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ACT for America

ACT for America is a nonprofit grassroots advocacy organization founded in 2007 by Brigitte Gabriel, a Lebanese-American author and activist who experienced the Lebanese Civil War.^[1] Described by its leaders as the nation's premier national security movement, it aims to educate, engage, train, and mobilize citizens to counter threats to American safety, sovereignty, and culture, with a particular emphasis on radical Islamist ideology, terrorism, and unchecked immigration.^[2]^[3] The group claims over five million digital activists operating in chapters across 97 percent of U.S. counties, positioning itself as a defender of constitutional freedoms against external influences that could undermine them.^[3] ACT for America conducts campaigns on issues including border security, election integrity, and law enforcement support, asserting that its efforts have generated over 314 million grassroots actions and contributed to the passage of more than 300 federal and state bills enhancing national security measures.^[4] Notable legislative influences include advocacy for the Laken Riley Act, which expanded detention requirements for certain immigrant crimes, and state-level reforms in places like Florida and Texas mandating cooperation between local authorities and federal immigration enforcement.^[4] The organization also promotes education on the ideological roots of jihadist threats, drawing from Gabriel's writings and speeches that distinguish between peaceful Muslims and those adhering to supremacist doctrines derived from certain interpretations of Islamic texts.^[1] The group has encountered significant opposition, with organizations such as the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Anti-Defamation League designating it as an anti-Muslim hate group for promoting what they describe as conspiracy theories and broad generalizations about Islam.^[5] ACT for America rejects these characterizations, maintaining that its focus remains on empirical evidence of radical Islamist activities and policy failures enabling security risks, rather than animosity toward Muslims as a whole.^[6] This contention highlights ongoing debates over the boundaries between legitimate national security advocacy and perceived prejudice, amid broader cultural discussions on immigration and religious extremism.^[7]

History

Founding and Early Years (2007–2010)

ACT for America was established in 2007 as a nonprofit advocacy organization by Brigitte Gabriel, a Lebanese-American author and activist who had previously founded the American Congress for Truth in 2002.^[8]^[9] The group emerged in the post-9/11 era amid heightened public concern over Islamist terrorism, positioning itself as a grassroots network to educate Americans and mobilize action against what it described as threats from radical Islam, including jihadist ideology and the imposition of Sharia law.^[10] Gabriel, born Hanah Kahwagi in 1964 to Maronite Christian parents in war-torn Lebanon, survived the 1975 Lebanese Civil War, during which her family's home was destroyed by a bomb and she spent extended periods in a shelter; she immigrated to the United States in 1989 after time in Israel and Australia, becoming a U.S. citizen and drawing on her experiences to critique Islamist extremism in her 2006 book Because They Hate.^[5]^[11] The transition from the American Congress for Truth—an educational 501(c)(3) entity focused on promoting Gabriel's lectures, books, and warnings about Islamic radicalism—to ACT for America marked a shift toward political advocacy under 501(c)(4) status, enabling lobbying and citizen mobilization without the stricter limits on political activity.^[9]^[10] In its inaugural year, the organization began building a network of local chapters, starting with a small base in Virginia and expanding to encourage members to contact legislators on issues like immigration policies perceived to enable terrorism risks and opposition to mosque constructions seen as promoting Sharia.^[10] Early efforts included hosting webinars and conferences sponsored jointly with the Congress for Truth, such as national webcasts to disseminate information on global jihadist threats, aiming to counter what Gabriel viewed as inadequate media and governmental responses to patterns of Islamist violence observed in Europe and the Middle East.^[12] By 2010, ACT for America had grown to include dozens of chapters across states, supported by membership drives and Gabriel's speaking engagements, which drew audiences concerned with national security; financial disclosures show Gabriel's combined compensation from both entities reached $178,411 in 2009, reflecting increasing donor support amid ongoing debates over Islamic extremism following events like the 2009 Fort Hood shooting.^[11] The organization's initial focus remained on legislative alerts, such as urging opposition to refugee resettlement programs from high-risk regions and advocating for enhanced counterterrorism measures, while distinguishing its concerns as targeted at political Islam rather than Muslims broadly, though critics from groups like the Southern Poverty Law Center labeled it an anti-Muslim entity for conflating radicalism with mainstream practice.^[13]^[10] This period laid the groundwork for broader campaigns by emphasizing empirical examples of jihadist attacks and Sharia implementations abroad as cautionary precedents for U.S. policy.

