Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Another significant milestone








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Another Big
Step Forward for ACT! for America

by Brigitte
Gabriel


Dear Solsticewitch13

Tomorrow marks another exciting milestone in the growth, influence and
effectiveness of ACT! for America. I’m delighted to announce that tomorrow,
ACT! for America’s full-time lobbyist, Lisa Piraneo, begins work on Capitol
Hill !!

Lisa’s official title is “Director of Government Relations.” Lisa has over 15
years of experience on Capitol Hill, including stints in four congressional
offices and nearly seven years of experience as a lobbyist for a national
organization. She has also worked for a Homeland Security consulting firm.

In her capacity as Director of Government Relations, Lisa will work with
members of Congress and their staffs, educating them on issues we’re
concerned about and seeking their support for bills we consider important.
We already have a handful of bills Lisa will be working on, and we’ll give
you information and updates on those at a later time.

She will also be working with our chapter leaders and members on such
tasks as providing education on how to effectively persuade our elected
representatives as well as coordinating grassroots contacts with members
of Congress.

As events of the past several weeks demonstrate, our achieving a full-time
presence on Capitol Hill hasn’t come a moment too soon.
Yesterday we reported to you that the UN Human Rights Council passed a
resolution that calls on nations around the world to criminalize the
“defamation” of Islam. The Fox News article below highlights the growing
concern in America about the encroachment of Islamic shariah law.

Putting an experienced, qualified lobbyist to work on our behalf on Capitol
Hill was our top priority for 2009. Hundreds of you responded to our
request for financial support to make this a reality, and thanks to your help,
it is a reality!

I dreamed of this day seven years ago when I launched American Congress
for Truth, ACT! for America’s “sister” organization. I dreamed of the day that
we would have tens of thousands of members, hundreds of chapters, and
a full-time lobbyist in D.C.

That day has arrived.

Lisa will be one of our featured speakers at most of our “Citizens in Action”
conferences this year. If you haven’t yet registered to attend or participate
via live webcast, please log on to www.actforamerica.org and register today.

Words simply can’t express my gratitude for each and every one of you.
We have a big task ahead of us, but together we will succeed, because as
each of us does a little, together we’ll accomplish a lot.

Always devoted,



Brigitte Gabriel








Islamic Law's Influence in America a Growing Concern

Sunday , March 29, 2009

By David Lewkowict





As America's Muslim population grows, so too does the
influence of Islamic law, or Shariah, in daily life in the U.S.


"Shariah Law is the totality of the Muslim's obligation," said
Abdullahi An-Na'im, a professor of law at Emory University in Atlanta.
According to An-Na'im, Shariah is similar to Jewish Talmudic Law or
Catholic Canon Law in that it guides an adherent's moral conduct.


"As a citizen, I am a subject of the United States," An-Na'im
said. "I owe allegiance to the United States, to the Constitution of the
United States. That is not inconsistent with observing a religious code in
terms of my own personal behavior."

While many view this as a testament to the "great American melting pot,"
others see Islamic law's growing influence as a threat. Shariah's critics
point to cases such as the airport in Minneapolis, where some
Shariah-adherent taxi drivers made headlines in 2006 for refusing to pick
up passengers they suspected of carrying liquor. The drivers' aversion to
alcohol stemmed from a verse in the Qur'an that describes "intoxicants
and gambling" as "an abomination of Satan's handiwork."

Last year, a Tyson Foods plant in Shelbyville, Tenn. replaced its traditional
Labor Day holiday with paid time off on Eid al-Fitr, the Muslim festival —
marking the end of fasting during Ramadan. A labor union had requested
the change on behalf of hundreds of Muslim employees— many of them
were immigrants from Somalia.

But public outcry over the decision to dismiss Labor Day quickly prompted
the company and union to negotiate a new contract that makes
accommodations for both holidays.

In 2007, the University of Michigan installed ritual foot baths to accommodate
Islamic tradition. "These things are beginning to percolate up as
Shariah-adherent Muslims insist that their preferences and practices be
accommodated by the rest of the population," said Frank Gaffney,
founder and president of the Center for Security Policy — a
Washington think tank.

Gaffney predicted the U.S. could soon face problems similar to some
Western European countries, where the religious values of Muslim
immigrants sometimes clash with their highly secular host cultures.

But Professor An-Na'im believes it will be different in America.
"The variety of American secularism — which is much more
receptive of public displays of religion and a public role for religion —
is, in fact, more conducive for Muslims to be citizens and to be
comfortable with their religious values and citizenship than European
countries," An-Na'im said.



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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.







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