Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal’s recent antics have earned him a place in the hearts of anti-Muslim activists and an invitation to their fearmongering summit.
Organizers last week announced that Jindal would join a carefully curated list of participants in a Feb. 11 event called the “Defeat Jihad Summit.” The summit is being co-sponsored by the Center for Security Policy, an organization headed by anti-Muslim conspiracy theorist Frank Gaffney. Along with Jindal and Gaffney, the event will also feature a smattering of international anti-Muslim activists, elected officials and far-Right figures.
Gaffney says the event is a direct response to President Obama’s Feb. 18 “Countering Violent Extremism Summit.” Gaffney claims his summit will present the “facts” of greatest threat facing the world: Muslims. It will also provide a chance for Gaffney to promote CSP’s new “strategy” guide to combat “stealthy” Shariah takeover.
Jindal, a Republican presidential longshot hopeful, no doubt gained the respect of anti-Muslim leaders after he persisted in defending the existence of Europe’s Muslim “no-go zones” — even after Fox News issued a surprising apology for letting Steve Emerson make this claim unchecked on its channel. (You’ll also remember that UK Prime Minister David Cameron called Emerson a “complete idiot” for suggesting that the English city of Birmingham was “totally Muslim.”)
Unfazed, more than a dozen anti-Muslim and far-Right figures including Gaffney, Brigitte Gabriel, and David Yerushalmi signed a letter to Jindal thanking him for his efforts to expose the “threat posed by shariah.”
If he attends, Jindal will appear alongside notorious anti-Muslim figures such as Dutch politician Geert Wilders. Wilders, who heads the anti-immigrant Party for Freedom (PVV), has previously equated the Qur’an to Mein Kampf. He is currently facing discrimination charges for leading PVV supporters in an anti-Moroccan chant.
Other guests include:
- Lars Hedegaard, who heads the International Free Press Society, an international umbrella group of “free press societies” that champions anti-Muslim hate speech. Both Gaffney and Wilders sit on IFPS’ advisory board.
- Sen. Ted Cruz, who is no stranger to associating with Gaffney and those on the fringe Right.
- Andrew C. McCarthy, a colleague of Gaffney’s who sympathizes his anti-Muslim conspiracy theories.
- Former Republican Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, who has been vocal about “radical Islam” lately and previously has accused the U.S. of being on its way to becoming a “secular atheist country” run by “radical Islamists.”
- Former Bush-era attorney general Michael Mukasey, who has claimed the “vast majority” Muslims want to impose Shariah law on the world.
- Malcolm Pearson, Lord of Rannoch and former leader of the UK Independence Party (UKIP).
- Pete Hoekstra, the Former House Intelligence Committee Chairman.
The summit kicks off Wednesday at 9:00 a.m. ET. Follow us on Twitter for updates and recaps.