In January 2015, following terrorist attacks in Paris, France, Steve Emerson, best known as a misinformation expert on Islam, reported on Fox News that Birmingham was populated entirely by Muslims and was a "no-go area" for non-Muslims. Birmingham, then, had 21.8% of its population identify as Muslim. He claimed that in London, "Muslim religious police 'beat' anyone who doesn't dress in Muslim attire." The U.K.'s broadcasting code on account of the comments. Ofcom described the reporting as "materially misleading" and "a serious breach." Fox issued four apologies within 12 hours. The then British Prime Minister Cameroon called Emerson an idiot.
Since 1995, when he founded the International Project on Terrorism, Emerson has played a significant role in misinforming Islam and Muslims. He reportedly relies on funds from individuals and groups who are Zionists, Conservative white nationalists, and Hindutva proponents in the U.S. However, he recruits Muslims to spy on Islam and Muslims, as evident when two Muslim volunteers and staff admitted to passing sensitive information to the known Islamophobic.
It is unthinkable that white nationalists, Zionists, or Hindutva fanatics in the U.S. would not spy on Islam and Muslims. With relaxed hiring rules and the attitude of trusting anyone who shouts Islam from the top of their lungs, it is not difficult to penetrate Islamic organizations without being detected.
If the FBI and national intelligence agencies can recruit more than 15,000 informants from the Muslim community, any government and group can find people to serve as their agents.
To prove their relevance to their payers, the informants often concoct facts and project unfounded threats as a danger to society. Unfortunately, the U.S. intelligence agencies, the FBI, and public officials have promoted fake experts on Islam and Muslims worldwide.
After graduating from Brown University, Emerson worked as an investigator for the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee and an executive assistant to Democratic Senator Frank Church of Idaho.
He wrote for The New Republic, a magazine founded in 1914 advocating liberal reform in a new industrial age. In 1985 in his first book, The American House of Saud: The Secret Petrodollar Connection, he detailed the influence of Saudi Arabia on American businesses.
From 1986 to 1989, he was a senior editor specializing in national security issues for U.S. News and World Report. In 1988, he published Secret Warriors: Inside the Covert Military Operations of the Reagan Era.
In 1990, he co-authored The Fall of Pan Am 103: Inside the Lockerbie Investigation and blamed Iran for the bombing. He also worked for CNN as an investigative correspondent. Through CNN, he propagated the idea that the U.S. was behind the spread of the Iraqi terror network in the 1980s.
America's liberal and conservative writers applauded him for his work and accepted the premise that Islam and Muslims threaten U.S. national security.
He received the 1994 George Polk Award for "Best Television Documentary." Long Island University is the George Polk Awards in Journalism. It claims to focus on the daring, bold, and influential work of the reporters themselves, placing a premium on investigative work that is original, resourceful, and thought-provoking. Among the award recipients are Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, Walter Cronkite, Edward R. Murrow, Christiane Amanpour, I.F. Stone, Isabel Wilkerson, James Baldwin, Russell Baker, Norman Mailer, Seymour Hersh, and more.
The award led white supremacists, Zionists, and Hindutva fanatics to take Emerson seriously. They promoted him in official, media, and religious circles through their network.
Knowledgeable sources believe that Emerson works closely with Israel, white nationalists, Hindutva fanatics, and other intelligence agencies, including the FBI. They do not rule out funding from these groups to his project.
Who works for him in Muslim organizations? It isn't easy to ascertain. A mole would not announce his presence in any organization. But certain precautions can help to identify moles.
1. A thorough background check of individuals applying to work for Islamic organizations is a must. It includes fingerprinting and checking the legal records.
2. A thorough training in ethics, vision, and objectives is the next step.
3. No individual should have access to all the organization's data.
4. Organizations should monitor employees' lifestyles.
5. All the employees should report the meetings they attend on behalf of the organization.
However, none of these measures would guarantee a mole-free organization. People can sell their faith, organizations, or anything for a small gain. The natural defense is an individual's character.
Responsible Muslim groups and individuals do not indulge in destructive work. Muslims have nothing to hide. However, Islamophobic often uses sting operations to frame people. The African American community is well aware of such techniques of racist groups in the country. Perhaps, it would not be inappropriate for Muslim groups to learn from them and their experience.