Debra Burlingame

Debra Burlingame (born 1954) is an American lawyer and political activist. She is the sister of Charles "Chic" Burlingame III, the pilot of the hijacked American Airlines Flight 77 that was flown into The Pentagon during the September 11 attacks by Al Qaeda terrorists in 2001.[3] Burlingame has been criticized for making controversial and anti-Muslim statements.[4][5][6]

Debra Burlingame
Born1954 (age 68–69)
Saint Paul, Minnesota, U.S.
Alma materNew York University
Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law
Occupations
Known for
Board member ofWorld Trade Center Memorial Foundation[1]
Spouse
Robert Fraina
​
(m. 2003)​
[2]
RelativesCharles Burlingame (brother)
Websitewww.911familiesforamerica.org

Early life and career

Burlingame was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and moved frequently as a daughter of an active duty member of the United States Air Force. She spent parts of her childhood in California and England.[7][lower-alpha 1]

Burlingame is a graduate of New York University and Cardozo School of Law.[3] Before moving to Los Angeles, she was an airline flight attendant for Trans World Airlines,[8] a lawyer,[3] a television producer[9] at Court TV for 5 years (before it became truTV).[2]

September 11 attacks

On the morning of the September 11 attacks in 2001, Burlingame was living in Los Angeles, where she planned to establish her own production company.[8] Her brother, Charles Burlingame, was the pilot of American Airlines Flight 77, with First Officer David Charlebois, when it was hijacked and flown into the Pentagon.[10]

On the second anniversary of the attack, Burlingame launched a nonprofit foundation to provide college scholarships for young men and women wishing to pursue careers as officers in the United States armed services. "We are targeting young people who have demonstrated a wish to be a part of something bigger than themselves," she said.

Activism

Burlingame inspired blogger Robert Shurbet[11] to start Take Back The Memorial, a nonprofit group that opposed the International Freedom Center (IFC) being located at the World Trade Center site.[12] Burlingame is a columnist, political activist, and board member of the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation.[3] Due to the efforts of Burlingame and others, New York Governor George Pataki barred the IFC from being located at the World Trade Center site,[13] causing it to be abandoned by its sponsors.[lower-alpha 2]

Relatives of 9-11 victims were invited to submit their names for a lottery for invitations to attend the hearings and trials of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and the four other most senior captors.[14] Burlingame's name was one of six families chosen.

The Wall Street Journal has published numerous opinion columns by Burlingame.[15] Her columns have also appeared in the New York Daily News.[16]

In October 2009, Burlingame co-founded, with Liz Cheney, a non-profit 501(c)4 organization called Keep America Safe.[9] It drew strong criticism from conservative lawyers, many of whom worked for the Bush administration,[17] and information about the organization was removed from Internet shortly thereafter.[18] Burlingame then founded 9/11 Families for a Safe & Strong America with Tim Sumner,[1] an organization about 9/11 family members who consider national security the country’s top priority.[19]

Political views

Burlingame considers herself to be a critic of radical Islam. In 2010, she issued a press release denouncing President Barack Obama’s support of the Park51 community center.[20] She wrote: "Demolishing a building that was damaged by wreckage from one of the hijacked planes in order to build a mosque and Islamic Center will further energize those who regard it as a ratification of their violent and divinely ordered mission: the spread of shariah law and its subjugation of all free people, including secular Muslims who come to this country fleeing that medieval ideology, which destroys lives and crushes the human spirit."[21]

Burlingame also wrote a letter attacking the Liam Neeson film Non-Stop (2014), which portrays a 9/11 family member and military combat veteran as a vengeful murderer—and, in Burlingame's words: “Worse, the flight’s quiet hero who comes to the aid of the protagonist, thereby saving the day, is a Muslim doctor.”[22] She said that this was "ironic" given the fact that the leader of Al Qaeda, Ayman Al Zawahiri, was a doctor – a "complete [reversal] of the roles [of] victim and victimizer [in] 9/11".[4] In a tweet, Burlingame wrote "Liam Neeson and Universal have produced a liberal wet dream. 9/11 family member = terrorist hijacker, Muslim = peace".[6]

In 2014, Burlingame made several tweets attacking Islam and Barack Obama, calling the latter a "drug addict" in response to Obama's reaction to Trayvon Martin's death.[6] She also tweeted that "If someone calls U 'Islamophobe' for speaking truth, chances are they are [a] member of [the] Muslim Brotherhood, or an Obama's [sic] national security team."[6]

In 2017, Burlingame expressed support for Donald Trump's "Muslim travel ban" that prevented refugees from several Muslim-majority countries to enter the United States.[23]

Views on Islam and Muslims

Burlingame has been criticized for making controversial and anti-Muslim views which includes stereotyping and generalizing Islam.[4][6][5][24] In a 2014 Twitter post, Burlingame wrote "When are citizens going to rise up and demand the govt acknowledge that Islam is a transnational threat."[5]

