Gatestone Institute
The Gatestone Institute publishes articles by a number of prominent right wing, neoconservative, Zionist and counter-jihad individuals and organisations and promotes them at exclusive speaking events, often in New York City.
History
The Gatestone Institute has been publishing articles on its website since October 2008.[1] It has been hosting events since June 2010.[2]
Activities
The Gatestone Institute describes itself as a think tank ‘dedicated to educating the public about what the mainstream media fails to report in promoting: institutions of democracy and the rule of law; human rights; a free and strong economy; a military capable of ensuring peace at home and in the free world; energy independence; ensuring the public stay informed of threats to our individual liberty, sovereignty and free speech’. [3]
Its website also states that it ‘will be publishing books’ and currently conducts ‘national and international conferences, briefings and events for its members and others, with world leaders, journalists and experts -- analyzing, strategizing, and keeping them informed on current issues, and where possible recommending solutions’.
Themes include ‘military and diplomatic threats to the United States and our allies; events in the Middle East and their possible consequences, and the transparency and accountability of international organizations’. [3]
Promoting anti-Muslim writers
Among the writers whose work the Gatestone Institute has published are a number of prominent writers from the anti-Muslim counterjihad movement. These include Fjordman, a far-right blogger ‘idolised’ by Norwegian mass murderer Anders Breivik,[4] Bat Ye’or whose ‘Eurabia’ conspiracy theory is advocated by Fjordman, Daniel Pipes, Robert Spencer and Dutch politician Geert Wilders. Spencer and his Jihad Watch were cited 116 times by Breivik, Pipes and his Middle East Watch 18 times.[5]
Gatesone has also published a defence of Wilders' call for there to be 'fewer Moroccans' in the Netherlands and articles attempting to demonise Islam by linking it to cannibalism (eg. ‘Islamic cannibalism’ by Ali Salim) and to child abused (eg. ‘Child Sex Slavery, Multicultualism and Islam’ by Soeren Kern.[5]
Promoting Eurabia conspiracy theory
Gatestone serves as a 'a clearing house...for claims about Muslim "no-go zones" (the likes of which "terrorism expert" Steven Emerson was ridiculed for)' and has published articles promoting the idea of 'Islamisation' and in particular the Eurabia conspiracy of an Islamic takeover of Europe. It has published articles with titles like:
- ‘The Islamization of France’
- ‘The Islamization of Germany’
- ‘The Islamization of Belgium and the Netherlands’
- ‘Spain: Soon the Muslims will be Kings of the World’
- ‘Britain’s Islamic Future’
- ‘UK Islamic takeover plot’
- ‘How Islam Conquers Europe’.[5]
Events
Events are organised by the ‘Gatestone Institute Briefing Council’ are ‘by invitation only’ and exclusively for members. According to its website, Gatestone Institute events ‘often take place at The Four Seasons Restaurant, The '21' Club, The Knickerbocker Club, The River Club and select private residences in New York City’.
It also states that a minimum donation of $10,000 is ‘required for participation’.[2] Previous speakers have included Daniel Pipes, Henry Kissinger, John Bolton, Frank Luntz, Bruce Bawer, Alan Dershowitz, Geert Wilders, Douglas Murray and M. Zuhdi Jasser.[2]
Funding
The Gatestone Institute states that it is funded by ‘private donors and foundations’ but does not appear to publish any further details on its website. [3]
In its 2013 tax filing Gatestone declared a total of US $1,387,104 in income[6], which appears to have come from one source according to IRS filings for the anti-Muslim Middle East Forum (MEF).
In fact MEF has given over USD$2.3 million to Gatestone in recent years. The 2013 filing shows it gave one single grant of USD$1,383,471 to Gatestone, an increase on the previous year's USD $1,098,878 grant. [7]
People
As well as considerable resources, people associated with Gatestone include a combination of far-right bloggers like Fjordman alongside prestigious names like former U.S. ambassador John Bolton (chairman of Gatestone) and James Woolsey, former director of the CIA (Gatestone advisory board member). The presence of such individuals – who have the ability to lend mainstream respectability to vehemently Islamophobic ideas – is something few counterjihad think tanks can boast.
the establishment kudos and faux-respectability of bodies like the Gatestone Institute arguably gives us more to fear. It has been argued that this combination lends it 'faux respectability' ad 'establishment kudos' that translates into the potential for 'an alarming degree of mainstream influence' that should give 'more to fear' than 'the danger posed by lone far-right terrorists like Breivik'.[5]
Directors
Nina Rosenwald - director/ president | Georgette Gelbard - director | Grayson Levy - director | Erik Telford - director | Naomi Perlman - secretary/PR manager| Joel Zbar [8]
Board of governors
2015
Viscountess Bearsted | Baroness Caroline Cox | Alan Dershowitz | Lawrence Kadish | Lord Finkelstein | Jack Fowler | Ingeborg Rennert | Rebecca Sugar | Professor Robert Immerman | Meryl Tisch [9]
2014-15
R. James Woolsey – Chairman | Georgette Gelbard | M. Zuhdi Jasser | Lawrence Kadish | Douglas Murray | Naomi Perlman | Ingeborg Rennert | Rebecca Sugar | Amir Taheri | Professor Elie Wiesel | Christine Williams
Gatestone Europe
Amir Taheri - Chairman | Anne-Elisabeth Moutet
Distinguished scholars and senior advisers
Soeren Kern | Guy Milliere | Harold Rhode | Khaled Abu Toameh | Samuel Westrop
Prominent early role for Fjordman
In the institute's early days, mass murder Anders Behring Breivik's blogger-idol Fjordman was listed as a 'distinguished scholar' (in January 2013), indicating the importance of his ideas.[5] His name was later removed from this list.
Columnists
Writers listed as columnists include:
Contact
- Website: www.gatestoneinstitute.org
- Email: info@gatestoneinstitute.org
Resources
- Max Blumenthal, The Sugar Mama of Anti-Muslim Hate, The Nation.
- Nafeez Ahmed, White Supremacists at the Heart of Whitehall, Middle East Eye.
- Nafeez Ahmed, David Cameron confidant promotes forced depopulation of Muslims in Europe, Media Diversified.
- Hilary Aked, Is Notorious Islamophobic Think Tanks Inspiring More Far-Right Terrorism?, Alternet.
- Hilary Aked, One of America's Most Dangerous Think Tanks is Spreading Hate Across the Atlantic, Alternet.
Notes
- ↑ Archives, Gatestone Institute, accessed 6 February 2013
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Events for Members, Gatestone Institute, accessed 6 February 2012
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 About, Gatestone Institute, accessed 6 February 2013
- ↑ Jerome Taylor, Unmasked: the far right blogger idolised by Breivik, The Independent, 6 August 2011
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Hilary Aked, Is Notorious Islamophobic Think Tanks Inspiring More Far-Right Terrorism?, Alternet, 26 August 2015.
- ↑ Gatestone Institute 2013 Tax return, accessed 27 February 2015
- ↑ Gatestone Institute, Conservative Transparency database, accessed 3 March 2015
- ↑ Gatestone Institute 2013 Tax return, accessed 27 February 2015
- ↑ Gatestone Institute website, accessed 2 December 2015
