Bachmann accuses Obama of curbing free speech to help Islamists

WASHINGTON - After more than a month of keeping a low profile following her extremely close re-election, Michele Bachmann is back in the spotlight, this time for comments accusing the Obama Administration of seeking to limit freedom of speech in order to help radical Islamic groups.

Bachmann made her remarks in a lengthy interview with "Understanding the Times," a Maple Grove, MN-based Christian radio show that emphasizes biblical prophecies around the end of the world.

Her accusations are mostly a re-hash of ones she made in a speech this past fall, particularly about a United Nations caucus of Islamic states known as the Organization of the Islamic Conference that Bachmann believes is trying to prevent other states from allowing their citizens to criticize Islam.

Citing an OIC document, Bachmann told interviewer Jan Markell, "Everyone else would lose their right of speech and expression," were the group's plans to succeed. She compared the paper to Adolf Hitler's pre-Holocaust manifesto "Mein Kampf."

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For the record, the document she's referring to describes Islam as "a religion of moderation and tolerance" that encourages peaceful dialogue between nations.

Bachmann criticized the Obama Administration for "aiding and abetting" the OIC's goal of promoting universal Islamic law and cited the FBI's decision this year to withdraw training manuals about the religion from counter-terrorism training courses.

Those manuals were discarded after a reporter discovered that they characterized all American Muslims as likely terrorist sympathizers and described the Prophet Muhammed as a "cult leader."

Criticizing Islam is well-trod territory for Bachmann, who earlier this year was denounced by Republicans and Democrats alike for suggesting that members of the Muslim Brotherhood were infiltrating the U.S. government.

Bachmann sits on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and makes frequent reference to her membership on that panel in speeches.