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1. Factsheet: Love Jihad Conspiracy Theory

Author:
Bridge Initiative Team
Publication Date:
05-2024
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
The Bridge Initiative, Georgetown University
Abstract:
Love Jihad is a widely debunked conspiracy theory promoted by Hindu nationalists in India to incite fear, animosity, and violence against the country’s 200 million Muslims. The theory claims that Muslim men are luring Hindu women into marriages in an effort to forcibly convert them to Islam. This conspiracy theory has been heavily promoted by Hindu far-right groups, right-wing media, and the leaders of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). As a result of this conspiracy theory, Muslim men have been imprisoned, faced violent attacks, and killed.
Topic:
Far Right, Conspiracy Theory, Hindu Nationalism, and Love Jihad Conspiracy Theory
Political Geography:
South Asia and India

2. Factsheet: Marjorie Taylor Greene

Author:
Bridge Initiative Team
Publication Date:
04-2021
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
The Bridge Initiative, Georgetown University
Abstract:
Marjorie Taylor Greene is a member of Congress who has used her platform to promote and endorse an endless array of hate speech and conspiracy theories rooted in racism, Islamophobia, and antisemitism. She is a follower of the QAnon conspiracy theory, has repeatedly made claims of a “deep state” controlling the country, and has harassed and bullied other members of Congress as well as survivors of school shootings. She has also endorsed calls for violence against members of Congress.
Topic:
Islamophobia, Far Right, Conspiracy Theory, Congress, and Marjorie Taylor Greene
Political Geography:
North America and United States of America

3. Factsheet: Reconquista Trope

Author:
Bridge Initiative Team
Publication Date:
09-2021
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
The Bridge Initiative, Georgetown University
Abstract:
The historical myth of the Reconquista has been one of the most recurrent tropes used by far-right parties in Spain. The controversial concept—contested by many scholars— has been reappropriated, misinterpreted, and misused to build political bases and campaigns on anti-Muslim hate, conspiracy theories, and white nationalism in Spain and across Europe.
Topic:
Nationalism, Islamophobia, Far Right, Conspiracy Theory, and Reconquista
Political Geography:
Europe and Spain

4. Factsheet: Steven Emerson

Author:
Bridge Initiative Team
Publication Date:
10-2020
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
The Bridge Initiative, Georgetown University
Abstract:
Steven Emerson is a national security and terrorism journalist and pundit. He is the founder of the Investigative Project on Terrorism and has a history of promoting falsified information and conspiracy theories about Islam and Muslims. These include claims that there are “no-go zones” in the United Kingdom, that the Oklahoma City Bombing was carried out by an Arab because it had “a Middle Eastern trait,” and that American Muslim civil rights organizations are “infiltrating” Congress and the media.
Topic:
National Security, Terrorism, Islamophobia, Journalism, Conspiracy Theory, and Steven Emerson
Political Geography:
North America and United States of America

5. Factsheet: QAnon Conspiracy Theory

Author:
Bridge Initiative Team
Publication Date:
12-2020
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
The Bridge Initiative, Georgetown University
Abstract:
QAnon Conspiracy theory claims there is a “deep state” and that “the world is run by a cabal of Satan-worshiping pedophiles who are plotting against Mr. Trump while operating a global child sex-trafficking ring.” It has been described as a “virtual cult” and is largely an umbrella term for multiple conspiracy theories. The conspiracy theory has been elevated by the President of the United States as well as a number of candidates who ran for public office in 2020.
Topic:
Domestic Politics, QAnon, and Conspiracy Theory
Political Geography:
North America and United States of America

6. Factsheet: Great Replacement/White Genocide Conspiracy Theory

Author:
Bridge Initiative Team
Publication Date:
02-2020
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
The Bridge Initiative, Georgetown University
Abstract:
The white genocide conspiracy theory is the belief that immigration by people of color, falling white birth rates, and the promotion of multiculturalism are all part of a deliberate plot to destroy the “white race.” It is espoused by many white nationalist and white supremacist individuals and organizations, who often conflate or combine it with the similar “Great Replacement” conspiracy theory. Several individuals, including Brenton Tarrant, Anders Breivik, and Patrick Crusius have explicitly cited the white genocide conspiracy theory in order to justify their mass killing of people of color and non-Christians.
Topic:
Immigration, Xenophobia, Conspiracy Theory, and Great Replacement Theory
Political Geography:
Europe and United States of America

7. Factsheet: PragerU

Author:
Bridge Initiative Team
Publication Date:
03-2020
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
The Bridge Initiative, Georgetown University
Abstract:
PragerU, short for Prager University, is an American conservative organization that produces content to promote“Judeo-Christian values” to their millions of followers through short, lecture-style videos. Although it is not an academic institution, by using the word “university” in its title PragerU implies that the right-wing messaging they spread is factually correct and expert-driven. A number of PragerU’s videos spread anti-Muslim rhetoric and conspiracy theories.
Topic:
Conservatism, Islamophobia, Far Right, Conspiracy Theory, and PragerU
Political Geography:
North America and United States of America

8. Factsheet: Lorenzo Vidino

Author:
Bridge Initiative Team
Publication Date:
04-2020
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
The Bridge Initiative, Georgetown University
Abstract:
Lorenzo Vidino is an Italian American legal scholar whose research promotes conspiracy theories about the Muslim Brotherhood in Europe and the United States. Vidino is connected to numerous anti-Muslim think tanks in the United States and Europe, and has published in various anti-Muslim outlets. He has served as an advisor to governments in Europe and is currently the director of George Washington University’s Program on Extremism.
Topic:
Islamophobia, Muslim Brotherhood, Conspiracy Theory, and Lorenzo Vidino
Political Geography:
Europe and United States of America

9. Factsheet: Muslim Reform Movement

Author:
Bridge Initiative Team
Publication Date:
04-2020
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
The Bridge Initiative, Georgetown University
Abstract:
The Muslim Reform Movement is an international coalition of Muslims that purportedly seeks to counter the ideology of Islamism by reforming Islam. The coalition and its members leverage ‘insider’ Muslim identities to advocate surveillance against Muslims, to support anti-Muslim laws and policies, and to validate the claims of organizations and individuals that espouse anti-Muslim conspiracy theories.
Topic:
Ideology, Surveillance, Islamism, Conspiracy Theory, and Muslim Reform Movement
Political Geography:
Europe, Canada, and United States of America

10. Factsheet: Paul Sperry

Author:
Bridge Initiative Team
Publication Date:
05-2020
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
The Bridge Initiative, Georgetown University
Abstract:
Paul Sperry is an American conservative journalist who previously served as a Washington bureau chief for the right-wing, conspiratorial website, WorldNetDaily. Sperry is a former media fellow at The Hoover Institution and has authored several anti-Muslim books, including Infiltration: How Muslim Spies and Subversives Have Penetrated Washington. Sperry has a long record of promoting anti-Muslim conspiracy theories. In April 2020, President Donald Trump promoted an anti-Muslim tweet by Sperry about Ramadan and COVID-19.
Topic:
Conservatism, Journalism, Conspiracy Theory, Muslims, and Paul Sperry
Political Geography:
North America and United States of America