Fox News regular lights up Tea Party rally: 'Terrorists are coming in droves'

Fox News regular lights up Tea Party rally: 'Terrorists are coming in droves'
August 21, 2010 7:04 PM
Jeff Barker
Daily News

OKALOOSA ISLAND — Brigitte Gabriel, a prominent activist who says she’s fighting to keep the United States from being overrun by Islam, asked local tea party supporters to join her cause Saturday.

Gabriel, who frequently appears on Fox News, was the keynote speaker at the U.S. Constitution Freedom Rally at the Emerald Coast Conference Center. The event, sponsored by the Emerald Coast Tea Party, drew several hundred people, including local political candidates.

The controversial speaker, who has drawn criticism from Muslim groups, urged the crowd to “throw political correctness in the garbage.” She urged them to speak out about the threat of radical Islam, which she says has become more emboldened during the Obama administration.

"The terrorists are coming in droves from all over the place," she said.

Born an Arab Christian in Lebanon, Gabriel said she experienced terrorism first-hand when 14 rockets exploded at her home in 1975, burying her under rubble. Persecuted by violent Muslims, Gabriel was forced to live in a bomb shelter for much of her youth.

After she moved to Israel and became a TV journalist, Gabriel said she realized radical Islam was growing into a global problem. Despite years of terrorist attacks, she said, the U.S. didn’t wake up to the threat until 9/11.

“No matter where the terrorist activities took place, the name of the terrorist was always Muslim,” she said.

“Eurabia,” as she calls Europe, already has been overrun by Muslim immigrants and should serve as a preview of what’s coming to the U.S., Gabriel said.

The public cannot trust Muslim groups claiming to be moderate, she added. Invariably, there are ties to terrorist networks and a hidden radical agenda: Muslim domination of America.

Gabriel also railed against Middle Eastern and Islamic studies courses at universities, which she called “occupied territory.” She alleged that Saudi Arabia has set up departments at universities that say America is an empire and Israel is a problem, which feeds a “steady diet” of hate to future policymakers and journalists.

“They pump poison into the minds of our future generations,” she said.

Gabriel asked visitors Saturday to join or donate to her organization, ACT! for America, a lobbying group that says its main goal is to keep Shariah law out of the courts.

Earlier this month, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) asked politicians to boycott the rally, calling ACT! for America an “anti-Islamic hate group.” During her speech, Gabriel accused CAIR of aiding terrorists and asked its representatives to debate her in Arabic.

A few protesters stood outside the conference center holding signs such as “Real patriots respect Islam.”

Gabriel’s talk was followed by a series of 3-minute speeches by local political candidates.

All profits from the rally were to go to wounded warriors and fishermen, said Geoff Ross, president of the Emerald Coast Tea Party.

He said he organized the rally to bring attention to the First Amendment and the Constitution. He emphasized the need to cut taxes and reduce the size of the federal government.

Ross defended Gabriel.

“She’s not anti-Muslim, she’s anti-jihad,” he said.