Dear Reader: I thank those readers who have donated to the Middle East Forum in 2017. I invite those who have not yet done so to send a tax-deductible contribution, most easily done by clicking here. An update on Forum activities follows, with details on our research, impact on policy, activism, and courtroom initiatives. Research We shape public opinion, publishing 157 articles in 2017 by 40 Forumexperts in 56 publications, ranging from The Telegraph (UK) and Fortune, to The Toronto Sun and Israel Hayom. Inside the Beltway, we placed 14 articles in The Hill and The Washington Times.The media comes to us for comment on all matters Middle East, with 9 of our experts interviewed 113 times in the first half of 2017 by 72 media outlets; and an additional 536 mentions of our projects and experts by 83 media outlets. We appear everywhere from the AP and The Wall Street Journal, to NBC-10 in Rochester, NY and The Times of London. Impact on Policy Top officials seek our counsel. We turned ideas into policy through 217 Washington meetings in the first half of 2017, involving 132 lawmakers and policymakers – senior White House officials, National Security Council members, congressional offices and committee staff, and foreign officials. Launch of the Congressional Israel Victory Caucus on Capitol Hill - April, 2017. Here are five of our issues:Israel victory – We advocate an Israel victory over the Palestinians as a means to resolve the Arab-Israeli conflict. Toward this end, we helped establish the Congressional Israel Victory Caucus whose launch drew the ire of Soros-backed anti-Israel J-Street, provoked an outburst by a Code Pink hooligan (leading to criminal charges), and was coveredwidely in the media. Re-defining a “Palestinian refugee” – Our educational efforts led to language in the 2017 Omnibus Appropriations Bill that (i) forces the State Department publicly to analyze whether U.S. support for UNRWA is justified in light of the current definition, and whether it furthers peace in the region; and (ii) forces the State Department to declassify a report on how many individuals currently considered Palestinian “refugees” were actually displaced in 1948-49, and how many are currently supported by U.S. aid. White House Commission on Radical Islam – We crafted a 40-page comprehensive plan (summarized in the Washington Times) for the Trump administration, defining the enemy and describing how that enemy can be defeated, while providing specifics on structure, personnel, mandate and implementation. We are now working with Congress on a bill to enable and fund the Commission. Extreme vetting of Muslim immigrants – We produced a detailed plan to identify and weed-out Islamists, as opposed to moderate Muslims; and shared it with the White House, the National Security Council, and the House and Senate Homeland Security Committees. Our ideas are already utilized by the administration. Combating the Muslim Brotherhood – We helped build momentum for the Muslim Brotherhood Terror Designation Act and the Naming the Enemy Within Homeland Security Act (prohibiting DHS from funding or collaborating with MB organizations or individuals).Activism We launch campaigns. For example:Defunding Islamist groups – We work to end government funding to U.S.-based Islamist groups; DHS discontinued grants to Islamist MPAC after we went public. We also work behind-the-scenes to end private donations, convincing five corporations and foundations to end this practice. Others – notably the Silicon Valley Community Foundation (which gave $331,000 to Islamist groups) – respond to our public campaigns with ad hominem attacks on us, making us the more determined. Breaking an American-Palestinian university bond – We launched a campaign to pressure San Francisco State University to end its exchange program with An-Najah University in the West Bank town of Nablus, a “greenhouse for martyrs” known for its radicalization of students and terrorist recruitment. SFSU’s ally, the anti-Israel Middle East Studies Association responded by denouncing our work as “harassment.” Deterring politicians – Our research showing U.S.-based Islamist extremism – particularly, their intolerance and hatred toward women and homosexuals – led to: (i) Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) twice withdrawing from Islamist group conventions after we publicized extremist quotes of scheduled convention speakers; (ii) Rep. Joe Kennedy (D-MA) cancelling his scheduled appearance at the Islamic Center of New England hours after we briefed his staff on the organization's past links to terrorism and extremism; and (iii) the Liberal Democrat party (UK) suspending Ashuk Ahmed, who was running to become a member of the UK Parliament, after we fed the Daily Mail his past anti-Semitic and extremist comments.Courtroom Initiatives We’re active in the courtroom. For example:Author Djemila Benhabib (left) defeated Islamists in court with help from the Legal Project.Forcing Department of Homeland Security transparency – We sued the Department of Homeland Security