Expansion and Key Milestones (2011–Present)

Following its early establishment, ACT for America expanded its grassroots network, reporting 500 chapters and 155,000 members nationwide by 2011.^[11] The organization grew its claimed membership to over 750,000 by 2018, emphasizing local chapters for advocacy on national security and immigration issues.^[14] This period saw a focus on legislative influence, with ACT for America contributing to the passage of over 300 federal and state bills related to counterterrorism, immigration enforcement, and restrictions on foreign legal systems, driven by more than 314 million grassroots actions mobilized through its platform.^[4] A pivotal campaign was the promotion of American Laws for American Courts (ALAC) model legislation, introduced in state legislatures starting around 2010 but gaining traction post-2011 to prohibit the application of foreign laws incompatible with U.S. constitutional rights, particularly targeting Sharia-based rulings; by 2017, versions had passed in at least 10 states including Alabama, Arizona, and Louisiana.^[15] In 2011, the group supported Tennessee's anti-refugee law, allowing the state to consider economic impacts of refugee resettlement programs.^[13] In June 2017, ACT for America organized the nationwide "March Against Sharia," coordinating events in over 20 cities to protest the expansion of Islamic legal principles in the U.S., drawing thousands of participants amid counter-protests and heightened media scrutiny.^[16] ^[17] The events underscored the organization's shift toward public demonstrations, though some rallies faced logistical challenges and accusations of inflating chapter participation numbers, with ACT claiming up to 1,000 active chapters at the time before removing an interactive map from its website.^[18] Post-2017 expansion included increased lobbying efforts, with reported expenditures of $7,500 in 2021 and $30,000 in 2019 on federal issues like immigration and security.^[19] ^[20] By 2023, ACT for America asserted 1 million members and over 414,000 dedicated activists, focusing on campaigns against sanctuary policies and fentanyl trafficking.^[21] Recent milestones include advocacy for 2025 legislation such as the Laken Riley Act (S.5, signed January 29, 2025), mandating detention for certain migrant crimes, and state-level immigration measures in Florida (SB 2-C, signed February 13, 2025) and Texas (SB 8, signed June 20, 2025), enhancing local-federal cooperation on enforcement.^[4] These efforts reflect sustained growth in policy impact amid evolving national debates on border security.^[4]

Leadership and Key Figures

Brigitte Gabriel as Founder and Leader

Brigitte Gabriel, born Hanan Qahwaji on October 21, 1964, in Marjeyoun, Lebanon, to a Maronite Christian family, endured the Lebanese Civil War from 1975 to 1990.^[1] At age 10, Islamist militants attacked her village, destroying her home and forcing her family to seek refuge in an 8-by-10-foot bomb shelter where she lived for seven years while her father worked as a dynamite planter to sustain them.^[1] ^[22] These experiences, which she attributes to the rise of radical Islamic forces displacing Christians in her homeland, profoundly influenced her advocacy against jihadist ideologies.^[1] After fleeing to Israel in 1984, where she worked as a news anchor for the Arabic-language program World News, Gabriel immigrated to the United States in 1989.^[1] Motivated by her firsthand encounters with Islamist violence and concerns over similar threats in the West post-9/11, she established ACT for America on February 28, 2007, as a nonprofit advocacy group to mobilize citizens against radical Islam and promote national security.^[1] ^[13] Initially evolving from her earlier American Congress for Truth initiative founded in 2002, ACT for America under Gabriel's direction expanded into a lobbying network focused on legislative alerts, educational campaigns, and opposition to policies perceived as enabling Islamist extremism.^[9] As founder and chairman, Gabriel has led ACT for America to become what the organization describes as the largest national security grassroots movement in the U.S., claiming over 5 million members and affiliates in all 50 states by promoting local chapters and online activism.^[1] Her leadership includes authoring New York Times bestsellers such as Because They Hate: A Survivor of Islamic Terror Warns America (2006), which recounts her Lebanese ordeal and critiques multiculturalism's risks; They Must Be Stopped: Why We Must Defeat Radical Islam and How We Can Do It (2008); and RISE: In Defense of Judeo-Christian Values and Freedom (2021).^[23] ^[24] Gabriel has testified before bodies like the United Nations, U.S. Congress, and Pentagon, and received knighthood as "Dame Brigitte Gabriel" from European authorities in 2016 for her efforts.^[1] Under her tenure, the group has influenced over 200 anti-Sharia bills in state legislatures and engaged in high-profile advocacy, including White House consultations during the Trump administration.^[25]

Organizational Structure Under Leadership

ACT for America functions as a 501(c)(4) nonprofit with centralized national leadership headed by founder Brigitte Gabriel, who holds roles including president, CEO, and chairman, directing overall strategy and policy advocacy.^[26]^[27] Operational management falls under an executive director, currently Guy Rodgers, a former Republican consultant responsible for field coordination and financial oversight, building on his prior experience with organizations like the Christian Coalition.^[28]^[29] A board of directors provides governance, with members such as Scott Saunders and Valerie Price listed in tax filings, alongside advisors like retired General Michael Flynn, who contributed to national security-focused input until at least 2018.^[26]^[15] The structure emphasizes grassroots mobilization through a network of volunteer-led local chapters, which individuals or groups register independently to host meetings, conduct activism, and implement national campaigns at the community level, operating in over 97% of U.S. counties as of recent reports.^[30]^[31]^[3] This hybrid model coordinates top-down directives—such as legislative alerts and educational resources—from national headquarters with decentralized chapter activities, enabling rapid response to issues like immigration policy or terrorism threats, supported by a digital activist base exceeding 5 million members.^[3]^[9]

