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21. Factsheet: Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR)

Author:
Bridge Initiative Team
Publication Date:
11-2020
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
The Bridge Initiative, Georgetown University
Abstract:
The Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) is a nonprofit organization of nearly fifty private foundations and over 1.9 million members and supporters that lobbies for large-scale immigration reductions. FAIR’s stated objective is to reduce overall immigration to 300,000 a year over a sustained period and the group has argued against birthright citizenship, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), and the admittance of Syrian refugees, and praised immigration restrictions issued by the Trump administration. A number of FAIR’s current and former employees are connected to white nationalists such as Peter Brimelow and Jared Taylor, and have previously provided a platform for anti-Muslim actors Robert Spencer and Sebastian Gorka.
Topic:
Immigration, Islamophobia, and Muslims
Political Geography:
North America and United States of America

22. Factsheet: Holy Land Foundation

Author:
Bridge Initiative Team
Publication Date:
01-2020
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
The Bridge Initiative, Georgetown University
Abstract:
The Holy Land Foundation (HLF) was the largest Muslim charity in the U.S. before it was selectively targeted by the Bush administration less than three months after the 9/11 attacks. After years of litigation—including a mistrial and constitutionally-dubious prosecutorial tactics—the federal government eventually secured criminal convictions against HLF and five of its officers/employees, including Shukri Abu Baker, Ghassan Elashi, Mohammed El-Mezain, Abdulrahman Odeh, and Mufid Abdulqader. The Holy Land Foundation case was paradigmatic for the federal government because they viewed it as a high-profile, post-9/11 counterterrorism financing case. The case has also been used by anti-Muslim activists and organizations to smear Muslim American leaders and organizations as ‘terror-linked.’
Topic:
Counter-terrorism, Civil Rights, 9/11, War on Terror, Charity, Muslims, and Holy Land Foundation (HLF)
Political Geography:
North America and United States of America

23. Factsheet: Hamed Abdel-Samad

Author:
Bridge Initiative Team
Publication Date:
03-2020
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
The Bridge Initiative, Georgetown University
Abstract:
Hamed Abdel-Samad is a German-Egyptian journalist and award winning author who has helped shape the public discourse on Islam in Germany. He has written seven books that are not only critical of Islam and Muslims, but frame Islam as a totalitarian ideology. Abdel-Samad is often invited as a guest by the German media, is part of governmental initiatives such as the German Islam Conference, and has been invited by the rising far-right political party Alternative for Germany.
Topic:
Islamophobia, Far Right, Journalism, Muslims, and Hamed Abdel-Samad
Political Geography:
Europe and Germany

24. Factsheet: Zuhdi Jasser

Author:
Bridge Initiative Team
Publication Date:
04-2020
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
The Bridge Initiative, Georgetown University
Abstract:
M. Zuhdi Jasser is a Syrian-American physician, author, and commentator. He is the founder of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy (AIFD) and a co-founder of the Muslim Reform Movement (MRM). Jasser has used his organizations to call for a reform within Islam and “inoculate” Muslim Americans with ideas of liberty and patriotism, reinforcing harmful notions that Muslim Americans must prove their devotion to their country. Jasser has also leveraged his insider identity as a Muslim to advocate increased monitoring of Muslim communities, Countering Violent Islamism (CVI) programs, and ideological vetting of refugees before Congress, at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), and through media appearances.
Topic:
Reform, Ideology, Surveillance, Islamism, Muslims, and Zuhdi Jasser
Political Geography:
North America and United States of America

25. Factsheet: The NYPD Muslim Surveillance and Mapping Program

Author:
Bridge Initiative Team
Publication Date:
05-2020
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
The Bridge Initiative, Georgetown University
Abstract:
The New York Police Department’s (NYPD) Muslim Surveillance and Mapping Program began under Mayor Michael Bloomberg in 2001 and monitored Muslim communities in New York City and nearby states until 2014. A secret unit within the program called the Demographics Unit sent informants into mosques, Muslim student groups, and Muslim-owned businesses to gather information on 28 “ancestries of interest.” The program never generated a lead for law enforcement, faced repeated challenges in court, and was met with accusations of religious and racial profiling. The program also sowed anxiety, suspicion, and distrust of law enforcement within Muslim communities.
Topic:
Law Enforcement, Surveillance, War on Terror, Police, NYPD, and Muslims
Political Geography:
New York, North America, and United States of America

26. 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

27. Factsheet: Peter King

Author:
Bridge Initiative Team
Publication Date:
06-2020
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
The Bridge Initiative, Georgetown University
Abstract:
Republican Representative Peter King of New York led the 2011 congressional hearings on the “radicalization” of American Muslims. The hearings added further stigmatization to the American Muslim community and were described by legal rights organizations as neo-McCarthyism. Rep. King has a history of making false accusations linking Muslims to violence and has been connected to a number of anti-Muslim organizations, including the Center for Security Policy and Act for America.
Topic:
Radicalization, Islamophobia, Stigmatization, Republican Party, Muslims, and Peter King
Political Geography:
North America and United States of America

28. Factsheet: Freedom Party of Austria (Freiheitliche Partei Österreichs, FPÖ

Author:
Bridge Initiative Team
Publication Date:
06-2020
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
The Bridge Initiative, Georgetown University
Abstract:
The Austrian Freedom Party (FPÖ) was founded in 1956 as a party of former Nazis. While the party remained a marginal opposition party during its first three decades, by the mid-1980s it became one of the first (and most successful) populist far-right parties in Europe. FPÖ has primarily targeted Muslims and Islam in its policies and rhetoric, and has maintained connections with far-right, anti-Muslim parties, movements, and figures across Europe, in the U.S., and in Israel.
Topic:
Populism, Islamophobia, Far Right, Political Parties, and Muslims
Political Geography:
Europe and Austria

29. Factsheet: European Foundation for Democracy

Author:
Bridge Initiative Team
Publication Date:
12-2019
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
The Bridge Initiative, Georgetown University
Abstract:
The European Foundation for Democracy (EFD) is a European think tank that whose content focuses on defaming Muslim civil society organizations and attempting to exclude such organizations from the European political field. The EFD is based in Brussels and is linked to the Washington D.C.-based Foundation for the Defense of Democracy.
Topic:
Civil Society, Politics, Islamophobia, Think Tanks, Muslims, and European Foundation for Democracy (EFD)
Political Geography:
Europe

30. Factsheet: Halal Meat Bans

Author:
Bridge Initiative Team
Publication Date:
12-2019
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
The Bridge Initiative, Georgetown University
Abstract:
Halal is a Quranic term used to indicate what is lawful or permitted for Muslims. It refers to the requirements that Muslims must adhere to in their daily lives, including in their consumption of food and drink. Far-right political parties in Europe have begun to pass legislation that restricts the ability of Muslims to produce and consume halal meat, depicting halal slaughter as a form of resistance to cultural integration.
Topic:
Legislation, Muslims, Halal, and Meat
Political Geography:
Global Focus