In a 2014 interview on Fox News, Burlingame was asked by the host whether she was a Islamophobe according to accusations from critics. Burlingame responded by saying "I am hard pressed to deny it. There's no such thing as an irrational fear of Islam or Muslims when we know that virtually 80% of terrorist attacks are committed by radical muslims who are motivated by what they deem to be an imperative from their sacred religious texts."[5][25]

In a 2010 interview, Burlingame claimed that Islamic law allows violence to fester when practiced "in extremes".[26] Burlingame also stated that the enemy of America is the "Muslim world" and has accused them as being a place where "the enlightenment hasn't even happened yet". She then stated that Americans are "light years ahead in terms of our consciousness."[26]

In a 2014, Burlingame said that Islamism is a "supremacist ideology which is very much a threat to Western ideology."[27]

Notes
  1. This source claims her brother was the son of an active duty member of the United States Air Force, and spent parts of his childhood in California and England. Since they are siblings, this would be also true for her.
  2. The International Freedom Center was never built.

References
  1. "Author: Debra Burlingame". Family Security Matters. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
  2. Finn, Robin (12 August 2005). "Fighting for the Underlying Meaning of Ground Zero". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
  3. "Debra Burlingame". 9/11 Memorial. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
  4. Obeidallah, Dean (28 April 2014). "The 9/11 Museum's Muslim Problem". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
  5. Otterman, Sharon (2014-06-02). "Visitors Fault Sept. 11 Museum's Portrayal of Islam". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-04-23.
  6. Nestel, M.L. (2014-05-20). "Bigoted Tweets of 9/11 Museum Board Member Spark Calls for Ouster". Vocativ. Retrieved 2022-04-23.
  7. Nelson, Todd, Phillip Pina (September 12, 2001). "Twin Citians Mourn, Await News of Victims". Saint Paul Pioneer Press.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  8. "Safe at Home Interviews Debra Burlingame". Family Security Matters. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
  9. "Keep America Safe". Right Web. Retrieved April 12, 2013.
  10. National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (2004). "Chapter 1". 9/11 Commission Report. Government Printing Office.
  11. "Lime Shurbet". Archived from the original on May 22, 2006. Retrieved April 6, 2006.
  12. Schuerman, Matthew (August 15, 2005). "Embattled Libeskind Defends Controversial W.T.C. Museum". the Observer.
  13. Dunlap, David W. (September 28, 2005). "Pataki Bars Museum From World Trade Center Memorial Site". The New York Times.
  14. "Anger, frustration as 9/11 victims' families watch terror defendants try to undermine hearing". The Republic. 2012-05-06. Archived from the original on 2012-05-17. Retrieved 2012-05-06. Six victims' families chosen by lottery traveled to Guantanamo to see the arraignment in person.
  15. Burlingame, Debra (May 30, 2012). "The 9/11 Memorial Museum Held Hostage: The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey demands more money from a charitable foundation before it will finish construction". The Wall Street Journal.
  16. Burlingame, Debra (11 September 2007). "We must always remember: Terror attacks were an act of war, not simply a tragedy to be mourned". New York Daily News. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
  17. Smith, Ben (March 8, 2010). "Republicans scold Liz Cheney". Politico. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
  18. Brown, Hayes (17 July 2013). "Liz Cheney, Degra Burlingame-Founded Neocon Group Quietly Scrubbed From The Internet". ThinkProgress. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
  19. "About: 9/11 Families for a Safe and Strong America". Retrieved 28 March 2015.
  20. "Burlingame After Meeting With Obama: He Turned His Back On Me". Real Clear Politics. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
  21. Sumner, Timothy "Tim" (14 August 2010). "Debra Burlingame: 9/11 Families Stunned by President's Support of Mosque at Ground Zero". 9/11 Families for a Safe and Strong America. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
  22. "Universal Studio's new release Non stop demeans 9/11 families, degrades combat veterans and advances Islam". Florida Family Association. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
  23. "The Latest: Hundreds rally against order in New Jersey". AP NEWS. 2017-02-01. Retrieved 2022-04-23.
  24. Kilgannon, Corey (2021-09-11). "At 9/11 museum, site of today's memorial, controversies past and present". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-04-23.
  25. Robbins, Christopher (2014-06-02). "Tourists Agree: 9/11 Museum "Gives Islam A Bad Vibe"". Gothamist. Retrieved 2022-04-23.
  26. Haberman, Maggie (August 15, 2010). "Burlingame on symbol and reality". Politico. Retrieved 2022-04-23.
  27. "'Anti-Islam' 9/11 Memorial film: more anguish for NY Muslims". France 24. 2014-05-22. Retrieved 2022-04-23.
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