AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): An American think tank has compiled information on thousands of Muslims and Islamic organizations in the country over about two decades into an extensive database; an action that has raised concerns among civil rights activists about the possibility of using this information to surveil and intimidate Muslims.
According to a report published by the news website HuffPost, the Middle East Forum, a controversial American think tank, has collected over four million data points about individuals and organizations associated with the American Muslim community over about 20 years.
This information includes individuals' names, their social media accounts, tax information, as well as details about mosques, schools, businesses, and other organizations.
Information on Muslims and Their Supporters in a Database
The HuffPost report indicates that this database includes not only Muslims and Islamic institutions, but also information on some individuals and groups referred to as allies of the Muslim community.
The Middle East Forum confirmed the existence of this archive after HuffPost contacted the think tank about the database and announced it intended to publish a report about it.
The think tank has announced that researchers, journalists, and other scholars can submit requests to access this information.
Gregg Roman, executive director of the Middle East Forum, said the organization intended to announce the existence of this database later this year, but welcomed the earlier release of this information.
The Middle East Forum, founded in 1994, has stated its mission as defending Western values and highlighting what it calls the "dangers of legal Islamism."
However, civil rights organizations have accused this think tank of fueling Islamophobia and spreading misinformation about Muslims.
The think tank has stated that the information in the database was collected from public records and sources, but the extent of this archive has raised concerns among civil rights activists.
Warning About Information Becoming a 'Target List'
Caleb Kiefer from the Southern Poverty Law Center described the existence of this archive as "very concerning" and, referring to the rise in anti-Islamic rhetoric in America, warned about its dimensions.
Also, Mobashra Tazamal from the Bridge Initiative at Georgetown University described this database as potentially a "target list" and warned that such information could be used to surveil or intimidate Muslim individuals and organizations.
The disclosure of this database's existence comes as concerns about Islamophobia among American Muslims have increased, and simultaneously, the policies of Donald Trump's administration, the treatment of pro-Palestinian protesters, and statements by some Republican lawmakers have intensified political tensions surrounding the American Muslim community.
The Middle East Forum, in defense of its action, has stated that mapping ideological networks among American civil society organizations is common, and other groups also possess similar databases.
However, civil rights activists believe that the vast amount of information collected about Muslims and organizations associated with them, especially in the current atmosphere of rising Islamophobia in America, creates serious concerns about how this information might potentially be used.
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