Campus Watch demands academic integrity in North American Middle East studies (MES) programs. It reviews and critiques MES bias with the aim of improving education – keeping watch on scores of professors at hundreds of universities. Our campus networks, research specialists and advocates confront the anti-Western politicization of scholarship, intolerance of alternative views, and apologetics for Islamism. Campus Watch respects free speech for all – but insists upon reciprocity.
Impact: Victor Davis Hanson, The Hoover Institution – “Campus Watch sheds light on often volatile and intemperate proclamations.” New York Times – Campus Watch monitoring is responsible for “damaging open inquiry and expression.” Ruth Wisse, Harvard – “[MES] benefit[s] from the presence of Campus Watch.”
Lawrence A. Franklin | Gatestone Institute
Petition | Stop Antisemitism (On College Campuses and Beyond)
| Defenders of Due Process for Tariq Ramadan
Marjorie Valbrun | Inside Higher Ed
Danielpipes.org is one of the most accessed sources of specialized information on the Middle East and Muslim history, with over 69 million page views. Daniel Pipes is founder and president of the Middle East Forum – he has served in five presidential administrations and authored sixteen books on the Middle East, Islamism and related topics. The site offers an archive of his writings, along with video and audio of his latest media appearances, and translations of his works in 38 languages.
Impact: Washington Post – Daniel Pipes is “perhaps the most prominent U.S. scholar on radical Islam.” New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof – called Mr. Pipes a “smart conservative,” two days after Mr. Kristof endorsed the Southern Poverty Law Center, which lists Mr. Pipes as an “anti-Muslim extremist.”
Date: 5/30/2018
Date: 5/27/2018
Date: 5/17/2018
Date: 5/14/2018
Islamist Watch unveils and combats internal Islamist forces that exploit the freedoms of Western democracy to undermine from within. Lawful Islamists – in the media, courts, schools, public squares, and ballot boxes – seek the spread of Shari’a as governing law, although it is incompatible with Western democracy. Islamist Watch aims to make Islamists in suits and ties no more acceptable than ones wearing suicide vests – by countering corporate and governmental support, tracking tainted campaign contributions, and enhancing the presence and influence of anti-Islamist Muslims.
Impact: Donald Trump – “Hillary Clinton tops Middle East Forum’s ‘Islamist Money List.’” Keith Ellison – withdrew from the Islamist MAS-ICNA annual convention, after Islamist Watch publicized the extremism of fellow participants.
Hannah Ruediger and Frank Zeller | AFP
| Swiss Info
| JTA
Jay Reeves | Associated Press
The Israel Victory Project steers U.S. policy toward backing an Israel victory over the Palestinians to resolve the Arab-Israeli conflict. Decades of what insiders call “peace processing” have left matters worse than when they started. The time has come for a new approach, a complete re-thinking of the problem that draws on Israel’s earlier and successful strategy of deterrence. Stop pressuring Jerusalem to compromise and make “painful concessions.” Instead, support Israeli victory, convincing Palestinians and others that the Jewish state will endure.
Impact: Launched the bipartisan Congressional Israel Victory Caucus (CIVC) and the Knesset Israel Victory Caucus (KIVC), with 32 and 26 members respectively; influenced President Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and order the U.S. embassy moved there (according to The Guardian, Al-Monitor, and NPR).
Jihad Intel provides local law enforcement with tools to detect and prevent Islamist terrorism. At the behest of Islamists and leftists, references to Islam have been removed from law enforcement and national security training materials. Law enforcement needs to know what to look for while searching apartments, cars, computer hard-drives and personal effects of prisoners. Jihad Intel’s gratis database provides them with background, image identifiers and intelligence for over 150 Islamic terror groups, including 87 image identifiers for ISIS.
Impact: Jihad Intel research fellow Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi – quoted 242 times in the media over the last year, including in the New York Times, the Jerusalem Post and the Los Angeles Times, and on CNN.
The Legal Project protects the public discussion of Islam and related topics – if Islamism can not be discussed, it can not be reformed. The project provides a lifeline to the growing number of individuals whose livelihood and freedom are threatened by predatory Islamist lawsuits and malign government policies. It maintains a legal defense fund and a database of pro-bono/reduced-rate attorneys; raises public awareness of the issue; and educates policy-makers on how they can protect this vital speech.