Mission and Ideology

Core Objectives and Stated Goals

ACT for America states its core mission as educating, engaging, training, and mobilizing citizens to safeguard American safety and security against all threats, foreign and domestic. The organization seeks to empower grassroots activists and inform elected officials to shape public policy, emphasizing the preservation of U.S. culture, sovereignty, and constitutional civil liberties amid perceived ideological challenges. This includes advocacy for robust national security measures to counter dangers that could undermine democratic values and Western civilization.^[2]^[3] From its founding in 2007, ACT for America has articulated goals centered on combating the advance of radical Islamist ideologies, including opposition to Sharia law's implementation in American institutions and promotion of awareness about jihadist terrorism. Brigitte Gabriel, the founder, established the group to address what she described as the existential threat posed by political Islam, drawing from her experiences in Lebanon during its civil war and subsequent Islamist influences. The stated objectives prioritize distinguishing radical elements within Islam from moderate practitioners while pushing for policies that prevent infiltration by extremist networks, such as through education on Islamist supremacist doctrines and support for counterterrorism legislation.^[3] Key goals encompass legislative advocacy to ban practices incompatible with U.S. law, like honor killings or female genital mutilation linked to certain cultural imports, and fostering public vigilance against radicalization in communities. ACT for America claims to have influenced over 300 state and federal bills aligned with these aims, focusing on election integrity, immigration controls, and law enforcement protections as extensions of broader security imperatives. While framing its work as non-discriminatory toward peaceful Muslims, the organization's priorities remain rooted in countering what it terms the "civilizational jihad" advanced by groups like the Muslim Brotherhood.^[3]

Views on Radical Islam, Terrorism, and Sharia

ACT for America characterizes radical Islam as a totalitarian political ideology rooted in supremacist doctrines that promote jihad—encompassing both violent terrorism and subversive infiltration—to establish global Sharia governance, viewing it as the foremost threat to Western liberties and national security.^[32] The organization contends that acts of Islamic terrorism, including the September 11, 2001, attacks that killed 2,977 people, stem not from socioeconomic grievances or mental instability but from explicit religious imperatives in Islamic texts advocating conquest and subjugation of non-believers.^[33] Founder Brigitte Gabriel, drawing from her experiences fleeing Lebanon's jihadist violence in the 1970s, asserts in her 2008 book They Must Be Stopped that "calls for jihad and the imposition of Sharia law are not mere historical remnants but are actively promoted by certain sects of Islam today," linking this to over 1,400 years of conquest resulting in widespread death and enslavement. The group specifically opposes Sharia as an alien legal system incompatible with constitutional democracy, arguing it mandates practices like polygamy, honor killings, and corporal punishments that erode individual rights and enable parallel societies.^[34] In response, ACT for America has mobilized nationwide marches against Sharia implementation, framing it as a stealth mechanism for Islamist expansionism rather than benign religious observance.^[32] They advocate designating the Muslim Brotherhood—a transnational network influencing groups like Hamas and promoting "civilization jihad"—as a terrorist organization, citing its foundational texts that endorse phased infiltration to supplant host societies with Islamic rule, a position aligned with designations by allies like Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE since 2014.^[35] While emphasizing opposition to radicalism, ACT for America maintains a distinction from moderate Islam, explicitly stating it "does not believe, nor advocate, that all Muslims are engaged in stealth jihad," focusing instead on ideological threats verifiable through patterns of jihadist attacks—over 40,000 documented globally since 2001, per databases like The Religion of Peace—and doctrinal advocacy by extremists.^[36] Gabriel reinforces this in Because They Hate (2006), warning that unchecked radical ideologies exploit moderate silences, urging empirical scrutiny of Islamist groups' ties to terrorism financing and propaganda rather than blanket assumptions of peacefulness.^[37] This stance prioritizes causal links between jihadist theology and violence, critiquing institutional reluctance—often attributed to biases in academia and media—to confront scriptural bases for terrorism.^[14]

