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Benjamin Baird: Enough Talk! How Do We Counter Islamism Across America?
by Marilyn Stern
Middle East Forum Webinar
Benjamin Baird, director of MEF Action, the Middle East Forum's (MEF) grassroots advocacy initiative, spoke to a July 31st Middle East Forum Webinar (video) in an interview with Stacey Roman, MEF outreach director, about countering Islamism in America. The following is a summary of Baird's comments:
America's cultural shifts since the 9/11 terror attacks on the U.S., in particular the growth of progressive and identity politics, have enabled Islamist activists to portray themselves as an "embattled minority" engaged in a civil rights struggle. A consequence of "progressive wokeism" is that "Islamists are controlling the narrative when it comes to a whole host of issues" foreign and domestic. Islamists have become the self-appointed gatekeepers who propagate their understanding of Islam and spin counterterrorism and foreign policy situations to their benefit. They are aided in this by a sympathetic and "complicit media." Journalists even consult with the Islamist organization, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), to weigh in on antisemitic violence instead of consulting with Jewish community leaders. The Investigative Project on Terrorism's (IPT) book, CAIR's Antisemitism Unmasked, catalogs the group's antisemitic rhetoric and actions, while in StopAntisemitism.org's 2019 report, "The New Antisemites," pro-Israel and pro-Jewish groups denounce CAIR for its antisemitic history.
The media obscured inconvenient truths after Mohammed Khairullah, the mayor of Prospect Park, New Jersey, was removed from a White House guest list because of his inclusion on a terrorist watch list. Journalists omitted significant details of Khairullah's associations with Islamists, instead portraying him as a victim of a "xenophobic" government. IPT investigative journalist John Rossomando exposed social media posts of Khairullah posing with mujahideen fighters during his many trips to Syria, including one image showing the mayor at a rally featuring Al Nusra Front banners, the flag of Al Qaeda's Syrian affiliate at the time. Not one of the national media outlets portraying Khairullah as a victim mentioned Rossomando's exposé or meaningfully examined his past.
By legitimizing Islamists, Islamist-friendly media enable Muslim Brotherhood groups in America to gain influence and power in fields as diverse as the "media, or law enforcement, or government."
Joe Kaufman, a counter-Islamist activist in South Florida, attended a Palm Beach County School Board meeting to protest awards being given by an Islamist-allied group, the South Florida Muslim Federation (SFMF), to board members who were instrumental in getting school days off for Muslim holidays. Kaufman objected to SFMF's involvement because of its "history of bigotry and terror ties." Rather than reporting the motivation for Kaufman's protest accurately, reporters from the Palm Beach Post headlined that the school board had been "lambasted" for closing the school on those Muslim holidays.
Politically, by legitimizing Islamists, Islamist-friendly media enable Muslim Brotherhood (MB) groups in America to gain influence and power in fields as diverse as the "media, or law enforcement, or government." By activating their grassroots organizers, Islamist groups sponsor legislation and promote candidates who influence state and federal lawmakers. Islamists exploit impoverished locales by providing social welfare services as a form of missionary work, or da'wah, to indoctrinate its recipients in radical Islamism.
MEF Action pushes back against the "mainstreaming of Islamist groups in America" and gives counter-Islamist grassroots activists the avenues to counter Islamism. The MEF Action Center is a networking clearinghouse which offers supporters ways to engage in letter-writing campaigns to elected officials, sign petitions, and join protests and rallies. There are currently three campaigns underway, one of which is countering a bill MEF opposed in 2021 and 2022 that is being reintroduced by Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN). If adopted, the bill would establish a "special envoy on Islamophobia" who would vilify U.S. allies such as India, France, and Israel while ignoring the worst perpetrators of Muslim violence committed by the Muslims themselves.
CAIR is politically active and runs lobbying campaigns to mobilize their base, which is "just a fraction of the U.S. population," to contact elected officials. MEF Action counters CAIR by rallying counter-Islamist supporters to contact their elected officials and push back against Islamist legislation. Islamists who run for political office also bankroll other Islamist candidates' campaigns. To counter this, MEF's Islamist Money in Politics (IMIP) initiative tracks and exposes the Islamist money trail used by Islamist candidates.
By researching the Federal Election Commission website, IMIP exposed Muad Hrezi, a Libyan American candidate who ran in 2022 for the U.S. House in Connecticut. Less than a third of his individual donations came from the state's residents; the remainder was funded by American citizens tied to the Libyan Muslim Brotherhood. Hrezi's donors also included two individuals Libya has designated as terrorists, while other donors represented Libyan MB political parties, as well as Libya's "unofficial lobby" in the U.S., the Libyan American Alliance. Faisal Gill, an Islamist candidate for LA City Attorney in 2022, likewise received many of his donations from outside the city, thereby raising questions about his political allegiances. All too often, donations to political campaigns originate from Islamists themselves who perpetuate hate and have ties to terrorism. Journalists who questioned Virginia lieutenant governor candidate Sam Rasoul about why the majority of his donations came from Muslim activists outside of Virginia were denounced by mainstream media as Islamophobes.
