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1. Factsheet: Mario Kunasek

Author:
Bridge Initiative Team
Publication Date:
01-2025
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
The Bridge Initiative, Georgetown University
Abstract:
IMPACT: Mario Kunasek is a member of the far-right Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) and is the current Governor of Styria. From December 2017 to May 2019, he was the Austrian Defense Minister under a coalition government of the Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP) and his own FPÖ. Kunasek has a long history of tying Muslims to terrorism, fearmongering about “radical Islam” and “Islamism,” and supporting anti-Muslim policies.
Topic:
Domestic Politics, Islamophobia, Austrian Freedom Party (FPÖ), and Mario Kunasek
Political Geography:
Europe and Austria

2. Factsheet: Friedrich Merz

Author:
Bridge Initiative Team
Publication Date:
07-2023
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
The Bridge Initiative, Georgetown University
Abstract:
Friedrich Merz is a German politician. In 2022, he became the leader of the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU), and leader of the CDU parliamentary group in the German federal parliament, the Bundestag. He has made anti-Muslim comments and represents the conservative right-wing camp within his party.
Topic:
Domestic Politics, Islamophobia, and Friedrich Merz
Political Geography:
Europe and Germany

3. Factsheet: Sigrid Herrmann-Marschall

Author:
Bridge Initiative Team
Publication Date:
10-2023
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
The Bridge Initiative, Georgetown University
Abstract:
Sigrid Herrmann-Marschall is a widely quoted German blogger, who is often invited as an expert on Islamism. She regularly argues that the government needs to take stricter measures to tackle Islamism in German society. She frequently lectures, trains, and publishes in a variety of newspapers and is referenced as an expert by many political parties including the far-right. More recently, she reportedly served as an expert on behalf of the far-right party, Alternative for Germany (AfD).
Topic:
Domestic Politics, Islamophobia, Far Right, Islamism, and Sigrid Herrmann-Marschall
Political Geography:
Europe and Germany

4. Factsheet: Susanne Raab

Author:
Bridge Initiative Team
Publication Date:
10-2022
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
The Bridge Initiative, Georgetown University
Abstract:
Susanne Raab is the current Minister of Women and Integration of Austria. She joined the government of Sebastian Kurz of the Austrian People’s Party, which was responsible for many anti-Muslim legislations that have meanwhile been rescinded by various courts. Raab has been a key figure in supporting anti-Muslim policies in Austria.
Topic:
Domestic Politics, Islamophobia, Muslims, and Susanne Raab
Political Geography:
Europe and Austria

5. Factsheet: Scott Morrison

Author:
Bridge Initiative Team
Publication Date:
02-2021
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
The Bridge Initiative, Georgetown University
Abstract:
Scott Morrison is the current prime minister of Australia. He has called for tightening Australia’s immigration policies, for Christian refugees to be prioritized over Muslim refugees and portrayed asylum seekers who arrive by boat as a health and security risk to Australians. As other countries condemned then-U.S. President Donald Trump’s Muslim ban, Morrison described it as implementing an election promise.
Topic:
Refugees, Domestic Politics, Islamophobia, Immigration Policy, and Scott Morrison
Political Geography:
Australia

6. Factsheet: Mouhanad Khorchide

Author:
Bridge Initiative Team
Publication Date:
03-2021
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
The Bridge Initiative, Georgetown University
Abstract:
Mouhanad Khorchide is professor of Islamic pedagogy at the University of Münster in Germany. He has authored several books on Islam and is a frequent media commentator on Islam and Muslims. Khorchide is a member of several political initiatives calling for the reform of Islam and he supports discriminatory state policies, including the hijab ban. He heads the advisory board for Austria’s Documentation Center for Political Islam—a project that monitors movements that do not pose a security-related threat and is “part of the national strategy of extremism prevention and deradicalization.”
Topic:
Islam, Domestic Politics, Discrimination, Academia, and Muslims
Political Geography:
Europe and Germany

7. Factsheet: Emmanuel Macron

Author:
Bridge Initiative Team
Publication Date:
10-2021
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
The Bridge Initiative, Georgetown University
Abstract:
Emmanuel Macron is a former banker turned politician who currently serves as the president of France. Under Macron’s leadership, the French government has implemented a number of anti-Muslim policies, including the “anti-Separatism” law. Macron has claimed that Islam is a “religion that is in crisis all over the world today,” and routinely claims acts of violence as unique to French Muslims. Many activists and experts argue that Macron has adopted Islamophobia as an electoral strategy ahead of the April 2022 presidential elections.
Topic:
Government, Domestic Politics, Islamophobia, Emmanuel Macron, and Muslims
Political Geography:
Europe and France

8. Factsheet: Miloš Zeman

Author:
Bridge Initiative Team
Publication Date:
02-2021
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
The Bridge Initiative, Georgetown University
Abstract:
Miloš Zeman is the president of the Czech Republic and one of the most outspoken anti-Muslim politicians in the country. Previously, he served as prime minister from 1998 to 2002 and was a member of the Czech Social Democratic Party (Česká strana sociálně demokratická, ČSSD) until 2007. In October 2009, Zeman founded his own party, the Party of Civic Rights, Zemanovci (Strana Práv Občanů – Zemanovci, SPOZ), which supported the anti-Muslim party Freedom and Direct Democracy (Svoboda a přímá demokracie).
Topic:
Domestic Politics, Islamophobia, Political Parties, and Muslims
Political Geography:
Europe and Czech Republic

9. Factsheet: Louie Gohmert

Author:
Bridge Initiative Team
Publication Date:
07-2020
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
The Bridge Initiative, Georgetown University
Abstract:
Louie Gohmert is a Republican representative from Texas with a long history of anti-Muslim rhetoric, including claims that “terror babies” were being raised to destroy the American “way of life.” Gohmert has connections with prominent anti-Muslim organizations, including ACT for America, and associations with individuals in the transatlantic anti-Muslim movement.
Topic:
Domestic Politics, Islamophobia, Far Right, and Republican Party
Political Geography:
North America and United States of America

10. 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