Middle East Forum

OVERVIEW

The Middle East Forum (MEF) is a think tank founded in 1990 by Daniel Pipes that claims to promote American interests in the Middle East and protect Western values from "Middle Eastern threats." MEF operates several controversial programs including Campus Watch, Islamist Watch, and The Legal Project. MEF has been criticized by the SPLC and Center for American Progress for spreading anti-Islamic messages.

KEY FIGURES

Daniel Pipes (Founder/Board Chair) — Former professor appointed by President George W. Bush to the board of the U.S. Institute of Peace (2003). Has made controversial statements including that "Western European societies are unprepared for the massive immigration of brown-skinned peoples" (1990).

Gregg Roman (Executive Director) — Formerly directed Community Relations Council at the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh; previously political advisor to Israel's deputy foreign minister and worked for the Israeli Ministry of Defense.

FUNDING & FINANCES

2022 revenue: $4.13 million; net assets: $3.5 million. Major documented donors include:

• Donors Capital Fund: $6.77 million (cumulative)
• DonorsTrust: $2.1 million (2019)
• William Rosenwald Family Fund / Abstraction Fund
• Over $12 million from network donors since 2001

KEY PROGRAMS

Campus Watch (2002): Monitors Middle Eastern studies at US universities. Accused of creating a "blacklist" and chilling effect on academic speech. Encouraged students to report professors whose views on the Middle East it disagreed with.

The Legal Project (2005): Provides legal defense for anti-Islamist writers. Funded Geert Wilders' legal defense in the Netherlands (2009).

Islamist Watch (2006): Monitors what it calls "lawful Islamism" in the West.

CONTROVERSIES

Tommy Robinson Support: MEF funded and organized a "Free Tommy Robinson" rally in London (2018) that turned violent. Pipes publicly took credit for financing it. MEF also funded Robinson's legal defense.

Gatestone Institute funding: MEF provided $1.1 million to the Gatestone Institute in 2013.

NETWORK CONNECTIONS

• Gatestone Institute — Major funder ($1.1M in 2013)
• Center for Security Policy — Ideological alignment, shared funding networks
• ACT for America — Institutional support
• David Horowitz Freedom Center — Shared speakers and audiences
• Tommy Robinson / UK far-right — Direct financial support