US MEF kept database on thousands of Muslims and organizations
In the United States, the right-wing think tank Middle East Forum (MEF) maintained a database on thousands of American Muslims, Muslim organizations, and their allies for about two decades. Anadolu Agency reported this, citing HuffPost. According to the outlet, the archive contains more than 4 million data points.
What data the archive contains
The database includes people's names, their social media accounts, and tax information. It also contains information about mosques, schools, businesses, and other organizations. MEF said the data had been obtained from public records.
The organization disclosed the archive's existence after HuffPost approached it with questions and said it intended to publish a report. MEF Executive Director Gregg Roman said the center had planned to announce the initiative later this year. MEF also said that scholars, journalists, and other researchers would be able to apply for access to the materials.
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Human rights advocates' reaction
Middle East Forum describes its mission as defending Western values and drawing attention to the dangers of what the organization defines as “lawful Islamism.” At the same time, human rights organizations accuse the center of promoting Islamophobia and spreading disinformation about Muslims.
Caleb Kieffer of the Southern Poverty Law Center called the archive deeply troubling amid intensified anti-Muslim rhetoric in the United States. Mobashra Tazamal of Georgetown University's Bridge Initiative said the database could become a potential target list and be used to surveil or intimidate Muslims and organizations. MEF defended its practice, saying that mapping ideological networks is common among US civil society organizations and that other groups also maintain similar databases.
