Because They Hate: A Survivor of Islamic Terror Warns America (4 page)

There is no time for any more delusions. There is too much at stake. America needs to wake up from a gullible state of ignorant bliss and start learning Islamic history. We must expose the truth and must get involved in ensuring that our elected officials know that they have our support to throw political correctness in the garbage. We must clearly state that we are sick and tired of the lies and deception, that we want to know the truth about the enemy we are fighting and what we can do to win this war. Only then will we have a chance of winning this battle. Once our elected officials know that they can count on our support and they will not be demonized for stating the facts, they will be more courageous in coming out in the open and declaring war on our enemy.

I urge all of you to get involved in ACT for America (
www.actforamerica.com
) and become an active voice affecting your community and our nation. Because of the huge success of
Because They Hate,
I realized that there is a huge need for a citizen’s action network, a national grassroots organization that will give power to “we the people.” ACT for America has connected, mobilized, and organized concerned citizens into one of the largest lobbying voices on Capitol Hill focused on and dedicated to America’s national security.

Join us in our defense of America.

—Brigitte Gabriel

In July 2006, four weeks before the scheduled release of this book in hardcover, a bloody war broke out in Lebanon between Hezbollah and Israel. The history described in
Because They Hate
suddenly came alive. History repeated itself in the same South Lebanon towns I wrote about—the villages in which I grew up and experienced the Lebanese war between 1975 and 1982. In 1982 we saw Israel push into Lebanon, fed up with the rockets that had been raining down on Northern Israel; they invaded Lebanon in order to push back the the PLO and Syrians. Similarly in 2006, Hezbollah captured Israeli soldiers and again sent rockets into Northern Israel. The world was upset with Israel in 1982, but in 2006 the situation had changed and the international community gave Israeli forces time to hit Hezbollah before the UN Security Council called for an end to hostilities by unanimously adopting resolution 1701, on August 11, 2006. The resolution called for a permanent cease-fire to be based on the creation of a buffer zone free of armed personnel other than the UN and armed Lebanese forces.
¹
The intervening twenty-four years of Muslim mayhem had knocked some sense into the world and altered its thinking and response to radical Islam. My publisher, St. Martin’s Press, released
Because They Hate
two weeks prior to its scheduled date, so it was available for readers who wanted to understand the situation in Lebanon in terms of its underlying conflict and sources.

The tragic summer conflict opened the doors for me with the media and launched
Because They Hate
along with hundreds of media interviews. I was one of the most knowledgeable experts on radical Islam in Lebanon—not only was I a survivor who lived through the Lebanese war but I was also a journalist who covered the area in the 1980s.

As I travel worldwide, I have been overwhelmed with the love and appreciation I receive when I speak at churches, synagogues, business and political functions, and private organizations. I have met many thousands of Americans who are frustrated with the current situation and who are all supportive of fighting Islamofacism no matter what it takes. Many have told me that they have been made to feel isolated in their thinking and appreciate my clear presentation of the realities and danger of radical Islam. In the many and varied communities in which I have spoken, hundreds and thousands show up to hear me speak. I have seen people from different backgrounds and religions who have come together to form friendships and associations that support their involvement in fighting radical Islam—a movement that threatens our freedoms and way of life. These gatherings are very heartening and have inspired me even more to continue with my vision for American Congress for Truth (ACT for America), which is not only to educate millions of Americans about the threat of Islamofascism, but also to mobilize millions of patriotic citizens into a national grassroots force—to give power to “we the people” and empower every concerned citizen to become a voice affecting their community and our great nation. ACT for America (a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization) is an issues advocacy organization dedicated to effectively organizing and mobilizing a powerful American grassroots citizen action network, and is 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.

ACT for America was founded to unify the voice of Americans who are not only concerned about the threat of Islamofascism but also understand that “political correctness” is causing government action— and inaction—that compromises American security, safety, and liberty.

ACT for America is now in the process of setting up chapters nationwide to network and organize citizens by empowering them and giving them the tools by which they can make a difference on their own level in their own community.

To be honest, I was not surprised by the positive reactions
Because They Hate
received. I had expected it. I have been an activist since 2002 and have been communicating since then with different groups and people through the activities and community on
www.americancongressfortruth.org
. I knew there were thousands of people nationwide who had become fed up with political correctness and were hungry to hear the truth regarding our enemy and our national security. Patriotic Americans were tired of journalists putting our country down, standing up for our enemy, and all the while sabotaging our government that was doing everything in its power to protect us and disrespecting our soldiers who were putting their lives on the line. The disdain, ridicule, and extreme posturing from the far left and some Congressional committee members toward General Petraeus during his Iraq report to Congress in September 2007 were typical of the uniformed position of the blind left. The whole performance was disgraceful to our country and helpful to our enemy.

But I knew there were readers out there who wanted the truth. One reader told me that when he went to a bookstore and inquired about “the book that is number one under terrorism on Amazon .com,” the store clerk reacted in disgust and answered with a scowl, “The author did something recently on C-SPAN and we keep running out of stock."

Readers such as this one put
Because They Hate
on the
New York Times
bestseller list as the readers flocked to buy copies, pushing the number of copies in print to ten times the initial printing. C-SPAN, which aired one of my Washington, D.C., presentations at the Heritage
Foundation,
was
so
overwhelmed with requests for the DVD of the presentation that they aired the interview multiple times on multiple weekends. Because of book-related publicity, over twenty thousand people signed up and joined my organization American Congress for Truth, asking to receive our e-mails and action alerts.

