MPAC Releases ‘Not Qualified: Exposing America’s Top 25 Pseudo-Experts on Islam’





Today, MPAC released “Not Qualified: Exposing the Deception behind America’s Top 25 Pseudo Experts on Islam,”a timely study that examines the credentials of 25 known Islamophobes who purport to be experts on Islam, Muslims and national security.



SEE: “Not Qualified: Exposing the Deception behind America’s Top 25 Pseudo Experts on Islam” (mpac.org)



ALSO SEE: “11 Years after 9/11: Who Are the Terrorists?” (CNN.com)



On this day, 11 years after the horrific attacks of 9/11, MPAC has invested into exposing those individuals who lack any credibility to be experts on Muslims and Islam and only feed into the cottage industry that provides false and inaccurate information to government officials, media and the general public.



In the past few months, many of the individuals profiled in the study have appeared in mainstream media and political circles, where their inaccurate information and commentaries have been used by politicians such as Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) and former Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich. Some have also been cited by convicted terrorists, such as Anders Breivik of Norway.



They have led our country to engage in counterproductive counterterrorism. Rather than focusing on Al Qaeda and violent extremism, they scapegoat Muslims and portray Islam as inherently violent and intolerant.



“After 11 years, our nation has worked to move forward and embrace our pluralism, while these pseudo-experts have worked to breed suspicion and distrust that creates a decisive culture of hate and fear,” said MPAC President Salam Al-Marayati. “Though these individuals are few in number, they have the power of the bully pulpit and espouse hateful rhetoric that regularly makes its way into public officials’ talking points and media airwaves.”



The study finds:

Only 1 out of the 25 individuals examined have qualifications that would make him/her an expert on Islam.

Most of these individuals do not have a college degree in Islamic studies.

Relying on individuals who lack academic qualifications about the subjects, one which they claim to be an expert has severe negative consequences for our national security.

Significant and groundbreaking research already has been done on the anti-Muslim hate industry by the Center for American Progress in its “Fear, Inc.: The Roots of the Islamophobia Network in America,” as well as the Southern Poverty Law Center. Their research focuses primarily on anti-Muslim hate activists’ sources of funding and their possible connections to other forms of hate. MPAC’s database seeks to fill in a research gap by focusing on the academic qualifications of 25 case studies drawn from some of the most vitriolic voices in the anti-Muslim circuit.







Founded in 1988, MPAC is an American institution which informs and shapes public opinion and policy by serving as a trusted resource to decision makers in government, media and policy institutions. MPAC is also committed to developing leaders with the purpose of enhancing the political and civic participation of American Muslims.



SEE ALSO:

A Who’s Who of the Anti-Muslim/Anti-Arab/Islamophobia Industry http://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/a_whos_who_of_the_anti-muslimanti-arabislamophobia_industry

The Islamophobic Attempt to Marginalize American Muslim Civic Participation, Sheila Musaji http://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/bachmann-gaffney-names-in-report/0019269