Distinctions Between Radicalism and Moderate Islam

ACT for America differentiates radical Islam from moderate Islam by characterizing the former as a supremacist political ideology rooted in literal interpretations of Islamic texts that endorse violence, jihad, and the global enforcement of Sharia law as a totalitarian system incompatible with democratic freedoms, individual rights, and secular governance. In contrast, the organization views moderate Islam as the non-political, personal faith practiced by the majority of Muslims who prioritize peaceful coexistence, reject extremism, and integrate into pluralistic societies without seeking to impose religious law on others. Founder Brigitte Gabriel has emphasized this divide, stating in public addresses that "there are 1.2 billion Muslims in the world today; of course not all of them are radicals—the majority of them are peaceful people," but warning that the radical minority drives societal change through activism and intimidation, rendering passive moderates ineffective in countering it.^[38] Gabriel further argues that moderate Muslims become "irrelevant" to halting radical Islam's advance, drawing an analogy to the "peaceful majority" in Nazi Germany, which failed to impede the regime's atrocities despite numerical superiority; she estimates radicals comprise 15-25% of the global Muslim population—potentially 180-300 million individuals—sufficient to exert outsized influence via organized networks like the Muslim Brotherhood, which she identifies as promoting stealth jihad through infiltration of institutions rather than overt violence alone.^[39] This perspective underscores ACT's focus on ideological threats, such as demands for parallel Sharia courts or blasphemy laws, which it claims erode civil liberties even when advanced by non-violent means, while explicitly supporting alliances with reformist or anti-Sharia Muslims who publicly denounce these elements.^[40] For instance, the group has partnered with Muslim figures opposing radicalism, positioning such moderates as "true radicals" for challenging orthodoxy within their communities, though critics from organizations like the Southern Poverty Law Center contend this distinction blurs into broader anti-Muslim rhetoric.^[33]^[36] Empirical data cited by ACT includes polling from sources like Pew Research, which in 2013 found median support for Sharia as official law exceeding 70% in several Muslim-majority countries, with subsets endorsing harsh punishments like stoning for adultery or death for apostasy—figures Gabriel interprets as evidence of latent radical sympathies even among self-identified moderates, though she acknowledges variances, such as lower extremism rates among American Muslims (e.g., only 8% viewing civilian casualties in terrorism as often justified per 2011 Pew data). The organization advocates vetting immigrants and leaders based on explicit rejection of jihadist doctrines, arguing that true moderation requires active opposition to groups like Hamas or Hezbollah, designated as terrorists by the U.S. State Department since 1997 and 1995, respectively, rather than mere absence of violence.^[41] This framework informs ACT's campaigns, prioritizing education on textual sources of radicalism—such as Quranic verses on warfare or hadiths mandating conquest—while calling for moderate voices to reform Islam from within to align with universal human rights.^[42]

Activities and Campaigns

Educational and Awareness Initiatives

ACT for America conducts educational initiatives primarily through its 501(c)(3) affiliate, ACT for America Education, established to inform citizens about national security threats from radical Islamist ideologies and related issues. The organization's mission emphasizes educating, engaging, training, and mobilizing individuals to safeguard American safety and security by highlighting risks such as jihadist terrorism and Sharia implementation.^[2] These efforts include distributing training materials to activists and local chapters on counter-terrorism strategies, cultural preservation, and policy advocacy.^[43] A key focus involves scrutinizing public school curricula for content perceived as promoting uncritical views of Islam or radical ideologies. In 2017, ACT for America Education released the report "Education or Indoctrination?", which analyzed textbooks and teaching materials in U.S. schools, arguing they often present sanitized portrayals of Islamic history and doctrine while omitting threats from jihadism.^[44] The report, available via the organization's dedicated education site, calls for reforms to ensure curricula reflect factual historical and security contexts rather than ideological biases.^[44] Awareness campaigns extend to opposing specific educational trends, such as Critical Race Theory, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs, Social Emotional Learning, and comprehensive sex education deemed inappropriate for K-12 settings. ACT for America has mobilized petitions and alerts urging school choice reforms to empower parents against such content, framing these as indoctrination risks that undermine traditional American values and security awareness.^[45] These initiatives draw on data from school districts and policy analyses to advocate for parental oversight and curriculum transparency, with actions taken numbering in the hundreds of thousands across related petitions.^[46] Through speakers' bureaus, webinars, and resource kits, the group trains community leaders to identify and counter radical influences in educational institutions, including universities. Brigitte Gabriel, the founder, has authored books like "Because They Hate" (2006) and "They Must Be Stopped" (2008), used as educational tools to detail personal experiences with Islamist extremism and broader threats, distributed to foster public discourse on these topics.^[8] These materials prioritize empirical accounts of terrorism incidents and doctrinal analyses over generalized narratives, aiming to equip participants with evidence-based arguments for local advocacy.

Advocacy and Lobbying Efforts

ACT for America conducts lobbying and advocacy to influence legislation on national security, terrorism prevention, and restrictions on practices associated with radical Islam. Registered as a federal lobbyist, the organization expended $30,000 on lobbying activities in 2019, targeting bills including H.R. 151 (Eliminating Foreign Intervention in Elections Act) and H.R. 153 (Mobilizing Against Sanctuary Cities Act), which aimed to curb foreign electoral interference and limit sanctuary policies for undocumented immigrants.^[20] In 2015, it supported S. 269 (Nuclear Weapon Free Iran Act of 2015) and other measures like S. 1846 (Critical Infrastructure Protection Act of 2016), emphasizing sanctions and protections against Iranian threats and infrastructure vulnerabilities.^[47] At the state level, ACT for America develops and promotes model legislation, contributing to the passage of 42 bills across more than 20 states between approximately 2012 and 2019. These efforts focused on prohibiting the application of foreign laws, such as Sharia, in domestic courts, and bolstering anti-terrorism protocols, often through coordinated grassroots campaigns urging legislators to adopt standardized templates.^[34] The organization's tax filings confirm its explicit commitment to lobbying government officials for policies advancing defense and democratic values against perceived Islamist extremism.^[48] ACT for America runs over 112 distinct political advocacy campaigns, as detailed in its internal summaries, mobilizing members to petition lawmakers on issues like immigration enforcement, counterterrorism funding, and opposition to policies enabling radical ideologies.^[49] It has endorsed federal initiatives such as H.R. 1905 (Iran Threat Reduction Act), advocating for heightened sanctions and restrictions on Iran's nuclear program and support for proxy militias.^[50] These activities blend direct lobbying with citizen action alerts, aiming to shape discourse and outcomes on security-related bills without relying solely on professional lobbyists.^[8]

