Oklahoma State Representative Receives Award from anti-Muslim Hate Group
Oklahoma state representative John Bennett of Sallisaw received the so-called National Defender of Freedom award from the anti-Muslim think tank Center for Security Policy (CSP).
The event took place at the Sequoyah County Fairgrounds in Sallisaw. It caps an anti-Muslim week in Oklahoma in which CSP鈥檚 director, Frank Gaffney, along with other anti-Muslim figures, testified before the Oklahoma State Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, at Bennett鈥檚 invitation.
Bennett, who has been in office since 2010, is a staunch ally of the anti-Muslim movement and has a history of denigrating Islam. In a 2014 to constituents, he called Islam a 鈥渃ancer that needs to be cut out鈥� and also stated, 鈥淚鈥檝e read the Quran, the Hadiths, the Suras. 90% of it is violence.鈥� Later in the speech he said, 鈥淚s there a difference between moderate and radical Islam? I say no.鈥�
Bennett has worked closely with CSP in the past, despite the think tank鈥檚 long history of anti-Muslim bigotry. In 2013, Clare Lopez, CSP鈥檚 Vice President for Research and Analysis, stated in a speech before the Central New Jersey chapter of the American Jewish Committee that, 鈥淲hen people in other bona fide religions follow their doctrines they become better people 鈥� Buddhists, Hindus, Christians, Jews. When Muslims follow their doctrine, they become jihadists.鈥�
In a 2015 example, Gaffney stated at the Western Conservative Summit in Denver, Colorado that, 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know about you, but it kind of creeps me out that they are getting jobs in the food supply of the United States.鈥� He was referring to Somali refugees working in meat-packing plants.
Bennett鈥檚 relationship with CSP goes back a few years. In 2013 Lopez and Gaffney participated in law enforcement training titled, "Iran, Hezbollah and the Drug Cartels: Counterterrorism Considerations," which was organized by Bennett鈥檚 鈥淟egislative Counterterrorism Caucus,鈥� established in 2013. A year later, in 2014, Bennett 鈥渃o-organized a virtual town hall meeting on terrorism featuring Gaffney,鈥� to the Center for New Community, a watchdog organization that monitors nativist extremism.
Last week, Bennett over an Oklahoma state House interim study on Radical Islam that featured Gaffney, who joined via Skype, and a litany of other anti-Muslim extremists.
The gathering was to hear 鈥渆vidence鈥� with regard to a plethora of anti-Muslim conspiracy theories that may influence a state-approved to examine the 鈥渃urrent threat posed by radical Islam and the effect that Shariah Law, the Muslim Brotherhood and jihadist indoctrination have in the radicalization process in Oklahoma and America.鈥� Bennett those in attendance that he would be drafting legislation to kick these 鈥渢errorist organizations out of the state of Oklahoma鈥︹�� and claimed that the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Oklahoma (CAIR-OK) is funding Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood, conspiracy theories that have swirled for years.
Among the participants Bennett invited were John Guandolo, who left the FBI in disgrace after admitting to having affairs with female agents as well as a confidential informant he was assigned to protect during the corruption case of former U.S. representative William Jefferson (D-La.).
Guandolo鈥檚 coworker, Chris Gaubatz, was also invited to give testimony. Both men somehow manage to be called in to train law enforcement around the country, during which they peddle conspiracy theories about the 鈥渢hreat鈥� that 鈥渞adical Islam鈥� poses.
Guandolo recently compared Muslim advocacy group the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) to ISIS, stating, 鈥淪uit-wearing jihadists are no less dangerous than ISIS soldiers on the battlefield.鈥� In June he even attacked the Black Lives Matter movement on a radio show stating that Americans would soon see 鈥渄ozens of jihadis doing multiple operations in conjunction with the Marxist and socialist groups like Black Lives Matter, which will be, you know, burning and looting cities like they did in Ferguson [Mo.] and Baltimore.鈥�
Gaubatz, meanwhile, recently testified at a Senate hearing at the invitation of Republican senator and former presidential candidate Ted Cruz, where he two Muslim members of Congress, Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) and Andr茅 Carson (D-Ind.) of attending an event organized by the Muslim Brotherhood. In fact, the event was the 2008 Islamic Society of North America conference.
A fourth participant at Bennett鈥檚 event was 鈥渆x-terrorist鈥� Kamal Saleem, who also pushes anti-Muslim conspiracy theories. Among Saleem鈥檚 many claims are that President Obama is attempting to implement Shariah law and in 20 years, the U.S. will be a country of lost liberty; that radical Muslims are set to penetrate every level of American society; that immigrants crossing into this country include terrorists waiting for amnesty; and that Obama is a Muslim. Saleem claims that the latter is true because, he says, when Obama participates in the Pledge of Allegiance, he鈥檚 not really pledging but rather is actually engaged in a Muslim prayer.
The anti-Muslim award isn鈥檛 the only one Bennett has received recently. He was also granted the 鈥溾�� last week from the Oklahoma Second Amendment Association, an award given 鈥渋n recognition of the legislator who aggressively defends the God-given right of the individual to self-preservation and actively supports and defends the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms.鈥�
A few days later, Bennett on Facebook that presidential candidate Hillary Clinton deserves a 鈥渇iring squad鈥� but he claimed to the media that the comment was 鈥渟arcasm鈥� and had nothing to do with violence.
