A Who’s Who of the Anti-Muslim/Anti-Arab/Islamophobia Industry

by Sheila Musaji

The American Muslim (TAM) has collected information about these individuals in this easy to use format.  Just click on the links provided to go to in-depth articles and backgrounders on these individuals.  There are a number of other individuals who should be included here, and they will be added, and this will be updated as time permits.

Ayaan Hirsi Ali - see TAM Responses collection

Zachariah Anani *

Glenn Beck (media) - see TAM Responses collection

Eliana Benador *

Rev. Flip Benham and Operation Save America *

Bonni Benstock-Intall and Bare Naked Islam *

Baron Boddisey (aka Ned May, aka Edward May) of Gates of Vienna: Islamophobia Manifesto Clearly Lays Out Plot Against Muslims ** 

Ret. Gen. William Boykin **

Ergun Mehmet Caner *

David Caton and the Florida Family Association **

Aubrey & Joyce Chernick and the Fairbrook Foundation (financier)  *****

Phyllis Chesler *

Ann Coulter (media) - see TAM Responses collection

Nonie Darwish (aka Nahid Hyde) and Former Muslims United *

Alan Dershowitz - see TAM Responses collection

Steven Emerson and the Investigative Project **

Joseph Farah and World Net Daily *

Bryan Fischer and The American Family Association **

Hugh Fitzgerald (an alias) of Jihad Watch *

Fjordman (aka Peder Jensen)  **

Brigitte Gabriel (aka Hanan Qahwaji, Nour Semaan, Rachael Cohen) and ACT for America ***

Dave Gaubatz *

Frank Gaffney and the Center for Security Policy (anti-Sharia) **** and ****

Pamela Geller of Atlas Shrugs and SIOA ***

Caroline Glick and LATMA **

John Guandolo *

Sean Hannity (media) - see TAM Responses collection

David Horowitz and the Freedom Center *****

Raymond Ibrahim and the Middle East Forum (MEF) **

Victoria Jackson *

Charles Jacobs and Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America CAMERA and David Project **

Rev. Terry Jones of Dove World Outreach Christian Center *

Joe Kaufman & Americans Against Hate -  *

Sam Kharoba (fake counter-terrorism trainer) *

Alan Keyes and the Oak Initiative *

Charles Krauthammer (media)  - see TAM Responses collection

Michelle Malkin (media) - see TAM Responses collection

The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) ***

Andrew McCarthy (media) see TAM Responses collection

Dr. Robert Morey *

Chuck Norris *

Bill O’Reilly (media) - see TAM Responses collection

Marty Peretz (media) - see TAM Responses collection

Walid Phares **

Daniel Pipes and the Middle East Forum (MEF)  ****

Dennis Prager (media) *

Henry Rochejaquelein (an alias):  Robert Spencer Discovers Another Mystery “Expert” *

Guy Rodgers and ACT for America **

Kamal Saleem (aka Khodor Shami) *

Michael Savage (media) - see TAM Responses collection

Debbie Schlussel **

Phyllis Schlafly and the Eagle Forum *

Roland Shirk of Jihad Watch *

Walid Shoebat **

Anis Shorrosh *

Ali Sina and Faith Freedom International *

Robert Spencer and Jihad Watch ***

Mark Steyn (media) - see TAM Responses collection

Wafa Sultan *

Tom Trento and the Florida Security Council/United West Organizations *

Ibn Warraq - see TAM Responses collection

Geert Wilders **

Bat Ye’or **

Sheikh YerMami *

David Yerushalmi and SANE ****

NOTES:  Those in bold are key figures.  This list did contain the names of some Muslims who might be considered to be empowering or playing into the hands of the Islamophobes.  However, it has been suggested that their inclusion in this category might be confusing to some.  Therefore those names have been removed from this collection of key Islamophobes.

CRITICAL REPORTS ON THE ISLAMOPHOBIA INDUSTRY

The ACLU report BLOCKING FAITH, FREEZING CHARITY: CHILLING MUSLIM CHARITABLE GIVING IN THE “WAR ON TERRORISM FINANCING” 

ACLU report Nothing to Fear: Debunking the Mythical “Sharia Threat” to Our Judicial System 5/2011

Bureau of International Information Programs report MUSLIMS IN AMERICA: A STATISTICAL PORTRAIT 

CAIR (Council on American Islamic Relations) reports: WESTERN MUSLIM MINORITIES: INTEGRATION AND DISENFRANCHISEMENT; THE STATUS OF MUSLIM CIVIL RIGHTS IN THE UNITED STATES 2009: Seeking Full Inclusion;  THE MOSQUE IN AMERICA: A NATIONAL PORTRAIT; and CAIR and the University of California, Berkeley’s Center for Race and Gender (CRG) report Same Hate, New Target:  Islamophobia and its impact in the United States  6/23/11

The Center for American Progress (CAP) report UNDERSTANDING SHARIAH LAW:  Conservatives’ Skewed Interpretation Needs Debunking, by Wajahat Ali and Matthew Duss.