Impact: Djemila Benhabib, author – “From now on freedom of expression will be better off in our democratic society. In helping me, the Middle East Forum's Legal Project has played such an important part in that matter.”
The Washington Project works to translate the Forum’s ideas into U.S. policy. It identifies American interests toward the Middle East, Israel and Islamism, and influences policy-makers through intensive educational efforts in the capital. The project currently focuses on reforming UNRWA by re-defining a “Palestine refugee”; designating the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization; and finding support for an Israel victory over the Palestinians.
Impact: Held 157 separate meetings in the last year with members of Congress of their staff – impacting UNRWA’s policies, countering Muslim Brotherhood infiltration, and helping to prevent unilateral Palestinian statehood in Obama’s final days.
The Forum sponsors webinars, in-person briefings, and conference calls featuring its staff and fellows, former government officials, scholars, journalists, and others with insights into the Middle East and Islamism. Speakers delve deep into critical issues, surpassing what is found in mass media – and always with an eye toward American interests. Most briefings occur along the New York-Philadelphia-Washington, D.C. corridor.
The Education Fund is a project of the Forum established in 2008 that disburses about $2 million annually in separately earmarked funds to researchers, writers, anti-Islamist Muslims, investigators and activists who work to further the Forum’s mission – promoting American interests in the Middle East and protecting Western values from Middle Eastern threats.
Funds go to some 80 recipients, individuals and organization alike, in the United States and around the world, including: Australia, Austria, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, India, Israel, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain and the United Kingdom. Some of their efforts are kept confidential to prevent their being exposed to danger.
The Forum supplements its writings with in-depth webinars, briefings and conference calls. Non-partisan specialists take on the Middle East's most controversial and difficult issues with an eye toward American interests – questioning assumptions, provoking thought, and offering new solutions.
The Forum’s activism gets things done – in Congress, on campus, in court, in corporate boardrooms, and beyond. Forum activists have held 157 meetings with members of Congress or their staff, impacting UNRWA’s policies and Muslim Brotherhood infiltration, and promoting Israel victory. It has also won legal victories over Islamists; exposed Islamist-tainted politicians; persuaded corporations to end funding of Islamist groups; and uncovered San Francisco State University’s malign relationship with a Hamas-linked West Bank university.
Middle East Forum activists launch public campaigns to expose, embarrass and pressure Islamist-tainted politicians and corporations, and biased educational institutions, after friendly educational entreaties are refused.
Impact: We were twice attacked by one of the world’s largest charities after we launched a campaign against the Silicon Valley Community Foundation to stop its donations to Islamist groups. Our evidence shows SVCF supporting organizations that “regularly give platforms to speakers who incite hatred against women, Jews, Christians, and the LGBTQ community.”
The Forum Blog brings experts together, virtually, at one convenient blog-like site – a daily must-read for folks seriously interested in the Middle East, and the go-to gathering place when major events occur. A diverse range of specialists participate as members. They review, analyze and debate a wide array of issues, from major regional developments to boutique issues. Entries are short, interesting and controversial, educating policy-makers and the general public.
Efraim Karsh
George L. Simpson, Jr.
Anne-Christine Hoff
Ardavan Khoshnood and Arvin Khoshnood
Dominic Green
Full-text of every Quarterly issue since its founding in 1994. A valuable resource for historians and researchers. Read an interview with Charles Krauthammer from 1994; an article by Bernard Lewis from 1998; and commentary by Michael Rubin from 2007.
The Middle East Quarterly, founded in 1994, has become America's most authoritative journal of Middle Eastern affairs. Policymakers, opinion-makers, academics, and journalists turn first to the Quarterly, for in-depth analysis of the rapidly-changing landscape of the world's most volatile region.
The Quarterly, a peer-reviewed publication, welcomes submissions of original articles, and will consider pre-publication of chapters from forthcoming books. Priority is given to timely articles impacting today's critical issues. Detailed guidelines are provided.
Daniel Pipes is founder and publisher of the Quarterly; Efraim Karsh is its editor. They lead the Quarterly’s 17-member Board of Editors, which includes professors, think-tank experts, and former government officials.
