MEF Thrives, Even in 2020; Your Help Requested

Dear Reader:

I thank those who have donated to the Middle East Forum in 2020 – and invite those who have not yet done so to send a tax-deductible contribution, most easily by clicking here.

At the Forum, we did our best to weather the year’s challenges, rolling with the punches, tightening our belts, adapting and evolving to increase our output. As ever, our work falls into three categories – thinking, doing, and giving.

Think
We educate decision-makers and the public.

Writings – We published 527 articles so far in 2020 on topics ranging from Islamists appropriating the Black Lives Matter movement and Muslim apostasy, to the new “strategic corridor of power” between Israel and the Gulf States and the narrowing Saudi gender gap. Our work appeared in mass publications such as The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal; D.C.-focused publications such as The Hill and The Washington Examiner; and specialist publications such as Defense News and Foreign Policy.
Webinars – Our audience is now quadrupled since we began the thrice-weekly series in March. Recent topics have focused on the Abraham Accords, the persecution of Uyghurs, the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict, Iran’s wars, China’s disruption of the Middle East, Sudan’s sudden transition, and the demographic suicide of the West. To sign up for notices of future events, click here. For past ones, go to YouTube or Soundcloud.

Action
We take our research to the corridors of power in Washington and across the globe.

Cutting-off funding to biased universities – We launched a campaign to put biased pro-Islamist, anti-Israel, and anti-Western university Middle East Studies programs under federal investigation and at risk of losing all federal funding under President Trump's Executive Order on Combating Anti-Semitism.
- We worked with the White House, Department of Education officials, and members of Congress (Reps. Riggleman, Gosar, Lamborn, and DesJarlais) to spur investigations of: (i) the Duke/University of North Carolina consortium for Middle East Studies; (ii) Georgetown University; (iii) the University of Arizona; (iv) the University of California at Berkeley; and (v) Yale University.
- We inspired Sens. Rubio and Cramer to pressure the Government Accountability Office to perform a “comprehensive evaluation” of “potential misuse of taxpayer funds” at university Middle East Studies programs.
Promoting Israel Victory – The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) unveiled a new work plan, “Momentum,” inspired by our Israel Victory Project. It “puts the principle of victory back at the top of the list of priorities,” said then-Defense Minister Naftali Bennett. Last month, the IDF tested Momentum in a massive war drill.
Forcing Al Jazeera to register as a foreign agent – The Forum’s multi-year effort to counter Qatar’s toxic influence campaign through its media arm culminated in the U.S. Department of Justice ordering AJ+, a US-based subsidiary of Al Jazeera Media Network, to register as a foreign agent.
Separating “mosque and state” – I pushed the Philadelphia International Airport to revamp its “Quiet Room,” turning it from an Islamic prayer room to an ecumenical space.

Philanthropy
Our Education Fund supports individuals and groups furthering the Forum’s mission.

Promoting American interests in the Middle East – IMPACT-SE compelled the European Parliament to condemn the Palestinian Authority for continuing to teach hate in its schools financed by the European Union. Within a week, the Palestinian Authority announced a plan to revamp its curricula and textbooks. IMPACT-SE has also persuaded Norway to cut half its Palestinian aid until the plan is implemented.
Protecting Western values from Middle Eastern threats – The Iranian American Forum exposed the National Iranian American Council (NIAC) as an agent of the Tehran regime, prompting three U.S. senators - Cotton, Cruz, and Braun – to petition U.S. Attorney General Barr to open an investigation for potential violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).

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On behalf of our Board of Governors, staff and writing fellows, I deeply appreciate your consideration of support.

Yours sincerely,

Daniel Pipes
President

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PAYMENT OPTIONS

Please address all questions about contributions to Gregg Roman, Roman@MEForum.org or 215-546-5406 ext. 104.

(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 Gregg Roman, MEF's director, at 215-546-5406 ext. 104 or Roman@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 Gregg Roman at 215-546-5406 ext. 104 or Roman@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.

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