Editing Frank Gaffney (section)

===Civilization Jihad===
One of Gaffney's main conspiracy theories is the so-called "Civilization Jihad", a supposed secret Muslim plan to take over America, which came to national prominence by being cited in a debate by 2016 presidential candidate [[Ben Carson]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=The Bridge Initiative Team |date=2016-02-02 |title='Civilization Jihad:' Debunking the Conspiracy Theory |url=https://bridge.georgetown.edu/research/civilization-jihad-debunking-the-conspiracy-theory/ |access-date=2024-05-31 |website=Bridge Initiative |language=en-US |archive-date=2022-05-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220525204434/https://bridge.georgetown.edu/research/civilization-jihad-debunking-the-conspiracy-theory/ |url-status=live }}</ref> According to the [[Southern Poverty Law Center|SPLC]], Gaffney's beliefs stem "from a single discredited source&nbsp;– a 1991 fantasy written by a lone [[Muslim Brotherhood]] member that was introduced into evidence during the 2008 [[Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development|Holy Land Foundation trial]] in Dallas federal court.<ref name=":1" /> The FBI found the note to be incongruous with documents taken from Muslim Brotherhood, nor was it found to have been discussed during the 1991 conference of the Muslim Brotherhood.<ref name=":0" />

But to Gaffney, this document was "a [[smoking gun]], a mission statement pointing to a massive Islamist conspiracy under our noses".<ref name=":1">{{cite news|title=Frank Gaffney Jr.|url=http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/intelligence-files/profiles/frank-gaffney-jr|access-date=July 26, 2015|publisher=[[Southern Poverty Law Center]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150514074546/http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/intelligence-files/profiles/frank-gaffney-jr|archive-date=May 14, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> The ADL quotes Gaffney as "mentioning that in 1991, a [[Muslim Brotherhood]] operative produced the "[[Muslim Brotherhood activities in the United States|explanatory memorandum]] on the general strategic goal of the group in North America." According to Gaffney, the memo explicitly addresses the progress the Muslim Brotherhood has made in building an [[Jihadist extremism in the United States#Non-violent Islamic extremism|infrastructure in the United States]] with the goal of destroying Western civilization from within so that Islam is victorious over other religions".<ref name="adl.org">{{cite web |url=http://www.adl.org/civil-rights/discrimination/c/frank-gaffney-jr.html |title=Frank Gaffney Jr. and the Center for Security Policy |publisher=[[Anti-Defamation League]] |access-date=August 1, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160818170439/http://www.adl.org/civil-rights/discrimination/c/frank-gaffney-jr.html |archive-date=August 18, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":0" />

The BRIDGE Initiative at Georgetown found that the memo failed to gain traction in the Arab world, as none of the sensationalist phrasings ever became commonplace in subsequent Arab literature and media.<ref name=":0" /> In contrast, some politicians and Islamaphobic commentators have used the phrase repeatedly to demonize Muslims.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Oosting |first=Jonathan |title=Colbeck under fire for Muslim conspiracy claims |url=https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2018/04/25/colbeck-el-sayed-muslim-conspiracy/34235679/ |access-date=2024-05-31 |website=The Detroit News |language=en-US |archive-date=2022-05-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220522223757/https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2018/04/25/colbeck-el-sayed-muslim-conspiracy/34235679/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-04-30 |title=Islamophobes React to Coronavirus Pandemic with Anti-Muslim Bigotry |url=https://www.adl.org/resources/blog/islamophobes-react-coronavirus-pandemic-anti-muslim-bigotry |access-date=2024-05-31 |website=www.adl.org |archive-date=2024-07-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240704040931/https://www.adl.org/resources/blog/islamophobes-react-coronavirus-pandemic-anti-muslim-bigotry |url-status=live }}</ref>