As the Middle East Forum’s 25th year comes to a close, I hope the time is right for you to make a gift to support our work (if you have not done so already), most easily by clicking here.
Your support allows us to rise to the occasion in challenging times – educating our readers as well as counseling leaders, helping them make sense of a bewildering array of issues concerning the Middle East and Islamism, and explaining how American interests and Western values are best protected.
As a “think & action tank,” our views appeared in 614 articles published in 2019 and were read by millions, while our voices were heard in 184 media appearances. In addition, our experts reached the White House, Congress, federal agencies, courts of law, corporate boardrooms, and many campuses; not to speak of the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office and several royal courts in the Persian Gulf.
Two Areas of Impact
Middle East Studies We are monitoring and reforming U.S. university Middle East studies programs, which are notoriously anti-Western, anti-Israel, and pro-Islamist. For example:
MEF staff played an integral role in the Senate’s forthcoming Reporting of Foreign Funds for Transparency Act and the Department of Education’s new regulations to shine a light on billions flowing from hostile foreign governments – such as Islamist Qatar – to Middle East studies programs at U.S. universities.
Our research showing extreme bias at Georgetown’s Middle East studies programs is prominently cited in Rep. Denver Riggleman’s (R-VA) recent letter to Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, requesting a review of taxpayer funding of the University. Previously, the Department of Education (DoE) launched an in-depth investigation of the Duke/UNC Consortium for Middle East Studies’ misuse of taxpayer funds, following our meetings with DoE and White House officials.
Islamists in Politics We expanded our Islamist Money in Politics project (now called Islamists in Politics) to counter the rising tide of Islamists active in American politics, starting with Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) and Ilhan Omar (D-MN), and extending to the federal, state and local levels. For example:
We challenged the Islamist group CAIR’s agenda in Ohio by warning state and federal lawmakers about its history of involvement with foreign terrorist organizations. In the days leading up to CAIR-Ohio’s “Muslim Day at the Capitol” event, we met with several legislators and wrote to every member of the Ohio General Assembly, asking them to close their doors to CAIR during its lobbying day. Our observers were at the Ohio Statehouse during the event to film a short documentary, and did not observe a single lawmaker meeting with the Islamist delegations.
We played a critical role persuading the Minnesota Department of Human Rights to cancel its “Dismantling Hate Crimes Panel and Open Forum” featuring a local CAIR spokesman. Working with local activist groups, we pressured the FBI to withdraw from the panel, by distributing a contact list and suggested script to activists, who were tasked with reminding the FBI of its moratorium on partnering with CAIR.
Praise from friends
“We are very lucky to have the Middle East Forum play such a leading, muscular, activist role.”–John Baird, former foreign minister of Canada, May 19, 2019, at the Forum’s 25thAnniversary Gala.
“The job of every member of Congress is to know what he or she does not know. We need your [the Forum’s] advice, your counsel – particularly [those of us on] the Foreign Affairs Committee – to advise us on … that region.”– Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), May 19, 2019, at the Forum’s 25thAnniversary Gala.
Back-handed compliments from opponents
“‘The victory caucus’ that Daniel Pipes and the Middle East Forum that he presides over has promoted so successfully in recent months, in effect, advocating a final betrayal of the rights of the Palestinian people, an approach that has evidently found a receptive audience in both the U.S. Congress/White House and the Israeli Knesset.”– former United Nations Human Rights Rapporteur and Princeton professor emeritus Richard Falk, July 12, 2019.
“The Coalition for Civil Freedoms has recently come under attack from a fringe hate group. No purpose would be served in naming that group since its goal apparently is to seek publicity in order to spread hate. The organization has singled out the ‘Threat of Lawful Islamism’ as the focus of its attention.” – Stephen Downs, chairman of the Coalition for Civil Freedoms, December 6, 2019, after the Forum outed the group as founded by a convicted terrorist and functioning as a de facto "martyrs fund" for American jihadists and their families, on the occasion of the group’s lobbying day in Washington, D.C.
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On behalf of our Board of Governors, 28 staff, and 22 writing fellows, I deeply appreciate your consideration of support. If you have already made a donation, thank you.
Yours sincerely,
Daniel Pipes President
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PAYMENT OPTIONS
Please address all questions about tax deductible contributions to MEF to Len Zimmerman, Zimmerman@MEForum.org or 215-546-5406 ext. 110.
(1) Online via Credit Card or PayPal: Supporting the Forum is most easily done at our website by clicking here. (The website is secure and encrypted; your personal information cannot be read as it travels through 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) Stock Donations: Donations of stock may be wired to:
Vanguard Marketing Corporation Account Name: The Middle East Forum Account Number: 59334817 DTC Number: 0062
Donations of stock may be sent by U.S. mail (with a letter of instruction) and sent to:
Vanguard P.O. Box 1110 Valley Forge, PA 19482-1110
If you donate stock, please email us at donations@MEForum.org or call 215-546-5406 x104 to inform us of the gift so that we may thank you.
(4) Planned Giving: A gift in perpetuity enhances the Forum’s capabilities while allowing you to transfer more wealth to your heirs at a lower cost. Each of the following 4 methods serves a different purpose and fits a specific investment plan:
Charitable Bequest – to remove assets from a taxable estate and make a larger contribution than may be possible during one’s lifetime.
Life Insurance – to gain a charitable income tax deduction for the cash surrender value and premiums of a life insurance policy.
Retirement Plan – to reduce the size of a taxable estate, avoid income taxation on those funds, avoid income and estate taxes, and increase the amounts passing to heirs.
Charitable Trust – to see philanthropy in action, making transfers to heirs at a lower tax cost and designating beneficiaries to receive payments for life or a term of years. Three types of Charitable Trusts: Charitable Remainder Trust, Charitable Lead Trust, Retained Life Estate.
For more information on MEF's Legacy Society, please contact Len Zimmerman, MEF's director of development, at 215-546-5406 ext. 110 or Zimmerman@MEForum.org.
ADDITIONAL CONTRIBUTION INFORMATION
Benefits: We offer a wide range of benefits and gifts to donors, such as invitations to events (Click here for details.)
International Donations: International donations to the Middle East Forum in a non-U.S. currency are most easily done via PayPal, which draws on one’s credit card, debit card, or bank account. If you do not have PayPal, please contact Len Zimmerman at 215-546-5406 ext. 110 or Zimmerman@MEForum.org.
Nonprofit Status: The Middle East Forum is a publicly supported, nonprofit organization under section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code, meaning donations are tax deductible within the United States.
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.
Political and Economic Analyses: Middle East Forum staff members are available on contract to do political and economic analyses.
Privacy Policy: The Middle East Forum is committed to protecting the privacy of each donor's personal information. The Middle East Forum securely maintains records of each donor's giving history solely for our internal use and record keeping. The Middle East Forum will only report the donor's personal information to the appropriate government agencies as required by law. The Middle East Forum will not intentionally give, rent, sell or share any of the donor's personal information with a third party except as required by law. The Middle East Forum supports the Association of Fundraising Professionals' Donor Bill of Rights.