Countering Islamists involves exposing the Islamists' weak spots. Islamists involved in terror finance cases are likely to have been cited in other counterterror investigations. Revealing the history of these Islamist groups and amplifying their caustic comments about "Jews, Hindus, LGBT persons, [and] women" is part of MEF's mission. A recent resolution introduced in California designates August as American Muslim Appreciation and Awareness month, but the bill praises dangerous Islamist groups in the U.S., including CAIR and the Muslim-American Society, which is tied to the Egyptian MB. Both are designated as terror groups by the United Arab Emirates. Another is the Islamic Circle of North America, a proxy for a group "involved in war crimes in South Asia." MEF supporters in California who wish to oppose the resolution should visit this campaign page.
Islamists inflate and exaggerate the occurrence of Islamophobia, with Islamist groups such as CAIR inaccurately claiming that Muslims are subject to twice the number of bias incidents as Jews. FBI statistics prove that Jewish Americans are the most persecuted religious group in the U.S., thus exposing Islamist groups' penchant for claiming victimhood status. Internationally, Islamists ignore hate towards Muslims in authoritarian nations such as China and Myanmar, yet are hostile toward the policies of democratic countries such as France, India, and the U.S.
MEF Action counters CAIR by rallying counter-Islamist supporters to contact their elected officials and push back against Islamist legislation.
Foreign entities back Islamists in the U.S. A case in point is the U.S. Council of Muslim Organizations (USCMO), an umbrella group comprising America's top domestic Islamist organizations. These groups, which are supported by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his Justice and Development Party, signal their loyalty by parroting Turkish regime talking points and encouraging American Muslims to travel to Turkey. Erdoğan supports these groups by offering the Diyanet Center of America (DCA), his "little Versailles" non-profit complex located on sixteen acres in Lanham, Maryland. The DCA includes a mosque and minaret, meeting halls, condominiums and an apartment complex, a restaurant, shops, and a sports center.
With its proximity to Washington, D.C., the DCA underwrote Islamist lobbying efforts during the 2022 National Muslim Advocacy Day by sponsoring USCMO and five hundred Islamist activists who lobbied elected officials on Capitol Hill regarding Islamist issues. Some of these activists were given free room and board at DCA facilities. A South Asian Islamist group, Justice for All, received lobbyist training at the DCA, acting as representatives of a foreign Islamist government in possible violation of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). That the Department of Justice's FARA unit is more worried about China than Islamist groups points to the need to expand the FARA unit to investigate foreign influence in higher education and lobbying initiatives.
Anti-Islamist organizations in the U.S. comprising Muslims, ex-Muslims, and non-Muslims play an important role in countering Islamist influence. Effective groups such as Ayaan Hirsi Ali's AHA Foundation, the CLARITy Coalition, and the Muslim Reform Movement collaborate in the counter-Islamist effort.
Oddly, some major Jewish organizations are more focused on embracing Islamists as part of their interfaith alliances. These Jewish community groups therefore legitimize the very sources that are hostile to Jews, Hindus, and Christians, a move that facilitated CAIR's inclusion on a White House commission to fight antisemitism. Although the Anti-Defamation League used to feature a "soft" portrayal of CAIR on its website, an updated page now features specific instances of antisemitism perpetrated by the Islamist group's senior leaders.
Absent Islamists' overt ties to terrorism, the fight against "lawful Islamism" is a battle that can only be fought in the court of public opinion.
Absent Islamists' overt ties to terrorism, the fight against "lawful Islamism" is a battle that can only be fought in the court of public opinion.
"There is an activist class of young Muslim-American professionals who are waiting to take over from the Islamists who are in power today." American campuses are rife with Islamist hate groups, where many of the young Islamist activists are perfecting their skills and becoming more fluent in the language of progressive politics. "The legitimacy of Islamist groups is where they derive their power . . . being part of progressive circles definitely cements their place and makes them more dangerous." The Canary Mission, a counter-Islamist group that documents hate groups and their activists that are hostile to the U.S., Jews, and Israel, is particularly effective in documenting Islamist hate groups on campuses.
Countering Islamists is not a narrow issue of the culture wars that can be relegated to either the right or the left, but instead is a bipartisan issue that can affect both sides of the political spectrum. Both Republicans and Democrats should reject Islamism's hateful ideology, which threatens America's basic values and freedoms. "[Islamists] may not call for violence, but they share the opinions of violent Islamists."
Text "MEF" to 52886 or visit this sign-up page to learn about ongoing campaigns and activism aimed at advancing U.S. interests in the Middle East and countering Islamism's march across America.