Center for American Progress report FEAR INC.: THE ROOTS OF THE ISLAMOPHOBIA NETWORK IN AMERICA.  The key researchers for this report were Wajahat Ali, Eli Clifton, Matthew Duss, Lee Fang, Scott Keyes, and Faiz Shakir.  The report itself is the result of a six month investigative project, and is 132 pages in length. Article about the report, with article collection here 8/26/11

Communique Partners report Western Perception of Islam and Muslims 2005

Hope Not Hate Campaign report Counter-Jihad’ Movement profiles over 100 individuals who are central to the international anti-Muslim network

The Institute for Social Policy and Understanding published A Portion of the People: Islam in a ‘Christian’ America

MAPOS The MUSLIM AMERICAN PUBLIC OPINION SURVEY by Matt A. Barreto, University of Washington and Karam Dana, Harvard University

MPAC published COUNTERPRODUCTIVE COUNTERTERRORISM: HOW ANTI-MUSLIM BIAS IS UNDERMINING AMERICA’s HOMELAND SECURITY  Several myths abound regarding the role of American Muslims in counterterrorism policy, the most prominent and problematic of which paints the American Muslim community as a threat to America’s national security. In fact, the American Muslim community is an asset to law enforcement in their shared goal to root out terrorism and extremism. The source of suspicion of American Muslims stems from false accusations of American Muslim organizations.

New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) White Paper Religious Freedom Under Attack:  The Rise of Anti-Mosque Activities in New York State charts rising anti-Muslim trends.  8/2011

People for the American Way (PFAW) report The Right Wing Playbook on Anti-Muslim Extremism  7/2011

Political Research Associates report MANUFACTURING THE MUSLIM MENACE: PRIVATE FIRMS, PUBLIC SERVANTS, AND THE THREAT TO RIGHTS AND SECURITY 

Political Research Associates report Toxic to Democracy: Conspiracy Theories, Demonization, & Scapegoating by Chip Berlet

SPLC published Jihad Against Islam and The Anti-Muslim Inner Circle by Robert Steinback in their Summer 2011 Intelligence Report 6/11

SPLC has a list of active anti-Muslim groups by state.  This list includes: 
9/11 Christian Center at Ground Zero, Aggressive Christianity, The American Defense League, American Freedom Defense Initiative, Atlas Shrugs, Bare Naked Islam, Casa D’Ice Signs, Christian Action Network, Christian Guardians, Christian Phalange, Citizen Warrior, Concerned American Citizens, Concerned Citizens for the First Amendment, Escaping Islam, Faith Freedom, Insight USA, Islam: the Religion of Peace , and a big stack of dead bodies), Jihad Watch, Political Islam, Radio Jihad, Sharia Awareness Action Network, Silver Bullet Gun Oil, Stop the Islamization of America (SIOA), Sultan Knish a blog by Daniel Greenfield, Tennessee Freedom Coalition, The United West, U.S. Justice Foundation.

The SPLC Anti-Muslim Inner Circle report includes:  Bill French, Center for the Study of Political Islam - Brigitte Gabriel, ACT! for America and American Council for Truth - David Gaubatz, Society of Americans for National Existence (SANE) - Pamela Geller, Stop Islamization of America (SIOA), the American Freedom Defense Initiative (AFDI), Stop the Islamization of Nations (SION) - David Horowitz, Front Page Magazine, David Horowitz Freedom Center - John Joseph Jay, Stop Islamization of America (SIOA), the American Freedom Defense Initiative (AFDI) - Terry Jones, Dove World Outreach Center - Debbie Schlussel - Robert Spencer, Jihad Watch, Stop Islamization of America (SIOA), the American Freedom Defense Initiative (AFDI), Stop the Islamization of Nations (SION) - David Yerushalmi, Society of Americans for National Existence (SANE), Stop the Madrassa

SEE ALSO:

—  Islamophobia no longer questioned - even by our elected representatives for a lengthy list of anti-Muslim, Islamobophic quotes by elected representatives and government representatives. 

—  Christian brotherly love is difficult for some to obtain for anti-Muslim quotes by Christians including Christian clergypeople.  Members of this group include: Rev. Jerry Falwell, Bryan Fisher (American Family Association), Rev. Franklin Graham, Rev. John Hagee, Rev. Rod Parsley,  Rev. Pat Robertson (Christian Coalition, 700 Club), etc.

—  Jewish “Ahavah shel achvah” Brotherly Love is Difficult for Some to Attain for anti-Muslim quotes by Jews including Rabbis.

— Islamophobia:  Real or Imagined - TAM article collection

There would appear to be an Islamophobia industry engaged in what Max Blumenthal calls a Great Islamophobic Crusade.  In regard to the production of “Relentless”,  “Obsession: Radical Islam’s War on the West” and “The Third Jihad” TAM has published this article and Richard Silverstein has discussed the anti-Muslim propaganda during the last election cycle here, and the money trail between these groups here  and here

DEFINITION OF ISLAMOPHOBIA

The Islamophobia Research and Documentation Project at the Center for Race and Gender has the best working definition I have seen:

The term “Islamophobia” was first introduced as a concept in a 1991 Runnymede Trust Report and defined as “unfounded hostility towards Muslims, and therefore fear or dislike of all or most Muslims.” The term was coined in the context of Muslims in the UK in particular and Europe in general, and formulated based on the more common “xenophobia” framework.

The report pointed to prevailing attitudes that incorporate the following beliefs:

•Islam is monolithic and cannot adapt to new realities
•Islam does not share common values with other major faiths
•Islam as a religion is inferior to the West.  It is archaic, barbaric, and irrational.
•Islam is a religion of violence and supports terrorism.
•Islam is a violent political ideology.
For the purposes of anchoring the current research and documentation project, we provide the following working definition:

Islamophobia is a contrived fear or prejudice fomented by the existing Eurocentric and Orientalist global power structure.  It is directed at a perceived or real Muslim threat through the maintenance and extension of existing disparities in economic, political, social and cultural relations, while rationalizing the necessity to deploy violence as a tool to achieve “civilizational rehab” of the target communities (Muslim or otherwise).  Islamophobia reintroduces and reaffirms a global racial structure through which resource distribution disparities are maintained and extended.