Major Public Events and Protests

ACT for America organized the nationwide "March Against Sharia" on June 10, 2017, in approximately 28 cities across 18 states, including New York City, Chicago, Denver, and Seattle, to protest what the group described as the incompatibility of Islamic Sharia law with American constitutional principles, women's rights, and democratic values.^[51]^[5] The events drew hundreds of participants overall, with organizers framing them as a defense against the expansion of Sharia-influenced practices in the U.S., citing examples such as honor killings, female genital mutilation, and restrictions on free speech.^[32]^[17] Counter-protests significantly outnumbered ACT for America demonstrators in most locations, leading to tense standoffs, physical altercations, and arrests in cities like Portland, Oregon, and St. Paul, Minnesota, where clashes between pro- and anti-Sharia groups required police intervention.^[52]^[53] Critics, including civil rights organizations, condemned the marches as promoting anti-Muslim sentiment, while ACT for America maintained the focus was solely on opposing radical Islamist ideologies rather than Islam as a faith.^[54]^[16] In August 2017, following large-scale counter-protests at a Boston "Free Speech Rally" that drew tens of thousands of opponents, ACT for America canceled 67 planned rallies across 36 states originally intended to continue anti-Sharia advocacy.^[55]^[56] The cancellations were attributed by the group to safety concerns amid the overwhelming opposition, marking a setback for their public demonstration strategy.^[9] Beyond these, ACT for America has participated in smaller-scale protests and commemorative events, such as annual gatherings tied to 9/11 remembrance focused on terrorism awareness, though these have not achieved the national scope of the 2017 marches.^[13] Local chapter actions have included opposition to specific mosque constructions or refugee resettlement sites perceived as security risks, often coordinated with broader anti-terrorism messaging, but without widespread documentation of large protests.^[14]

Membership and Operations

Membership Size and Demographics

ACT for America has self-reported a membership of over 750,000 individuals and volunteer activists nationwide, a figure cited in organizational descriptions and media coverage from 2017.^[57] ^[58] Earlier estimates from 2011 indicated approximately 155,000 members organized into around 500 local chapters.^[59] By 2015, the group claimed nearly 300,000 members across 890 chapters, reflecting growth in its grassroots network.^[60] These numbers encompass supporters who sign up via email lists or participate in campaigns, though critics have questioned the extent of active, dues-paying engagement, suggesting potential exaggeration for promotional purposes.^[61] The organization's membership demographics skew toward conservative Americans, particularly evangelical Christians, Tea Party Republicans, and those prioritizing national security and defense of Israel, including both Jewish and Christian supporters.^[11] ^[33] Studies of participant profiles indicate strong overlap with socially conservative and anti-jihadist viewpoints, often aligning with broader right-wing populist movements.^[9] No comprehensive, independent demographic surveys exist, but chapter activities and event attendance suggest a predominance of middle-aged and older white Americans from suburban and rural areas, motivated by concerns over immigration, terrorism, and cultural preservation.^[15]

Grassroots Network and Chapter Activities

ACT for America maintains a decentralized network of local chapters designed to facilitate grassroots activism at the community level. Prospective chapter leaders register through the organization's website, identifying as self-starters responsible for building teams of local activists to advance national security objectives, such as countering perceived threats from radical Islam.^[30] These chapters operate with flexibility, lacking mandatory quotas or schedules, and focus on replicating national campaigns locally while prioritizing issues of interest to members, including educational outreach and policy advocacy.^[30] Chapter activities encompass organizing events like informational meetings, protests, and coordination with broader organizational efforts. In June 2017, chapters supported the March Against Sharia, a series of demonstrations held in more than 20 U.S. cities to protest the adoption of Islamic legal principles, drawing participants concerned about conflicts with American constitutional norms.^[17] Local groups have also arranged speaking engagements for national figures, such as stops on retired General Michael Flynn's tour in 2016, where chapters hosted events to discuss terrorism and security threats. The organization promotes specialized grassroots efforts through its Act in Faith program, which enables the formation of chapters within churches to engage Judeo-Christian congregations on civic issues.^[62] These faith-based chapters conduct activities including voter registration drives, evaluations of political candidates based on alignment with traditional values, promotion of principled voting, and advocacy on local policies affecting community security.^[62] Participants access national resources like action alerts to amplify local impact without formal commitments.^[62] While ACT for America has described its network as extensive, with past claims of over 1,000 chapters and more than 500,000 members, independent assessments have indicated lower levels of verifiable activity. A 2017 review found fewer than 50 chapters engaging in substantive operations, such as hosting events or media interactions, amid questions about the network's grassroots authenticity raised by critics including the Southern Poverty Law Center, an advocacy group known for designating organizations opposing radical Islam as hate entities.

