Sam Westrop

Director, Islamist Watch

Sam Westrop has headed Islamist Watch since March 2017, when MEF absorbed the counter-extremism unit of Americans for Peace and Tolerance (APT), where he was the research director. Before that, he ran Stand for Peace, a London-based counter-extremism organization monitoring Islamists throughout the UK.

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) grants taxpayer dollars through charitable institutions.
Middle East Forum Observer
Trump’s Foreign Aid Suspension: A Good First Step to Disrupt USAID’s Terror Finance
The U.S. Must Ensure That Taxpayers’ Money Never Goes to an Organization Whose Staff Expresses Support for Designated Terrorist Groups
January 22, 2025
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Sam Westrop
President Trump with Samraa Luqman, co-chair of the Islamist-aligned Abandon Biden campaign
FWI News
Michigan Islamists Applaud Trump’s Pressure on Israel, Meet With FBI Director Nominee
The same day the ceasefire was announced, figures behind the CAIR-backed Abandon Biden campaign met with Kash Patel, Trump’s pick for FBI Director.
January 17, 2025
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Sam Westrop
FWI News
Antisemitic, Pro-Hezbollah Imam Invited to Deliver Prayer at Trump Inauguration
January 13, 2025
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Sam Westrop
Just months before the October 7 attaacks, Hamas leader Ghazi Hamad (second from the right) welcomes the 2023 Miles of Smiles convoy, led by British Hamas supporter Essam Yusuf (center).
FWI Research
Why Does Israel (Still) Facilitate Hamas’s Funding?
Before and after October 7, Israeli authorities have permitted radical Hamas-aligned Western Islamist charities to enter Gaza and work openly with Hamas terror leaders, with some convoys even arriving from the Israeli side of the border.
January 13, 2025
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Sam Westrop
FWI News
Houston’s Harris County Embraces Official of Islamist Network Connected to New Orleans Terrorist
The ISGH imam is due to attend and address the Commissioners Court, a general governing body for Harris County, which includes the city of Houston, where the New Orleans terrorist lived.
January 3, 2025
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Sam Westrop
FWI Research
South Africa’s Terror-Tied Ambassador Returns to Washington
December 19, 2024
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Sam Westrop
Trump and ministers from Middle East states sign the Abraham Accords.
Middle East Forum Online
Reasserting American Power in the Middle East: A Blueprint for the Trump Administration
A Comprehensive Plan to Restore American Leadership, Counter Iranian Aggression, and Secure Stability in the Middle East
December 2, 2024
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Gregg Roman
October 7 Retrospective
Hamas-Aligned Charities Have Little to Fear from Government
A Year After the October 7 Attacks, Hamas-Aligned Charities Tied to Violence Overseas, Continue to Operate with No Apparent Fear of Prosecution.
October 7, 2024
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Sam Westrop
Al-Hussnain Seminary students from Indiana with radical Pakistani cleric and Tablighi Jamaat leader Tariq Jamil
FWI News
Department of Justice Compels Indiana County’s $300k Payout to Tablighi Jamaat Seminary
October 4, 2024
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Sam Westrop
FWI Research
National Security Council Embraces Official of Hamas-Contracted Charity
September 20, 2024
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Sam Westrop
FWI Research
Iranian Regime Involvement with Texas Student Anti-Israel Protests
Leading Iranian regime operatives played a key role organizing student anti-Israel protests, an investigation by FWI reveals.

In early July, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence alleged that “Iranian government actors have sought to opportunistically take advantage of ongoing protests regarding the war in Gaza ... We have observed actors tied to Iran’s government posing as activists online, seeking to encourage protests, and even providing financial support to protesters.”
August 1, 2024
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Sam Westrop
Winfield Myers
FWI Research
Exploring Minnesota Mosque Dar Al-Farooq’s Connections to Pandemic Relief Fraud Case
June 6, 2024
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Sam Westrop
Ahnaf Kalam
FWI Research
Top Federal Government Partner ANERA Is a Hive of Jew-Hate and Hamas-Support
May 22, 2024
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Sam Westrop
Ahnaf Kalam
FWI Government Funding of Islamism
Rep. Torres Secures $1 Million for Oct. 7 Supporters
April 16, 2024
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Sam Westrop
Ahnaf Kalam
FWI Government Funding of Islamism
USAID Hands Almost $1 Million to Hamas Charity in Gaza Linked to Son of Terror Leader Ismail Haniyeh
April 4, 2024
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Sam Westrop
Ahnaf Kalam
FWI Research
Islamic Relief Partnered with Senior Hamas Officials, including Son of Terror Leader Ismail Haniyeh
April 4, 2024
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Sam Westrop
Ahnaf Kalam
FWI Government Funding of Islamism
Biden Gave $5 Million to Terror-Tied Islamists in 2023 (Still Much Less than Trump)
March 26, 2024
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Sam Westrop
Ahnaf Kalam
FWI Islamist Dissent
‘Uncommitted Vote’ Campaign was Designed to Unify Fractious Islamists
March 14, 2024
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Sam Westrop
Ahnaf Kalam
FWI Research
Western Islamists Work to Build the Taliban’s Afghanistan into a Global Caliphate
February 22, 2024
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Sam Westrop
FWI Islamist Dissent
Canadian Muslims Divided Over Israel “Normalizers”
January 18, 2024
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Sam Westrop
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