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Sophia Witt of Turning Point USA
- Students attending a Florida conference on Thursday were told they need to "expose Islam" for the "ugly thing" it is during a session on addressing terrorism on college campuses.
- Sophia Witt, director of Israel Outreach for Turning Point USA, directed the "F U-nity: Addressing Terrorism on Campuses" session at the conservative advocacy group's annual Student Action Summit in West Palm Beach, Florida.
- "I don't even want to call it 'radical Islam,' it's just 'Islam,'" Witt said to applause.
- Turning Point USA is a conservative advocacy group that's gained significant momentum in the Trump era.
- This was not an event linked to a fringe right-wing movement, but the mainstream of conservativism today.
Students attending a conservative conference on Thursday were told they need to "expose Islam" for the "ugly thing" it is during a session on addressing terrorism on college campuses.
Turning Point USA is a conservative advocacy group that's gained significant momentum in the Trump era. It's president and founder, Charlie Kirk, is close friends with Donald Trump Jr. and has met with and been retweeted by President Donald Trump.
Kirk's communications director, Candace Owens, has made headlines in recent months due to her interactions with rapper Kanye West and her connection to West's infamous Oval Office meeting with the president. The publicity Owens got in relation to West helped elevate Turning Point USA's national stature.
This was not an event linked to a fringe right-wing movement, but the mainstream of conservativism today.
Trump Jr., Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, Tucker Carlson, Laura Ingraham, and Nigel Farage were among the speakers at the conference.
Beyond the talks from the main speakers, TPUSA held smaller, breakout sessions hosted by its staff and in some cases other organizations that attended the conference such as the Heritage Foundation.
Sophia Witt, director of Israel Outreach for the Turning Point USA group, directed the "F U-nity: Addressing Terrorism on Campuses" session at the conservative advocacy group's annual Student Action Summit in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Speaking to several dozen young conservatives, Witt decried campus groups who claim solidarity with Palestine, singling out a group called "Queers for Palestine."
Witt claimed that the current academic climate in the US, which she characterized as overwhelmingly anti-Israel and pro-Palestine, has translated into a situation in which "they're actually encouraging terrorism on these campuses.'"
In a slideshow presentation, Witt said that terrorism used to look like the Nazi party in Germany, but today it appears in the form of Muslim students and professors on college campuses.
"I don't even want to call it 'radical Islam' it's just 'Islam,'" Witt said to applause.
"There are pro-Israel organizations telling students to find common ground with the Palestinians," Witt added. "Screw that, I don't want to live in peace with you, you're a terrorist."
Witt told the young people in attendance that they should reject calls to find unity in debates regarding Israel and Palestine. "Stop unifying with terrorists," she said.
Witt said "all" Muslims are "radical" and encouraged the attendees to "expose" them.
"There are a lot of ways to go undercover and expose these people," Witt said.
"We absolutely need to expose Islam. It's not just Islam, it's Muslims too," she added.
Urging the audience against believing practicing Muslims can be moderate, Witt said, "They're painting a really pretty picture for a really ugly thing. They're allowing us to believe there are moderate Muslims."
She said that perhaps the only "good kind" of Muslim is a "non-practicing" one.