Institute for Middle Eastern Democracy
<youtube size="medium" align="right" caption="IMED Director Jonathan Sacerdoti on BBC News discussing the release of Gilad Shalit">j4n675zDPTc</youtube>
The Institute for Middle Eastern Democracy (IMED), is a 'think-tank and pressure group advocating liberty and democracy in the Middle East'[1].
It was formed, according to its own website, in response to 'the visceral rhetoric that dominates the discussion of the Middle East in this country [UK].'[2]
Contents
History
IMED was founded in 2009 by director Sam Westrop and others. Westrop has claimed that 500 students across the country are involved in IMED work.[3].
Activities
According to its own website, IMED 'works to promote liberal democracy in the Middle East', to 'provide a platform for the rational discussion of the Arab-Israeli conflict', 'to advocate freedom, justice and equality' and to 'bring to light the horrors of despotism, hatred and ideology in the region and to combat religious or political supremacism and hate speech'.[4]
The group has 'highlighted AQA's A-level geography textbook which compared the Israeli security barrier to the Berlin Wall' and 'exposed through Sky News, the Independent and the Guardian, how St Andrews University was being funded by the Syrian government and Exeter University by the Muslim Brotherhood'.[5]
Opposing 'extremists', garnering far-right support
In June 2012 IMED and Stand for Peace - another group founded by Sam Westrop - were among the groups involved in pressuring the Grand Connaught Rooms in London to cancel a Ramadan conference organised by the Al-Muntada Trust since they claimed it featured 'extremist' speakers. Stand for Peace director Hasan Afzal claimed victory when the conference was cancelled but he also acknowledged that far-right groups had joined the campaign[6].
The English Defence League, Casuals United[7] and British National Party all lent their support to the campaign, the latter republishing a Stand for Peace briefing approvingly[8]. It is not clear whether the venue's safety concerns which prompted it to cancel the conference on the advice of the police were connected to the scheduled speakers or in fact to the possibility of opposition from these far-right groups.
Alleged infiltration and attacks on the PSC
Director Sam Westrop has stated that there are 'people inside the Palestine Solidarity Campaign' passing information to the institute.[9]
In November 2011 Westrop produced a report entitled 'An Evening with the PSC: Examining Racism, Extremism and Homophobia within the Palestine Solidarity Campaign'.[10]
British Muslims for Israel
Westrop and Hasan Afzal co-founded British Muslims for Israel from within IMED.[11]
Affiliations
People
- Jonathan Sacerdoti - director
- Sam Westrop - director
- Dan Coen - Associate Director and head of Stop the Bomb project
- Hasan Afzal - Associate Director
- Tom Wilson - Research Director and head of Transatlantic Affairs Project
- Saba Farzan - Senior Fellow on Women’s Rights
- Jacob Campbell - Research Fellow[12]
Funding
The institute does not reveal its key funders but states that it receives no money from any government and relies on individual donations.[13]
Publications
- Mis-educating Our Children: Is AQA’s Account of the Arab-Israeli Conflict Misleading and Biased?, Institute for Middle Eastern Democracy, May 2010.
- An Evening with the PSC: Examining Racism, Extremism and Homophobia within the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Institute for Middle Eastern Democracy, November 2011.
- Soft Islamism in the University of Birmingham - BRIEFING PAPER, Institute for Middle Eastern Democracy, November 2011.
Contact
Website: http://instmed.org
Notes
- ↑ Sam Westrop profile, LinkedIn, accessed 16 July 2012
- ↑ About Us, IMED, accessed 16 July 2012
- ↑ Only 22, but Sam leads fight against the Israel bashers, Jewish Telegraph, accessed 16 July 2012
- ↑ About Us, IMED, accessed 16 July 2012
- ↑ Only 22, but Sam leads fight against the Israel bashers, Jewish Telegraph, accessed 16 July 2012
- ↑ Grand Connaught Rooms Jihadist Conference Event Cancelled, Harry's Place, accessed 16 July 2012
- ↑ Harry's Place inspires racists thugs to threaten Muslim conference, Islamophobia Watch, accessed 16 July 2012
- ↑ BNP repost Stand for Peace Screenshot, accessed 16 July 2012
- ↑ Only 22, but Sam leads fight against the Israel bashers, Jewish Telegraph, accessed 16 July 2012
- ↑ An Evening with the PSC: Examining Racism, Extremism and Homophobia within the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Institute for Middle Eastern Democracy, accessed 16 July 2012
- ↑ Uncommon Courage, The Atheist Conservative, accessed 16 July 2012
- ↑ About Us, IMED, accessed 16 July 2012
- ↑ Donate, IMED, accessed 16 July 2012
