Egyptian-born human rights activist Nonie Darwish will be the keynote speaker at the monthly meeting of Santa Clarita Republican Women Federated  on Tuesday. The meeting starts at 11 a.m. at Marie Callender’s restaurant, 27630 The Old Road, Valencia, CA 91355, with check-in at 10:30 a.m.

The cost, including lunch, is $20 for members, $25 for nonmembers. Reservations may be made by calling 661-347-1015, emailing ProgramVP@SCRWF.com, or on Facebook at bit.ly/DarwishSCRWF8-16.

Darwish’s talk is entitled “Islamic Culture: Is it Compatible with Western Values?” She will elucidate the stark differences between Islam and the Judeo-Christian underpinnings of U.S. law and culture.

A former Muslim turned Christian, Darwish is president of “Former Muslims United,” a program of the American Freedom Defense Initiative (http://formermuslimsunited.org), and the founder of “Arabs for Israel”(www.ArabsforIsrael.com). She consistently warns the West of the dangers of Radical Islam and Sharia law, and has authored several books on the subject, including Now They Call Me Infidel: Why I Renounced Jihad for America, Israel, and The War On Terror and Cruel and Usual Punishment: The Terrifying Global Implications of Islamic Law and her most recent, The Devil We Don’t Know: The Dark Side of Revolutions in the Middle East.

For additional details, visit www.scrwf.com or call SCRWF at 661-347-1015.

About Nonie Darwish

Nonie Darwish is an Egyptian-American human rights activist. Darwish holds a Bachelors degree in sociology and anthropology and was a journalist at the Middle East News Agency before coming to the U.S. She founded www.ArabsForIsrael.com in 1994, to promote understanding, peace and support for Israel. In 2009, she co-founded www.FormerMuslimsUnited.org, an organization that advances freedom of religion and civil rights for former Muslims.

Born and raised a Muslim, Darwish is the daughter of an Egyptian Army lieutenant general who founded the Fedayeen, a militant operation that launched raids across Israel’s southern border in the early 1950s under the leadership of President Nasser of Egypt. Hundreds of Israelis lost their lives in these attacks, most of them civilians. He was killed by Israeli Defense Forces in 1956. Meanwhile, Darwish and her siblings were taught in school to recite poetry pledging jihad against Israel. She blames “Middle Eastern Islamic culture and the propaganda of hatred taught to children from birth” for her father’s death.

In 1978, she moved with her husband to the United States, converted to Christianity and became a U.S. citizen. About a year after the September 11, 2001 attacks, Darwish began writing columns critical of Islamic extremism and the silence of moderate Muslims.

Darwish is committed to standing up for the truth in the Middle East, opposing the jihad and terrorism against Israel and other countries, and supporting women’s rights. She lectures extensively on college campuses and internationally. She was published in the Guardian and Wall Street Journal and has appeared on CNN, Fox, MSNBC, C-SPAN, BBC and Al Arabiya. She has spoken before the European Parliament, members of the British House of Lords and at Oxford University and was featured in the documentary film “Obsession.”

“What the West must do is ask the politically incorrect questions,” Darwish said, “and we Americans of Arab and Muslim origin owe them honest answers.” Additional information is available at www.NonieDarwish.org