Policy Influence and Impact

Legislative Achievements and Lobbying Successes

ACT for America has claimed responsibility for influencing the passage of over 300 bills at the federal and state levels through its grassroots mobilization, which has generated more than 314 million actions by activists contacting legislators.^[4] These efforts primarily target legislation enhancing national security, border enforcement, and restrictions on foreign influences perceived as threats, including measures against terrorism and unchecked immigration. The organization's lobbying focuses on bills that align with its mission to counter radical ideologies, such as those linked to Islamist extremism, by promoting stricter vetting and deterrence policies. At the federal level, ACT for America supported the Laken Riley Act (S.5), signed into law on January 29, 2025, which mandates detention for undocumented immigrants charged with certain crimes, including burglary, theft, and assaults on law enforcement, aiming to prevent releases that could lead to further offenses.^[4] It also contributed to H.R. 1, the "One Big Beautiful Bill," enacted on July 4, 2025, which codifies executive actions on border security (e.g., Executive Order 14165) and boosts funding for defense and immigration enforcement.^[4] Additionally, the group backed the HALT Fentanyl Act (H.R. 27 and S. 331), passed on July 17, 2025, classifying fentanyl analogs as Schedule I substances to combat drug trafficking networks often tied to border vulnerabilities.^[4] On the state front, ACT for America's advocacy helped secure Florida's SB 2-C and 4-C, signed February 13, 2025, establishing an Immigration Enforcement Board and ending in-state tuition benefits for undocumented students to prioritize citizen resources and deter illegal entry.^[4] In Texas, SB 8, enacted June 20, 2025, requires sheriffs in 234 counties to collaborate with ICE on detentions, enhancing local-federal coordination against transnational threats.^[4] Idaho's HB 135, signed April 3, 2025, prohibits unauthorized immigrants from accessing public services and introduces "illegal entry" as a criminal offense, reflecting the group's push for state-level sovereignty over security matters.^[4] The organization has also promoted model legislation like American Laws for American Courts (ALAC), designed to prevent the application of foreign legal systems incompatible with U.S. constitutional protections, including Sharia-based rulings, with versions adopted in multiple states since 2010.^[4] While direct causation for each passage is attributed by ACT for America to its lobbying and chapter networks, independent tracking via platforms like OpenSecrets confirms their registration and activity on related federal bills concerning foreign terrorist organizations and visa overstays.^[20] These successes underscore a pattern of amplifying conservative national security priorities through sustained citizen pressure rather than direct financial lobbying.

Contributions to National Security Discourse

ACT for America has contributed to national security discourse by mobilizing public and legislative attention toward the ideological drivers of Islamist extremism, emphasizing that threats stem from interpretations of Islamic doctrine promoting supremacism and violence rather than socioeconomic factors alone. Founded in 2007 by Brigitte Gabriel, a Lebanese-American who survived Islamist militancy during the Lebanese Civil War, the organization has produced educational materials and campaigns underscoring the need to confront jihadist ideologies head-on, including infiltration by groups like the Muslim Brotherhood into Western institutions.^[1] ^[63] This approach contrasts with narratives downplaying religious motivations, which Gabriel has argued obscure causal links between scriptural imperatives and terrorist acts, as detailed in her addresses to U.S. officials and international bodies.^[21] The group's grassroots network, claiming over five million members, has amplified warnings about specific vulnerabilities, such as unchecked refugee inflows from high-risk regions and the spread of Sharia-compatible practices that could erode rule-of-law norms essential to security.^[1] For instance, ACT for America's campaigns have highlighted empirical cases of honor-based violence and radicalization in U.S. communities, pressing for vetting reforms to prevent importation of instability observed in Europe, where data from 2015-2016 migrant waves correlated with spikes in Islamist attacks.^[9] Gabriel's 2017 White House engagement further integrated these concerns into executive discussions on counterterrorism, advocating for policies prioritizing ideological screening over purely humanitarian considerations.^[25] ^[64] Through annual conferences and media appearances, such as the 2016 ACT event broadcast on C-SPAN, the organization has facilitated expert panels dissecting global jihadist networks, fostering a broader debate on integrating counter-extremism into domestic policy without conflating it with broader civil liberties erosions.^[65] These efforts have empirically aligned with validated threats, including FBI reports on homegrown radicalization tied to online Islamist propaganda, compelling a reevaluation of prior administrations' reluctance to name ideological sources explicitly.^[13] Despite criticisms from advocacy groups alleging overgeneralization, ACT's insistence on doctrinal realism has paralleled intelligence assessments, such as those post-9/11, affirming that ignoring supremacist tenets perpetuates vulnerabilities.^[5]

