Case Study in Sincere Hypocrisy: Brigitte Gabriel
Video: Brigitte Gabriel Says Arabs Have No Souls

Earlier this year, a person staffing an ACT! for America information table in Florida was caught on video bragging that he desecrated the Quran, Islam's revealed text, and urinates in the washing stations Muslims use to perform their ritual ablutions (wudu) for prayer.

SEE: Person at ACT! for America Table in Fla. Brags of Desecrating Quran

Gabriel told the Australian Jewish News: "Every practising Muslim is a radical Muslim." She also claimed that "Islamo-fascism is a politically-correct word. . .it's the vehicle for Islam. . .Islam is the problem."

When asked whether Americans should "resist Muslims who want to seek political office in this nation," Gabriel said:

"Absolutely. 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."

CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

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CONTACT: CAIR-Tampa Communications Director Ramzy Kiliç, 813-766-2745, E-Mail:rkilic@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or202-744-7726, E-Mail: ihooper@cair.com; CAIR Communications Coordinator Amina Rubin, 202-488-8787, 202-341-4171, E-Mail: arubin@cair.com