I worked sixteen hours a day for twelve months (and counting!) either traveling to speaking engagements or giving radio interviews from my hotel room or office. On some days I would give fourteen radio interviews, starting at 7:00 A.M. and going until 11:00 P.M. Radio talk show hosts would thank me for my honesty and tell me after the interview that I made their phone lines light up like they have never seen before. It was clear that the American public was ready to speak and to hear the truth, and to be inspired to learn what they could do to protect their communities.

As I worked to publicize
Because They Hate,
I learned a lot about the state of our society and the place honesty and forthrightness hold. I discovered that many organizations wanted to have me as a speaker for major events because of the popularity and effectiveness of my message, but they were afraid and intimidated by the possible reaction of Muslims in their community. Some organizations canceled bookings out of intimidation from influential members who thought that my ideas would inflame the Muslims in their communities. Many times I was instructed before speaking to be politically correct and not to offend anyone. And so I agreed to give only the facts without inserting my political opinion—I let the news facts reported around the world about current events and terrorists activities and attacks speak for themselves. By the end of my presentations to many even leftist groups, my audiences agreed with me on 90 percent of my presentation. The only disagreements came from Muslim invited guests—usually doctors and respected members of the Islamic community—who passionately argued that Hezbollah is not a terrorist organization, that we do not have terrorists in our communities, and that their Islamic community was different and peaceful. It was laughable to say the least hearing these arguments in Toronto where sixteen local Canadian Muslims tried to blow up government buildings and behead politicians;
²
in Miami where many local Muslims have been charged with terrorist activities;
³
in New York where local Muslims were charged with a terrorist plot to blow up JFK;
⁴
in LA where a massacre was planned by local Muslims against two Los Angeles synagogues;
⁵
and in Australia where nine men were tried in a terrorist plot to blow up Australia’s only nuclear reactor.
⁶
One organization flew me across the country to be their keynote speaker for their annual event, and then, after hearing my first presentation, instructed me to change facts reported in the news—I wasn’t to offend people with the truth even if it meant I had to lie.

Discussing news events has apparently become a bigoted and racist activity because terrorists are Muslims. Discussing those facts may offend some people and so we must stay silent.

In all the presentations that I have done with crowds large and small at a variety of venues, I have not run into one Muslim who stood up and apologized for the murder and attacks that were perpetrated in the name of their religion. Whenever a Muslim stood up from the crowd, it was to argue that I was making Muslims look bad. No one stood up to call for reform in their religion or used the opportunity to ask other Muslims if they would like to join in a movement to publicly condemn terrorist organizations by name.

The Muslim community recognized quickly that my message had a welcome audience and that I present it effectively and without fear. And so they tried to organize to stop me from coming to their communities in the first place. They tried everything from intimidating and threatening me by phone and e-mail in detailed terms, to intimidating the groups who invited me to speak, especially universities. They knew that anyone who attended my lectures would walk away with a different reality than the one that has been perpetrated for the last thirty years by the PLO and presented by sympathetic media and “progressive” Muslims on campus.

Speaking boldly earned me passionate enemies and faithful supporters. When I was scheduled to speak at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, an e-mail originating out of an organization in California was sent to members in the Detroit community. The title of the e-mail said: “Islam-Basher Brigitte Gabriel to visit Ann Arbor on December 4” and the text included the following: “Muslims, Arabs, and their friends and allies should give Gabriel a proper welcome.” College campuses I visited, occupied by deceptive, self-loathing Americans and Islamist sympathizers, became battlegrounds—in order to exercise America’s right to freedom of speech, I had to be surrounded by an army of police officers insuring my safety. Extensive security, bodyguards, and K9 units at university lectures became the norm. Many times I thought that America’s freedom of speech, much attacked and laying in an intensive care state, was in dire straits.

As Muslims (and what I am finding to be more surprising, some Jews) complained about this book from one continent to another,
Because They Hate
earned respect and admiration from world leaders and decision makers in business and politics.

I had the privilege of visiting England and addressing the British Parliament/House of Commons, as well as business leaders throughout the country, about the rise of radical Islam in Europe. Audiences were very receptive and shared their concerns and feelings of helplessness against the tsunami of radicalism swelling within their community. What was shocking and eerie especially in London was the evidence of a rise of anti-Semitism throughout Europe. This is a direct side effect of the rise of Islam and the brainwashing and intimidation by the swelling number of Islamic communities preaching hate in their mosques and Islamic schools. Jews cannot even go to their temples for prayer services without intense security to ensure their safety.

Since this book has been published, I have been invited to meet and work with the FBI in addressing counterterrorism strategies and educating agents on the mind-set of terrorists, how radicalism is spreading through the mosques in America, and what to do about it.
Because They Hate
was put on the reading list at the FBI Academy and was assigned as mandatory reading for Navy SEALs heading to the Middle East. I addressed the United States Special Operations Command in Florida as well as the Joint Forces Command in Virginia. Standing in the presence of such heroes made me realize the greatness of America and the people behind the freedoms we enjoy

But my proudest moment was September 10, 2007, when I addressed members of Congress on Capitol Hill after General Petraeus delivered his address to the House about the war in Iraq.

Being on Capitol Hill that day was a remarkable experience. As my assistant and I pulled into the Capitol under heavy security, we looked around in utter amazement as heavily armed SWAT teams with fully loaded Ml6s covered the Capitol and its surrounding streets with weapons ready to fire. One would expect to see this in Israel—but not in the United States. It was a chilling sign of the times we live in and a harsh reminder that we are at war with Islamofascists who are bent on killing us.