Anti-Muslim marches are slated to take place in dozens of cities across the United States on Saturday, with several counter-protests expected.
ACT for America, the country's largest grassroots anti-Muslim group described by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) as an "extremist group", called for the nationwide "March Against Sharia".
Islamophobia in the USA - Al Jazeera World
In a statement on ACT for America's website, the group claims that Sharia - or Islamic law - runs contrary to human rights and the US Constitution.
Yet rights groups and watchdogs, among them the SPLC and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), have criticised the marches as Islamophobic.
In a report published last year, CAIR examined what it calls the "Islamophobia industry". …show more content…
Brigitte Gabriel, the group's founder, is a Lebanese-American who has in the past accused the Muslim Brotherhood political movement of conspiring to conquer the US. She has also referred to Arabs as "barbarians" and claimed they have "no soul".
Gabriel, a vocal supporter of right-wing President Donald Trump, claims ACT for America has more than 500,000 members.
Members of the alt-right - a loosely knit movement that includes white supremacists, neo-Nazis and other far-right groups - have announced their intention to participate in many of the marches.
Al Jazeera spoke to Nathan Lean, author of The Islamophobia Industry: How the Right Manufactures Fear of Muslims, about ACT for America and the prevalence of Islamophobic sentiment in the US.
Al Jazeera: The SPLC describes ACT for America as the largest grassroots anti-Muslim group in the country, while CAIR classifies it as an "inner core group" within the Islamophobia industry. How influential is ACT for America within this
ACT for America, the country's largest grassroots anti-Muslim group described by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) as an "extremist group", called for the nationwide "March Against Sharia".
Islamophobia in the USA - Al Jazeera World
In a statement on ACT for America's website, the group claims that Sharia - or Islamic law - runs contrary to human rights and the US Constitution.
Yet rights groups and watchdogs, among them the SPLC and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), have criticised the marches as Islamophobic.
In a report published last year, CAIR examined what it calls the "Islamophobia industry". …show more content…
Brigitte Gabriel, the group's founder, is a Lebanese-American who has in the past accused the Muslim Brotherhood political movement of conspiring to conquer the US. She has also referred to Arabs as "barbarians" and claimed they have "no soul".
Gabriel, a vocal supporter of right-wing President Donald Trump, claims ACT for America has more than 500,000 members.
Members of the alt-right - a loosely knit movement that includes white supremacists, neo-Nazis and other far-right groups - have announced their intention to participate in many of the marches.
Al Jazeera spoke to Nathan Lean, author of The Islamophobia Industry: How the Right Manufactures Fear of Muslims, about ACT for America and the prevalence of Islamophobic sentiment in the US.
Al Jazeera: The SPLC describes ACT for America as the largest grassroots anti-Muslim group in the country, while CAIR classifies it as an "inner core group" within the Islamophobia industry. How influential is ACT for America within this