DFree / Shutterstock.com | Inset: Fox News Digital

Emmy Award-winning actress Patricia Heaton is sounding an urgent alarm—warning that the United States could once again face a 9/11-style terror attack if Americans continue to ignore the rise of antisemitism and radical Islam.

In an interview with Fox News Digital ahead of the two-year anniversary of the October 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel, Heaton joined forces with pro-Israel advocate Brooke Goldstein to call out what they see as a growing moral blindness in America.

“It’s hard to believe, but we’re going to see a 9/11 again in this country if people don’t wake up, take a stand, and make their voices heard,” Heaton warned.

The actress—known for her roles in Everybody Loves Raymond and The Middle—has long been outspoken about her Christian faith and her support for Israel. Now, she says silence in the face of hatred and extremism could have devastating consequences.

Brooke Goldstein, founder of The Lawfare Project and the #EndJewHatred movement, echoed Heaton’s concerns. She said that Americans have forgotten the lessons of 9/11—and that the same ideological forces behind those attacks still pose a real and growing threat.

“I think Americans are starting to wake up and understand that radicalization—especially theologically motivated radicalization—is a threat to the United States,” Goldstein said. “Why has it taken us so long after 9/11, when Islamist radicals flew planes and killed thousands of civilians, to realize this is not just about the Jews?”

Goldstein explained that since the early 2000s, a coordinated cultural shift has made it increasingly difficult to even discuss the threat of radical Islam without being labeled “Islamophobic.”

“After 9/11, there was an orchestrated campaign of what I call ‘Islamophobia-mania,'” she said. “Anyone who spoke about the threat of radical Islam was branded Islamophobic or racist.”

Both women emphasized that the Hamas terror attacks on Oct. 7, which killed more than 1,500 people in Israel and left hundreds more kidnapped or missing, were not just an attack on Jews—but an assault on Western civilization itself.

“We have American civilians who were kidnapped and killed,” Goldstein noted. “This is an attack on Western democracies—an attack on the West by radical Islamist states funding proxy groups engaged in what they call a holy war.”

Heaton said she was deeply troubled by the way many Americans and even churches responded in the days after the massacre.

“After October 7, I assumed that all of America, and particularly Christians, would be standing up for Israel,” she said. “And instead, there was sort of silence from most Americans and a lot of churches—and huge support for Palestine and for Hamas and for Gazans who went in and participated in this slaughter.”

The actress described her reaction as one of shock and heartbreak.

“This is a horrible thing that we witnessed,” Heaton said. “And now the whole world is supporting the perpetrators. It’s outrageous.”

Motivated by that silence, Heaton founded the October 7th Coalition (O7C)—a Christian-led movement to combat antisemitism and strengthen relationships between Christians and Jews.

The group’s mission statement is clear: “We recognize Israel’s right to exist and we emphatically and vociferously reject all antisemitism. We are here to unite, promote, and encourage meaningful public and private action in the Christian community to strengthen relationships with our Jewish friends and neighbors.”

Heaton believes Christians have a unique calling to speak out and defend the Jewish people—not only because of shared biblical values, but because the same hatred that fuels antisemitism threatens the entire Judeo-Christian foundation of Western society.

“It’s very important for Christians to recognize this and support the Jewish people,” she said. “And for our own self-interest—for democracy, for the Judeo-Christian values we all cherish.”

She reminded believers that history has already shown what happens when evil ideologies go unchecked.

“You have to remember 9/11,” Heaton said. “You have to remember the first attack on the World Trade Center, and you have to take seriously these attacks on Jews that are happening on American soil.”

As global tensions rise and antisemitic incidents continue to surge across college campuses and online, Heaton hopes her warning will awaken Christians to the spiritual and cultural battle unfolding before their eyes.

Her message is not one of fear, but of vigilance and faith.

“If we don’t speak truth now,” she said, “we may wake up one day to find that the freedoms and safety we took for granted are gone—not just for Israel, but for all of us.”

More from Beliefnet and our partners