in federal court on April 26 after it failed to respond to our Freedom of Information Act request for documents about its decision to give Countering Violent Extremism funds to Islamist groups. Protecting the public discussion of Islam – We helped defeat the Muslim School of Montreal in Quebec Superior Court. It had brought a defamation suit against author Djemila Benhabib for saying the school gives its students “an indoctrination worthy of military camps in Afghanistan and Pakistan.” Now we’re helping to defend another Canadian author, Tom Quiggin, who was sued for defamation by three individuals he correctly tied to the Muslim Brotherhood.A Global Organization We’ve visited, funded staff, fellows, or allies in, published in, or helped with lawsuits in over 50 countries on every continent but Antarctica. Two of our specialists, Jonathan Spyer and Aymenn Al-Tamimi, regularly venture into the Syrian and Iraqi combat zones to report the latest on ISIS. So far in 2017, MEF staff and fellows have also taken working trips, meeting with officials and giving talks, to Afghanistan, Bulgaria, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Japan, Jordan, the Netherlands, Oman, Qatar, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, Tunisia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and Uzbekistan. Our Education Fund sponsors groups and individuals in 31 countries. For example, we hired a researcher in Jakarta to translate what a prominent U.S.-based cleric says in Indonesian, rather than trust what he says in English._ _ _ _ _ Once a classic think tank, we have evolved into an action-think tank. As I like to say, there’s no compliment as true as a back-handed one. Here’s one example of our critics carelessly overly-ascribing influence to MEF: All of us at the Middle East Forum would be grateful for your supporting this work with a financial donation. I look forward to keeping you informed as we continue to promote American interests and protect Western values. Yours sincerely,
Daniel Pipes President_ _ _ _ _ Providing your support is most easily done at the Forum website by clicking here. Payment options, spelled out in detail below, include credit card, PayPal, personal check, and stock donation. Should you have questions about contributions to the Middle East Forum, please contact Matthew Bennett at Bennett@MEForum.org or 215-546-5406 ext. 114.
The IRS has granted the Forum 501(c)3 status, meaning donations are tax deductible within the United States.
Contributions We offer a wide range of benefits to donors, such as invitations to events. (Click here for details.) OUR GIFT TO YOU For donations of $150 or more, we are offering a gift (upon request). Please send me one of the following: [ ] A signed copy of Nothing Abides by Daniel Pipes [ ] A signed copy of The Tail Wags the Dog: International Politics and the Middle East by Efraim Karsh International orders: please include $11 for delivery to Canada/Mexico or $26 for all other countries. Payment Options
(1) ONLINE: CREDIT CARD OR PAYPAL (this is easiest): Visit https://www.meforum.org/participation/ and follow instructions. (The website is secure and encrypted; your personal information cannot be read as it travels the Internet.) (2) PERSONAL CHECK VIA THE POSTAL SERVICE Please make a check payable to “Middle East Forum” and mail it to Middle East Forum 1650 Market Street, Suite 3600 Philadelphia, PA 19103, USA (3) DONATION OF STOCK Donations of stock may be sent to Vanguard Marketing Corporation, Account No. 59334817, DTC# 0062, Account Name: The Middle East Forum – Account 1. Please contact Matthew Bennett at Bennett@MEForum.org to let him know of the stock donation to ensure you receive proper credit. Further Contribution Information International Donations The easiest way to donate to the Middle East Forum in a non-U.S. currency is via PayPal, which can draw on your credit card, debit card, or bank account in many currencies. If you do not have PayPal, please contact Matthew Bennett at Bennett@MEForum.org or 215-546-5406 ext. 114. Privacy Policy The Middle East Forum is committed to protecting the privacy of each donor’s personal information and will not intentionally give, rent, sell, or share any donor’s personal information with a third party. Nonprofit Status The Middle East Forum is a publicly supported, nonprofit organization under section 501(c)3 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code. Contributions are tax deductible to the full extent allowed by law. Political and Economic Analyses Middle East Forum staff members are available on contract to do political and economic analyses. United Way Donations through United Way’s Donor Choice Program; MEF’s agency code is 52445. Combined Federal Campaign The Forum is now included in the Combined Federal Campaign, available to federal workers. Please see https://www.opm.gov/combined-federal-campaign/ for more details. For Questions about Contributions to the Middle East Forum Please contact Matthew Bennett at Bennett@MEForum.org or 215-546-5406 ext. 114.
