Political Influence Operation
Date: July 16, 2010
Description:
CAIR called on the Emerald Coast Tea Party Patriots to drop what they termed “an extremist anti-Islam speaker” – head of ACT! for America Brigitte Gabriel – as the keynote speaker at an August 21 rally in Ft. Walton Beach, Florida.
CAIR also pressured political candidates including GOP Senate candidate Marco Rubio to cancel their appearances unless Gabriel was dropped as a speaker. CAIR’s continuing pattern of pressuring candidates into silence in 2010 is part of their “Summer of Censorship” campaign that started in earnest this May.
This is also not the first time CAIR has tried to punish a politician for their proximity to ACT! for America, which they call an “anti-Islam hate group.” In April 2010 CAIR National and CAIR-Tampa called for 5,000 signatures condemning Rep. Sue Myrick (R-NC) for associating with ACT!.
“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,” said CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper.
CAIR used a similar tactic against the Tennessee Tea Party Convention when they pressured Rep. Steve King (R-IA) to withdraw from the event if alleged “Islamophobic” speaker Pamela Geller was not dropped from the program.
Source(s):
http://www.cair.com/ArticleDetails.aspx?ArticleID=26519&&name=n&&currPage=1&&Active=1
Actions:
On July 22 the Center for Security Policy sent a letter to Brigitte Gabriel concerning CAIR’s unregistered foreign agent status and CAIR’s calls on the tea party to cancel Ms. Gabriel’s appearance as a foreign influence operation. A copy of the letter was also sent to Bureau Chief Heather Hunt of the Foreign Agents Registration Unit at the Department of Justice.
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