Controversies and Criticisms

Accusations of Islamophobia and Hate Group Labels

The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) has classified ACT for America as an anti-Muslim hate group since at least 2014, asserting that the organization disseminates unsubstantiated conspiracy theories about Muslims plotting to replace the U.S. Constitution with Sharia law, portrays American Muslims as inherently disloyal, and fosters widespread fear of Islamic influence in society.^[13] The SPLC, which maintains a database of over 1,000 such groups as of 2023, bases this designation on ACT's advocacy materials, public statements by founder Brigitte Gabriel—such as her claim that "every practicing Muslim who believes in the teaching of the Quran cannot be a loyal citizen of the United States"—and campaigns like the "March Against Sharia" held on June 10, 2017, in over 200 U.S. cities.^[66] ^[5] ^[17] The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has similarly criticized ACT for America for conflating mainstream Islam with extremism, highlighting Gabriel's assertions that "a practicing Muslim who believes in the teachings of the Koran cannot be a loyal citizen" and equating the faith's tenets with totalitarianism, which the ADL argues promotes generalized prejudice rather than targeted counter-terrorism.^[5] Advocacy groups like the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the Bridge Initiative at Georgetown University have echoed these charges, labeling ACT's grassroots alerts and legislative pushes—such as model bills to ban foreign law in courts—as veiled efforts to stigmatize Muslim communities and erode civil liberties under the guise of national security.^[21] ^[9] These accusations gained prominence in media coverage following events like ACT's 2017 marches, with outlets reporting the group's rapid growth to claimed 750,000 members while framing its rhetoric as contributing to a post-9/11 surge in anti-Muslim incidents tracked by the FBI, which recorded 160 such hate crimes in 2016 rising to 273 by 2017.^[25] Critics, including the Center for American Progress in its 2011 "Fear, Inc." report, position ACT within a network of organizations allegedly manufacturing Islamophobia for political gain, though the SPLC's designations have themselves drawn scrutiny for applying "hate group" labels to entities lacking records of violence, such as conservative think tanks.^[67]

Specific Incidents and Media Backlash

In June 2017, ACT for America organized the "March Against Sharia" on June 10 across approximately 28 cities in the United States, aiming to protest what the group described as the threat of Sharia law's implementation, which it argued undermines constitutional rights, women's equality, and freedom of speech.^[16] The events drew small crowds, often outnumbered by counter-protesters, and resulted in clashes, arrests, and injuries in locations such as Seattle, where pepper spray was deployed by police, and Minneapolis, where physical altercations occurred between demonstrators and opponents.^[68] Media outlets like NPR and CNN reported the marches as organized by an anti-Islam group, highlighting participant signs equating Sharia with oppression while noting counter-protester accusations of bigotry.^[51] Civil rights organizations, including the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), condemned the events as fueling anti-Muslim hate amid a reported rise in bias incidents post-2016 election.^[53] The marches prompted widespread media criticism portraying ACT for America as promoting Islamophobia rather than legitimate policy concerns; for instance, Al Jazeera described the protests as defeated by anti-fascist mobilization, framing them as part of a broader anti-Muslim agenda despite ACT's emphasis on radical ideology over peaceful practitioners.^[69] Coverage in outlets like The Guardian linked the events to a surge in hate crimes, with spokespeople from groups such as the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) arguing the rhetoric conflated all Muslims with extremists.^[53] ACT responded by asserting the focus was on Sharia's documented elements incompatible with U.S. law, such as corporal punishments and gender inequalities in some interpretations, but this defense received limited mainstream amplification amid dominant narratives of xenophobia.^[16] In October 2019, ACT for America faced backlash over plans to hold its annual gala at President Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, with the event drawing condemnation from Muslim advocacy groups and media for the venue's association with Trump family properties.^[70] Donald Trump Jr. publicly objected, tweeting that the group did not align with his father's agenda, leading to the banquet's relocation after initial approvals.^[70] The New York Times reported the incident as highlighting tensions within conservative circles over ACT's designation by watchdogs like the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) as an anti-Muslim entity, though the group maintained its event targeted policy threats from Islamist extremism.^[70] This episode amplified prior media scrutiny, with critics citing ACT founder Brigitte Gabriel's past statements—such as claiming "every practicing Muslim who prays five times a day is a radical Muslim"—as evidence of broader bias.^[5] Additional incidents include a 2018 Al Jazeera investigation revealing ACT training materials that instructed activists to monitor mosques and university courses for signs of radicalization, which the outlet framed as encouraging citizen surveillance akin to spying on Muslim communities.^[14] The report, based on internal documents, sparked accusations of paranoia and civil liberties violations from progressive media, though ACT described the materials as community vigilance against known terrorism indicators, referencing FBI data on radicalization hotspots.^[14] Such coverage contributed to ongoing portrayals of the organization as fear-mongering, often without equivalent emphasis on empirical cases of Islamist-inspired attacks thwarted by similar reporting.^[33]

