MEF Dispatch: The Peace of the Victor; Reports from the U.K.: Islamist Antisemitism & Silencing Criticism of Islam

пятница, 25 июля 2025 г.

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View on web  |  Read what you missed The Peace of the Victor; Reports from the U.K.: Islamist Antisemitism & Silencing Criticism of Islam By Winfield Myers ● Jul 25, 2025 Smart Brevity® count: 8.5 mins...2276 words Gregg Roman analyses Israel's transformation post-October 7 from "defender to guarantor," arguing that we have entered the era of the Pax Israeliana: An Israeli Peace. Not a "perfect peace," but a practical and possible one that emerges "not from documents but from facts on the ground." The only peace that matters, he writes, "is the peace of the defeated." Four articles assess the widespread and growing influence of Islamists in the United Kingdom. Hannah Baldock warns of the influence of a popular researcher fond of labeling counter-Islamists as "extremists." We follow with three recent reports from Jules Gomes on efforts to instill a blasphemy law that would stifle freedom of expression and make Islam a protected religion. Even the House of Lords has raised the alarm against a secretive Labour attempt to pass an overly-broad definition of "Islamophobia." Naturally, the same politicians and activists pushing the Islamists' agenda aren't interested in countering growing antisemitism; after all, they're the primary source of that malady. We also feature Yuval David on Turkey's crackdown against its LGBT community, and Gadeer Kamal-Mreeh on the Israel-Iran war. ICYMI: July 23, 2025 | Israel Insider with Ashley Perry Can Netanyahu's minority government survive? Can it achieve a Gaza ceasefire and additional normalization agreements? Ashley Perry is an advisor to the Middle East Forum's Israel office. He served as adviser to Israel's minister of foreign affairs and deputy prime minister in 2009-15, and has also worked with Israel's Ministers of Intelligence, Agriculture and Rural Development, Energy, Water and Infrastructure, Defense, Tourism, Internal Security, and Immigrant Absorption and as an advisor to The Negev Forum. Originally from the U.K., he moved to Israel in 2001. He holds a B.A. from University College London and an M.A. from Reichman University (IDC Herzliya). To watch the full podcast episode, click here. The Peace of the Victor: Israel's Transformation from Defender to Guarantor By: Gregg Roman The wire was cut. The sirens were silent. Then the world broke. Why it matters: October 7, 2023, was not a failure of intelligence. It was a failure of imagination. It was the final, bloody refutation of a doctrine that had governed Israel for fifty years. The doctrine of the strong fence and the quiet life. The doctrine of deterrence. The doctrine of "mowing the grass." It marked the end of Israel's long-standing doctrine of deterrence and containment, revealing its inadequacy in the face of irrational enemies. Now comes a third option: Pax Israeliana: An Israeli Peace. Not a request but a statement of fact, forged in the fires of Gaza, proven in the skies over Iran, and now being written into the soil of a shattered Syria. The arithmetic of failure: Consider the arithmetic of containment: Over 15 years, five major operations in Gaza, thousands of rockets, and billions in defense spending have yielded zero strategic progress. This approach was akin to "lawn maintenance with F-16s," focusing on management rather than victory. The death of deterrence: For 75 years, Israel believed deterrence would hold. October 7 shattered this delusion as Hamas terrorists breached Israel's border, showcasing the failure of deterrence. The Israeli response marked a decisive shift from degradation to elimination, embracing victory as the new strategic goal. The choice: History presents certain moments when the possible expands, when the constraints of the past loosen, when new orders can be born. Great powers are not born; they are forged in the crucible of crisis. October 7 was Israel's crucible. From it emerged not just survival but transformation. Not perfect peace—perfection is not a Middle Eastern virtue. But a practical peace, a possible peace, a peace that emerges not from documents but from facts on the ground. The age of the defender has ended. The age of the guarantor has arrived. Israel must rise to meet it. To read the full article, click here. Gadeer Kamal-Mreeh: From October 7 to the 12-Day War – Two Years that Reshaped Israel and the Middle East By: Marilyn Stern In an MEF Podcast, Gadeer Kamal-Mreeh analyzed Israel's daring "war of necessity," ignited in the wake of October 7's chaos to obliterate Iran's threatening "ring of fire." Why it matters: This pivotal