The NY Times has published full-page Islamophobic ads paid for by Steve Emerson’s Investigative Project on Terrorism, which blame Muslims and Islam for the 9/11 terror attacks. The graphic displays a fog-enshrouded image of the 2 World Trade Center towers along with ominous ad copy that claims that unnamed Islamist groups have undermined “America’s security, liberty, and free speech.”
If you’re thinking charitably that they’re talking about Al Qaeda-linked groups or other radical Islamists, they’re not. They’re calling virtually any and all American-Muslim groups (including mainstream groups like CAIR, the Islamic Society of North America, the Muslim Public Affairs Council and a score of others) threats to the American way of life.
One of America’s foremost scholars on Islam, Prof. John Esposito of Georgetown University, is profiled as an “apologist” for “radical Islam:”
[He has] cozy ties with radical Islamists and …repeated defends…their ideology. Esposito routinely minimizes the threat of Islamist violence…
None of these claims is even remotely true. He’s also claimed without any support that U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison, who is Muslim, receives support from the Muslim Brotherhood.
The Investigative Project on Terrorism appears not to have a board of directors, or at least not to list it on its website. This sort of opacity is extraordinary for non-profits. In addition, Emerson refuses to reveal the names of his donors claiming that their lives would be placed in danger (presumably by radical Islamist terrorists who would stalk and kill them). So for Steve Emerson, the rules apply to everybody else. He’s doing the Lord’s work and the Lord will make special allowances for him.
Charity Navigator, a respected evaluator of non-profit organizations, added this warning to its profile of IPT:
During our analysis of this charity’s FYE 2010 Form 990, the document revealed that 100% of the organization’s program expenses are being directed to the organization’s CEO & Founder’s for-profit management company, SAE Productions. Furthermore, the document also revealed that The Investigative Project on Terrorism, which does not have a separate EIN number, directs all donations on its website to the Investigative Project on Terrorism Foundation, which in turn directs all the money to SAE Productions…
We find such practices atypical as compared to how other charities operate and have therefore issued this Donor Advisory.
This information was gleaned from an article in The Tennessean. This is the sort of group with which the Times is getting into bed. For shame.
Emerson is part of the Muslim-hating cabal (including Pam Geller, Robert Spencer, Daniel Pipes, David Horowitz and others) who believe Islam is a religion that is inimical to western civilization. That it must be rooted out of our nation before it does major damage to our free society. Geller has had her own Islamophobic ads, falsely claiming that Islam is a Jew-hating religion, running on Washington DC buses. The ads also feature an image of a 1930s Palestinian leader meeting Adolph Hitler, thereby proving that Arabs are Nazis, I suppose. She of course, neglects to add that there are such photos of Hitler breaking break with a Roman Catholic cardinals, not to mention that both the Revisionists and Labor Zionist parties (Haavarah Agreement) did deals with the Nazis before WWII.
That Islamophobic groups like this exist and find a hate-filled niche in America is bad enough. But for one of America’s leading liberal daily to accept funds from these haters to promote their bile on the home page of NYTimes.com and in full-page ads in the print edition is beyond objectionable. In fact, it’s unconscionable. Sure, the Times is buffeted by financial problems as are all newspapers. Sure it’s seeking new sources of revenue. But this?
Max Fisher (it couldn’t be a coincidence that a Washington Post reporter is enjoying a big of schadenfreude at his competitor’s expense?) in Vox notes the ad violates multiple advertising guidelines adopted by the Times:
We do not accept advertisements that are gratuitously offensive on racial, religious or ethnic grounds…
The Times spokesperson who responded to Fisher’s inquiry about the ad said the following:
The spokesperson added that the company had decided to slightly alter the ad’s wording. “However upon reexamination, we think the phrase ‘radical Islamists’ would have been better than ‘Islamists’ in this advertisement,” she explained. “The advertiser agreed to the change and the ad has been updated on nytimes.com.”
So this press flack thinks that saying that “radical Islamists” are trying to destroy America would make the ad OK? Clueless.
A sidebar note on Emerson’s MO: during her depositions in her unsuccessful libel case against me, Los Angeles pro-Israel activist, Rachel Neuwirth, told my attorney that she was paid $500 to videotape a demonstration by Arab activists outside the Israeli consul general’s office. She said that they were quite rude to her, but didn’t seem to understand why.
