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Reaffirming Our Principles by Guy Rodgers, Executive Director This is a very important message being sent today to every ACT! for America chapter leader. I hope you will take a few minutes to read it. Recently, a video of an ACT! for America local chapter outreach event was posted on YouTube. In the video, a man is heard several times making crude and vulgar remarks about Islam and the Koran, such as using crude references to bodily waste functions. I won’t dignify the remarks by repeating them here. The man making the remarks was not an ACT! for America chapter leader. He was not, by his own admission, even an ACT! for America member. He sent me an email making this clear, and affirmed that he was not speaking as a representative of ACT! for America or on behalf of ACT! for America. However, the video was posted on an ACT! for America local chapter YouTube channel, which created the erroneous impression that the person making the remarks was an ACT! for America chapter leader or representative. I bring this to the attention of you, a chapter leader, for two reasons. First, it gives me an opportunity to reaffirm certain principles that ACT! for America, its leadership and its organization, abide by. As anyone who follows the words and writings of Brigitte Gabriel and this organization knows, we are unafraid to speak the truth about the threat of radical Islam. We are unafraid to speak the truth about how political correctness is enabling the advance of the evil of radical Islam. We do so by unflinchingly educating people about such matters as the life and actions of Mohammed, the supremacist ideology of political Islam, the doctrine of jihad, the nature of Islamic sharia law—and their chilling ramifications for the West in general and America in particular. We do not call for desecrating the Koran, Hadith and Sira. We do not call for the hatred of Islam or Muslims. We do not engage in crude or vulgar attacks on Islam or in the character assassination of Muslims. Nor do we condone, justify or defend such actions. Having discussed this with Kelly Cook, our National Field Director, I have no doubt that every chapter leader who is reading this would agree with me. We can and must fight for what we believe; fight to expose the truth of the evil of radical Islam; and do so boldly—without sinking into the proverbial “gutter.” We can and must defend ourselves against global jihad and Islamic terrorism, with all of our might and every means at our disposal, without regarding all Muslims as evil. There are many moderate Muslims in the world who, for various reasons, ignore, dismiss, reject, or are ignorant of the doctrines of political Islam and jihad. It is true that militant Islamists can—and do—engage in acts that make gutter language appear mild in comparison. As Brigitte witnessed in Lebanon, such militants committed acts of barbarism that are almost unimaginable. It is true that hatred of and contempt for “infidels” is expressed, visibly, fervently and frequently throughout the Muslim world. It is true that Islamists demand a tolerance for their ideology and actions that regularly extends beyond reasonable tolerance to unreasonable accommodation, and it is also true that Islamic societies do not normally accord such tolerance to non-Muslims. These observations are not mere opinion; they are verifiable. That they are is why we are resisting radical Islam and what it imposes on any society. For us to engage in the hatred and contempt that radical Islamists engage in means we become like what we are opposing. Second, this incident illustrates how absolutely essential it is for every ACT! for America chapter leader to be wise, judicious, and circumspect, when it comes to public actions such as posting information on the web. Those who would seek to avoid having to address the substance of the critiques leveled against radical Islam are looking for any and every way to discredit anyone with whom they disagree. This is why they hurl epithets and engage in propaganda techniques such as name-calling. They are unable to rebut the verifiable critique that the ideology of political Islam and jihad have, over 1400 years, led to the death and enslavement of hundreds of millions of people and the subjugation and persecution of hundreds of millions more. They cannot win an honest debate in the marketplace of public opinion. So they resort to smearing and demonizing the messengers. The truth is on our side. This is why our opponents engage in these kinds of tactics. Let us strive to be wise by keeping the focus on the doctrines, the facts and the evidence. By doing so, we back our opponents into an ever-shrinking corner from which there will be no escape. It appears France will soon ban the burqa, labeling it as oppressive of women. Last year the Swiss voted to ban the construction of minarets on mosques. Recently, Geert Wilders’ political party won stunning victories in local elections in the Netherlands. If increasing numbers of Europeans can see, and are finally responding to, the threat of radical Islam, I am confident that if we continue to “fight the good fight,” and do it in the right way, more and more Americans will recognize and respond to the threat as well. We can and we will successfully repel the threat of radical Islam without having to stoop to adopting the behaviors that emanate from the supremacist, hateful, evil ideology we oppose. We are better than that. That’s why immigrants have always flocked to America. We offer the freedom, hope and opportunity that cultures steeped in militant Islam do not.  Guy Rodgers Executive Director
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ACT for America P.O. Box 12765 Pensacola, FL 32591 www.actforamerica.org ACT for America is an issues advocacy organization dedicated to effectively organizing and mobilizing the most powerful grassroots citizen action network in America, a grassroots network committed to informed and coordinated civic action that will lead to public policies that promote America’s national security and the defense of American democratic values against the assault of radical Islam. We are only as strong as our supporters, and your volunteer and financial support is essential to our success. Thank you for helping us make America safer and more secure. The news items, blogs, educational materials and other information in our emails and on our website are only intended to provide information, news and commentary on events and issues related to the threat of radical Islam. Much of this information is based upon media sources, such as the AP wire services, newspapers, magazines, books, online news blog and news services, and radio and television, which we deem to be reliable. However, we have undertaken no independent investigation to verify the accuracy of the information reported by these media sources. We therefore disclaim all liability for false or inaccurate information from these media sources. We also disclaim all liability for the third-party information that may be accessed through the material referenced in our emails or posted on our website. Do not respond to this e-mail for any reason. To discontinue your membership automatically please, follow the link below. You are registered to receive email as <:firstandlastname:> at the following e-mail address: <:emailaddress:>. You must use the correct e-mail address to discontinue your membership. HOW CAN I TELL OTHERS ABOUT YOUR ORGANIZATION? Send a personalized version of this message to your friends. HOW CAN I SUPPORT YOUR ORGANIZATION? Click here to give an online donation. |
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