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U.S. emboldens Hezbollah at Israel’s expense
It's Netanyahu's move now
By Tony Badran and Jonathan Schanzer
Senior Israeli military officials tell Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the risk of war on the northern border is the highest in years. The Israel Defense Forces’ intelligence division warns that Hezbollah “is close to making a mistake that could plunge the region into a big war.”
This grave assessment is not new. For several months, the Iran-backed terrorist group Hezbollah in Lebanon has been steadily provoking Israel. The group is daring the IDF to respond.
The last time these two crossed swords was in 2006, after a deadly Hezbollah cross-border raid. The war that followed dragged on for more than a month. Hezbollah fired nearly 4,000 rockets at Israel. Israel responded with airstrikes targeting Hezbollah‘s infrastructure, including some embedded in civilian areas.
Since then, Hezbollah has been preparing for another round. It has replenished and upgraded its arsenal, amassing some 150,000 rockets. With Iran’s help, Hezbollah has also stockpiled hundreds of precision-guided weapons that may be capable of evading Israel’s defenses and striking strategic targets.
Israel, whose military remains the strongest in the Middle East, has fortified its capabilities, too. The prevailing assessment in Israel’s security establishment, however, is that it is best to postpone a painful war and to prepare more fully for the inevitable next round.
The wisdom of this approach is untested. It’s also not without cost. Seasoned Israeli voices warn that every day Israel waits is another day Hezbollah grows stronger — and Israel’s deterrence weakens.
Washington has, unfortunately, aggravated Israel’s dilemma. The Pentagon consistently urges Israel not to engage. The State Department treats Lebanon like a protectorate and labors to preserve its stability.
This policy has only emboldened and empowered Hezbollah, the real power in Lebanon.
Washington has even positioned itself as an intermediary between Israel and Hezbollah. In so doing, the Biden administration has reprised the role it played last year when it pushed Israel into a maritime border agreement with Lebanon. The aim was to allow Lebanon to share in the Mediterranean’s recent gas windfall.
Amid the talks, Hezbollah launched drones at Israel’s offshore infrastructure. The Biden administration promptly leveraged this to press Israel to concede to all of Lebanon’s (that is, Hezbollah’s) maritime demands.
With America urging both restraint and concessions from Israel, Hezbollah has seized the initiative. Since 2021, Hezbollah has reopened hostilities along the border, albeit in a limited fashion.
Hezbollah started by claiming the right to respond to Israeli security measures in Jerusalem and military operations in the Palestinian arena. In the 2021 skirmish between Israel and Hamas, Hezbollah orchestrated the firing of rudimentary rockets at Israel.
The rockets did no damage; some didn’t even enter Israeli airspace. Still, Hezbollah’s message was clear.
The Israeli response was equally clear. The Israel Defense Forces merely fired back at an empty patch of territory. This signaled a desire to avoid conflict with Hezbollah. The IDF was content to blame the incident on Palestinian factions. Adopting this convenient fiction only reinforced Hezbollah’s sense of impunity.
This past spring, Hezbollah again tethered itself to the Palestinian cause and dispatched an operative across the border to execute a bombing that killed one citizen deep in Israel, just north of the West Bank. Despite the severity of this attack, Israel declined to respond in Lebanon. Instead, Israel’s defense minister vowed to respond in “the right place and time.”
Subsequently, amid security operations to quell unrest in Jerusalem and a skirmish between Israel and Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah orchestrated more rocket fire, in the largest numbers since 2006. The Israelis once again fired at open fields.
More recently, Hezbollah launched a campaign at the border in a small patch of territory known in Israel as Mount Dov and in Lebanon as the Shebaa Farms and Kfar Shouba Hills.
Though the United Nations rejects the claim that this is Lebanese territory, that is of no concern to Hezbollah. The group boldly erected a tent several meters inside Israeli territory and manned it with operatives.
Remarkably, the Israelis did not remove the outpost.
By not responding to such provocations, one could argue that Israel is the responsible party. But there is no prize for being sensible.
In fact, Hezbollah took this behavior for weakness and doubled down.
Israel is still trying to resolve the matter diplomatically. However, such efforts are handled through American mediation. And unfortunately for Israel, the U.S. posture in Lebanon is not favorable to Israel’s interests — or America’s, for that matter.
The elephant in the room is that the Biden administration still wants a deal with Iran, Hezbollah’s patron. As part of this policy, which began with the Obama administration, Washington compensates Iran by propping up its regional assets, like with the maritime deal, or underwriting the Lebanese armed forces, which collaborate regularly with Hezbollah, including in the group’s latest border provocation.
In a speech last month, Hezbollah’s leader explicitly stated that America’s posture was a direct factor in his calculation to erect the outpost inside Israeli territory. In other words, American policy is damaging Israel’s security, and Hezbollah is gloating about it.
It is now Israel’s move. The region is watching.
• Tony Badran is a research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, where Jonathan Schanzer is senior vice president for research.
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Joe Biden Was Reportedly Told Who Brought Cocaine Into the White House
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