Fear Inc.: Exposing America’s Hate Mongers
A new report by the Center for American Progress called “Fear, Inc.: The Roots of the Islamophobia Network in America” shows how a small group of self-proclaimed experts backed by a host of donors are spreading fear and hostility toward Muslims in the United States. According to the report, these so-called experts peddle Islamophobia in the form of books, reports, websites, blogs and carefully crafted anti-Islam talking points.
From your Tennessean link: IRS Tax Return Form 990 over 2008
IRS form prepared by Watkins Meegan LLC 7700 Wisconsin Ave, suite 500 Bethesda, MD 20814
Compensation $ 3,390,000 in year 2008:
SAE Productions 5505 Connecticut Ave Suite 341 Washington DC 20015
Products:
Business consulting services Corporate mergers consultation services, Corporate divestiture consultation services, Strategic planning consultation services, Corporate objectives or policy development, Organizational structure consultation
In 2008, Emerson was listed as sole director.
In IRS form 990 statement over 2012, these members were listed
Steven A. Emerson director
Jason Mintz director
James Breslauer secretary, treasurer
C. Alan Peyser chairman, Dartmouth class of 1956, and Board Member of
Suburban Hospital Inc.
Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs (JINSA)
○ Transcript of HAMAS Skit [pdf]
Title: Mufid: I am Hamas, O dear ones And I am Hamas, O dear ones
Author: Jason Mintz
Created: 3-8-2007 13:53:42
On tax return, as Independent Contractor under section B is listed:
IPTRG , 5614 Connecticut Ave NW Suite Washington DC 20015
Description of services: code PRGM , MGMT , ETC amount: $ 2,053,180
At this address is listed as charitable organization:
Investigative Project on Terrorism Foundation (c/o Maria Swaniger)
Correction:
Link of Maria Swaniger should be this one – here.
○ MSwaniger Business services LLC
8501 Bayside Road, Suite C-4D Chesapeake Beach, MD 20732
I would love to call this simple Islamophobia, but IMHO, these progenitors appear to be creating the stigmatization because the Islamic world (like Iran, my particular area of expertise) is the long-running target of Zionist war ambitions. Certainly, they don’t seem to care much about, say, Indonesia, the largest of Islamic nations.
Beyond this measure you’ve exemplified, Daniel Pipes et. al. have expended great efforts attacking Iranian-American organizations, helping to de-list designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations so that they could serve as proxies (and trained, terror implementing political assassins, as with the murdered Iranian academics), fostering undue media and governmental influence by way of a number of think tanks and other entities, and basically throwing bundles of cash in the promotion of a choreographed campaign to render public opinion in favor of war.
It begs the question: “where are they getting the money to do this?” These people aren’t simply throwing away millions, but appear to be a part of a revolving door of media, corporate, “national INsecurity”, K street, and government groups.
The comprehensive and robust nature of these State Sponsored caliber schemes to hyper-inflate and then direct America’s “war machine” to certain targets wreaks of oligarchic financing.
I saw the ad, or one of them, at Mondoweiss, “Don’t let Pamela Geller speak for American Jews.” It is beyond sickening. I agree with me The Rahnameh about creating the stigmatization. How appalling! What is coming to America?!
I can’t fathom how this can be allowed – allowing hate mongering to be on public display, if one pays the city or officials for it???? How corrupt and despicable! I am appalled and disgusted beyond words.
The city officials, where this is happening, senators and congress must do something about these flagrant abuses and exploitation of public services. Shame!! If the ‘ads’ referred to Judaism, instead, there would be an instant outcry. This is very damaging and outrageous. These people must be fired and taken to account for this hateful fear mongering.
I feel very bad for those, who will see these awful posters and be scared and distressed because of them, and for this, so called culture of ‘diversity’. This abuse must be stopped.
Thank you Richard.
Or put up an identical ad but changing “Islamic” to “Jewish” etc. as a demonstration. The defense would be easy.
Evil and stupidity have taken giant strides across America and this Ad is just another indication of the death of news, especially the NYT.
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These are NOT “ads”, but hateful discrimination. The definition of ‘ad’ or advertisements must be defined and confined to specifically exclude hate speech. This is hate speech and discrimination, without a doubt.
Shocking. Thanks for doing the research on this group, I had no idea.
THE Muslim community can’t stay idle, we must come up with a very well thought out plan to defend itself against such attacks.
For me personally, this encourages me to do more and work harder.