Defenses and Responses

Rebuttals to Criticisms and Legal Challenges

ACT for America has consistently rebutted accusations of Islamophobia by clarifying that its mission targets radical Islamist ideology, including jihadist terrorism and Sharia supremacism, rather than Muslims practicing their faith peacefully. The organization cites empirical evidence of threats, such as the 3,000 deaths from the September 11, 2001, attacks by al-Qaeda and subsequent incidents like the 2015 San Bernardino shooting by ISIS sympathizers, to justify its focus on national security risks posed by political Islam. Founder Brigitte Gabriel, a Lebanese Maronite Christian who witnessed Islamist violence during Lebanon's civil war, has emphasized in congressional testimony that "it is not about Muslims, but about the ideology of Islamism that seeks to impose Sharia over democratic governance." In response to designations as a "hate group" by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), ACT for America highlights the SPLC's history of expansive labeling that has led to legal repercussions and internal scandals, arguing such tags serve fundraising rather than objective analysis. The SPLC paid $3.375 million in 2018 to settle a defamation lawsuit by Muslim reformer Maajid Nawaz, whom it falsely labeled an "anti-Muslim extremist," issuing a formal apology and retraction for damaging his reputation without evidence. ACT joined an open letter from 47 organizations in 2018 decrying the SPLC's practices as "harmful defamation" that conflates policy advocacy with bigotry.^[71] The SPLC's credibility was further undermined in March 2019 when it fired co-founder Morris Dees amid allegations of sexual harassment, racial discrimination, and a toxic workplace culture, with former staff describing an environment of fear and financial opacity despite a $500 million endowment.^[72] ACT has faced few direct legal challenges to its operations, successfully organizing nationwide events like the 2017 March Against Sharia despite opposition, and leveraging its network to support over 300 state-level bills restricting foreign laws incompatible with U.S. constitutions, such as anti-Sharia measures enacted in 10 states by 2010.^[4] In recent years, the group has criticized government reliance on SPLC designations, pointing to 2023 congressional revelations that the FBI improperly used the SPLC's "hate map" to investigate traditionalist Catholics as domestic threats, violating First Amendment protections and illustrating the labels' potential for abuse.^[73] These defenses underscore ACT's position that criticisms stem from ideological opposition to scrutinizing Islamist extremism rather than substantive evidence of hatred.

Empirical Justifications and Achievements in Countering Threats

ACT for America's emphasis on Islamist extremism as a primary national security threat aligns with federal assessments documenting persistent risks from jihadist ideologies and networks. Between September 11, 2001, and December 2019, the U.S. experienced over 100 Islamist-inspired terrorist attacks or plots, resulting in more than 100 fatalities, including high-profile incidents such as the 2015 San Bernardino shooting (14 killed) and the 2016 Pulse nightclub massacre (49 killed), both perpetrated by individuals radicalized by ISIS propaganda. These events, coupled with FBI reports of over 400 disrupted jihadist plots since 9/11, provide empirical grounding for prioritizing vigilance against doctrinal elements of radical Islam that endorse violence against non-believers, as evidenced in ISIS and al-Qaeda manifestos calling for global caliphate establishment. In response to risks of Sharia-influenced rulings undermining constitutional rights, ACT for America promoted the American Laws for American Courts (ALAC) model legislation, designed to bar state courts from enforcing foreign legal codes incompatible with U.S. freedoms in family, contract, and property disputes. This framework has been enacted in ten states as of 2017, including Oklahoma (2010), Alabama (2014), and Texas (2017), following advocacy by ACT chapters and allies that highlighted precedents like the 2008 New Jersey case where a judge initially deferred to a husband's Sharia-based claim of marital rights to deny a restraining order for alleged rape, a decision overturned only after appeal.^[34] ^[74] Such laws have empirically reduced instances of foreign law deference, with no successful Sharia-based challenges reported in adopting states post-enactment, thereby safeguarding due process and gender equality against imported practices like polygamy or inheritance disparities favoring males.^[75] ACT for America's grassroots campaigns have also amplified discourse on vetting failures, contributing to policy shifts such as enhanced refugee screening protocols under the 2017 executive orders restricting entry from nations with documented terrorism ties (e.g., Iran, Libya, Syria), where prior lax oversight enabled threats like the 2015 Chattanooga shooting by a naturalized immigrant from Kuwait.^[8] Federal data post-implementation showed a decline in refugee-linked terror referrals, from 17 in fiscal year 2016 to zero in subsequent years through 2020, validating the causal link between ideological screening and threat mitigation that ACT's advocacy helped normalize in congressional hearings and public testimony.^[76] These efforts, including over 500 local chapter initiatives by 2018, have fostered community reporting of radicalization indicators, aligning with DHS behavioral threat assessment models that emphasize early ideological detection to preempt attacks.^[77]

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ACT is an advocacy organization that trains and mobilizes citizens to speak out for the adoption and implementation of strong and effective national security ...
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Act for America supports & protects law enforcement & their families. We stand with gratitude for those who serve & protect our communities.