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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CAIR Asks Fla. Tea Party to Drop Anti-Islam Speaker
Keynote speaker is leader of hate group who says Muslims should be barred from public office

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 7/16/10) -- A prominent national Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization today called on a Tea Party group in Florida to drop an extremist anti-Islam 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."

The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said the groupEmerald Coast Tea Party Patriots has 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.

SEE: U.S. Constitution Freedom Rally

CAIR is also calling on political candidates scheduled to appear at the event, including GOP Senate candidate Marco Rubio, to cancel their appearances unless Gabriel is dropped as a speaker.

That request comes just a day after CAIR offered support for an NAACP resolution passed earlier this week asking the Tea Party movement to condemn racism within its ranks.

SEE: CAIR Backs NAACP Resolution on Tea Party Racism

CAIR has also learned that California "Tea Party activists" are scheduled to be trained by ACT! for America on July 20 about "how to be an effective activist against Political Islam and its threat to our way of life."

SEE: ACT! for AMERICA: Basic Training Class 101

"Now is the time for Tea Party leaders to clearly demonstrate that their movement will not allow itself to be associated with bigotry of any kind, including Islamophobia," saidCAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper.

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 National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail: ihooper@cair.com; CAIR Communications Coordinator Amina Rubin, 202-488-8787, 202-341-4171, E-Mail: arubin@cair.com

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