Questions, comments and submissions are directed to Judy Goodrobb, the Quarterly’s managing editor.
News involving the Forum itself – including our activist successes, new initiatives and offerings, and staff hirings. Recent topics include a major Legal Project victory in court; 15 ‘useful infidels’ who enable Islamists; our role in Keith Ellison withdrawing from an Islamist event; and Hillary Clinton topping our 2015-16 Islamist money list.
News from the Middle East Forum
Over the past year, Forum experts were quoted 1,226 times by 93 publications, from Agence France Press to The Washington Post. President Daniel Pipes was mentioned in The Economist; and interviewed by media in France, Germany, Italy and Russia; director Gregg Roman and fellow Raymond Stock appeared on Al-Jazeera; fellow Aymenn Jawad al-Tamimi was quoted in the New York Times, the Jerusalem Post and the Washington Post, and on CNN; Campus Watch director Winfield Myers was quoted in the Los Angeles Times.
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MEF Wire | 1/3/2018
MEF Wire | 11/1/2017
| 6/26/2014
Washington Instiute for Near East Policy | 5/19/2014
Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy | 6/29/2014
United Nations | 6/18/2014
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Nadia Yaqub and Rula Quawas (eds.)
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The Forum has been led by Daniel Pipes since its founding in 1994. Its global staff – working 24/7/365 from Philadelphia, as well as Atlanta, Boston, Jerusalem, San Francisco, Tel Aviv, and Washington, D.C. – includes scholars, authors, former government officials, political activists, attorneys, editors, and development professionals.
The Forum’s writing fellows shine a light on controversial and difficult issues others avoid – questioning assumptions, provoking thought, and offering new solutions for policy-makers. These experts expand the Forum’s research and writing on counter-terrorism, demographics, economics, energy, literature, moderate Muslims, terrorist groups, theology and women’s issues.
A listing of the Forum’s five officers, 12-member Executive Committee, and 60-member Board of Governors.
Recent audited financial statements and Form 990s are provided.
Information for those interested in working, interning or volunteering at the Forum.
News from the Middle East Forum • June 19, 2018
National Review Online • June 18, 2018
BESA Center Perspectives • June 17, 2018
Jerusalem Post • June 16, 2018
FrontPage Magazine • June 15, 2018
Rabwah Times • June 12, 2018
News from the Middle East Forum • June 11, 2018
Jewish News Syndicate • June 11, 2018
April 18, 2018
The Looming Cloud of Conflict with Iran
One of the main problems not addressed in the JCPOA is Iran's influence in Syria and the prospect of a future war with Israel. Iran and its clients routinely threaten the destruction of the Jewish state. Israeli strikes on their positions in Syria aim to deter future attacks on Israel emanating from Syrian territory. Seth Frantzman, a Middle East Forum writing fellow, provides a concise overview of the issue.
President Donald Trump has announced that the U.S. will withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal, more formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The Middle East Forum staff and fellows broadly agree that the JCPOA is not in U.S. interests, as it fails to deter Iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons capability in the long-run and does not constrain its malignant activities on the regional level.
To keep abreast of Iran and other critical issues, sign up to the Middle East Forum mailing list.
Jeffrey Herf
Sam Westrop | National Review Online
Burak Bekdil | BESA Center Perspectives
A.J. Caschetta | Jerusalem Post
Mark Tapson | FrontPage Magazine
Oren Litwin | Rabwah Times
A.J. Caschetta | Jewish News Syndicate
Cinnamon Stillwell | The Algemeiner
Iran
5/2/2018
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The MEF is a publicly supported, nonprofit organization under section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code.
Contributions are tax deductible to the full extent allowed by law. Tax-ID 23-774-9796, approved Apr. 27, 1998. For more information, view our IRS letter of determination.
Learn more about how you can support Middle East Forum, a 501(c)3 organization. Contributions to the MEF are tax deductible.
The Middle East Forum promotes American interests in the Middle East and protects Western values from Middle Eastern threats.
The Forum sees the region — with its profusion of dictatorships, radical ideologies, existential conflicts, border disagreements, corruption, political violence, and weapons of mass destruction — as a major source of problems for the United States. Accordingly, we urge bold measures to protect Americans and their allies.