Dear MEF Participant:
I thank the hundreds of donors who have supported the Middle East Forum in 2022 – and invite those who make year-end donations to do so now, most easily by clicking here.
The Middle East Forum is unique and worthy of your support: a think and action tank focusing exclusively on Middle Eastern and Islamist issues while promoting American interests. Our topics include securing an Israel victory over the Palestinians, undermining hostile regimes in Turkey and Iran, exposing Islamists in U.S. politics, and stemming the flow of illegal migrants from Islamist hot spots across America’s open southern border.
While readers and webinar viewers are probably familiar with our intellectual output, you may not be aware of our practical accomplishments in the United States and beyond. Here are some:
MEF Takes Action Florida – Governor Ron DeSantis removed CAIR as a partner in the state’s Faith and Community Service Initiative, after we alerted him to the Islamist group’s involvement. “CAIR does not reflect our shared values, and this will be corrected immediately,” said DeSantis’s press secretary. (DeSantis co-chaired the Forum’s Congressional Israel Victory Caucus when he served in Congress.) Israel – We placed billboards throughout Israel featuring Ahmed Tibi and Ayman Odeh – the two most anti-Zionist Arab leaders in Israel – draped in Israeli flags with the caption: “This is what Victory looks like.” The billboards dominated news coverage across the political spectrum (e.g., see these three TV news panels). “We ask nothing more than what Jews have offered when they live as minorities: loyalty to their country,” I wrote in far-left Haaretz, in response to its negative coverage. Ohio – Exclusive reporting by MEF investigative reporter Susannah Johnston about the ties of Oberlin College Professor Mohammad Jafar Mahallati with the Islamic Republic of Iran prompted a congressional inquiry into “Mahallati’s current association with and open loyalty to the Iranian regime” (see the Fox News coverage). Washington, D.C./Turkey – The Forum was recognized by The Hill for “advocating American interests in the Middle East … [and] pressing Congress to overturn the Biden administration’s planned sale of weapons and military equipment to Turkey.” The House recently passed an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act, which effectively blocks the sale of advanced F-16 aircraft to Turkey. The congressional Joint Explanatory Statement accompanying the NDAA further signals Congress’s reluctance to make the sale. Israel – We reconstituted the Knesset Israel Victory Caucus with parties from across Israel’s political spectrum, calling for new policies and spirit to defeat Israel’s enemies. Maj. Gen. (ret.) Uzi Dayan, a former head of Israel’s National Security Council, credited the Forum’s Israel Victory Project for “ripening in the Israeli public the idea that things can’t continue this way [i.e., endless rounds of war].” |
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| | | Left: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (shown at right co-chairing the Forum’s Congressional Israel Victory Caucus in 2017) kicked CAIR out of Florida’s faith-based initiative. Center: A panel on Israel’s Channel 14 discusses the Forum’s controversial billboards campaign. Right: Jonathan Spyer, the Forum’s new director of research (at left) with Hussein Yazdanpana, leader of the Kurdish Freedom Party, at the site of an Iranian missile attack in Iraq. |
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Harvard/Hamtramck, MI –Amer Ghalib, Hamtramck’s new Islamist mayor, was dis-invited from a Harvard voting rights event after we exposed his racist and anti-Semitic comments, and apparent voter fraud. In response, Ghalib called the Forum “opportunistic parasites” (see the video and the Facebook rant). South Carolina/Qatar – We uncovered a complex Qatari scheme to transfer American drone technology from South Carolina, where drones are designed, to Qatar and then manufactured and used by U.S. enemies such as Turkey and Pakistan. We informed the FBI, which followed up on the matter. Europe – We helped organize a coalition of reform Muslims, ex-Muslims, and non-Muslim allies in Salzburg, Austria to formulate a grand strategy to counter Islamism. I urged attendees to focus on immigration issues. The coalition will ask politicians to sign a “Salzburg Pledge,” while combating efforts in the West to manipulate Muslims into extremism. The conference was positively covered by Riyadh-based Arab News. The U.S. Southern Border – We created the Southern Border Project, that builds on a coalition of property owners and sheriffs to increase apprehensions of illegal migrants, and works with Texas officials to interview detainees, finding Islamists through our extreme vetting plan and preventing their release into the U.S.
Shaping Public Opinion
We also, of course, remain committed to our core intellectual functions.
Writings – Our 26 staff members, 20 fellows, and other contributors published about 500 articles in 2022, on topics ranging from my take on Israel’s partial victory and Jonathan Spyer’s on-the-ground reporting from the Iran/Iraq border, to Sam Westrop’s analysis of American Islamic finance and Ahnaf Kalam’s outing of a fake anti-Muslim “hate crime.” Our work appeared in mass publications such as The Wall Street Journal and Newsweek; D.C.-focused publications such as The Hill and The Washington Times; foreign publications such as The Jerusalem Post and The Australian; and specialist publications such as Defense News and Nordic Monitor.
Webinars –Our thrice-weekly series has attracted 9,000 unique participants. Recent topics have focused on how Qatar spied its way to the World Cup; Western Islamists realigning with the right; and how Israel stopped Syria’s nukes. To sign up for notices of future events, click here. For past ones, please go to YouTube, or read select transcripts. |
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Alone among think tanks, the Middle East Forum promotes American interests. Our mission continues, into its 30th year.
On behalf of our Board of Governors, staff and writing fellows, I appreciate your consideration of this request for support.
Yours sincerely,
Daniel Pipes
President |
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PAYMENT OPTIONS
Please address all questions about contributions to Gregg Roman, [email protected] 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 [email protected] 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 [email protected].
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 [email protected].
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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The Middle East Forum, an activist think tank, deals with the Middle East, Islamism, U.S. foreign policy, and related topics, urging bold measures to protect Americans and their allies. Pursuing its goals via intellectual, operational, and philanthropic means, the Forum recurrently has policy ideas adopted by the U.S. government.
(215) 546-5406 | www.MEForum.org | @MEForum |
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