clash unleashed "constructive chaos," reshaping the Middle East's landscape with electrifying change. Israel's newly embraced "zero trust doctrine" underscores a bold shift towards unyielding self-reliance over unreliable international promises. Repeated failures: Israel's 2000 retreat from Lebanon inadvertently nurtured Hezbollah's menace. Instead of fostering growth, billions funneled into Gaza birthed a sinister terrorist stronghold under Hamas, aided by complicit international entities. Operation Rising Lion: A strategic roar against Iran's existential threat, reigniting Israeli pride with fierce determination. Yahya Sinwar's "fatal mistake" in unleashing Hamas's barbarism without coordinating with his allies, "ironically, tragically" caused a domino effect during the past two years. In a swift 12-day campaign, Israel restored its deterrence by crippling Iran's nuclear ambitions and missile capabilities with resolute force. To read the summary and watch the podcast, click here. MEF Action Alert: Urge Congress to Protect Syrian Minorities from Sunni Islamists Syria's Alawite and Druze communities, along with Christians, Kurds, and other vulnerable minorities, face escalating atrocities under the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS)-led government. From July 14 to July 17, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has documented 516 deaths in Suweida, including 86 Druze murdered in "field executions" carried out by government forces or allied militias. Reports detail looting, burning of homes, and humiliation of Druze leaders, with videos showing government-affiliated fighters desecrating Druze symbols. In March 2025, Reuters reported over 1,500 Alawites killed in coastal cities by Syrian security forces and affiliated militias. These acts fuel fears of genocide against Syria's minorities, exacerbated by HTS's jihadist roots and failure to curb sectarian violence. Congress must act swiftly to address this crisis. Renewing sanctions against the HTS-led government would pressure it to halt abuses and protect minorities. Supporting Israel's targeted strikes to defend the Druze, as seen in Suweida and Damascus, is critical to deter further aggression. Opening a humanitarian corridor into Jordan would provide safe passage for displaced civilians, addressing the dire needs of 16.5 million Syrians requiring aid in 2025. Your voice can make a difference. By joining our campaign, you'll send letters to Congress urging immediate action to stop the killings, protect vulnerable communities, and ensure humanitarian relief. The Alawites, Druze, and other minorities deserve safety and justice. Without intervention, sectarian violence risks destabilizing Syria further, threatening millions. Click here to sign up now for our letter-writing campaign to demand Congress intervene on behalf of Syrian minorities! LGBT Crackdowns in Turkey and the Broader Middle East By: Yuval David On June 29, 2025, Turkish police detained over fifty people during the Istanbul Pride march, citing public order concerns. Why it matters: This incident marks another year in a decade-long pattern of suppressing LGBT visibility in Turkey. Authorities have consistently banned Pride events, deploying riot police and detaining peaceful demonstrators. Historical context: Before the 2010s, Turkey was an outlier among Muslim-majority nations for LGBT visibility. Istanbul Pride, which began in 2003, grew into the largest LGBT event in the Muslim world by 2014, amid Turkey's bid for EU ties. The shift: Since 2015, the Turkish government has tightened restrictions on LGBT activities. The withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention in 2021 and public statements against homosexuality reflect a growing narrative that frames LGBT rights as a foreign threat. The regional picture: Turkey's stance is part of a broader trend in the Middle East and North Africa. Governments in Egypt, Lebanon, and Tunisia have used digital surveillance to target LGBT individuals, with legal penalties varying across countries. To read the full article, click here. Announcing MEF's Internship Program Apply for the Middle East Forum's internship program to gain hands-on policy and research experience. Contribute to MEF's advocacy while building skills for a career in think tanks or government. Sessions: Fall (Sep–Dec), Winter (Jan–Apr), Summer (May–Aug) Commitment: 10 hrs/week, hybrid (on-site/remote) Eligibility: Undergrad/grad students in history, political science, Middle east studies, public policy, or related fields; strong research, writing, and analytical skills Program: Virtual orientation, project work, workshops, networking, and a capstone project Benefits: Professional development budget, D.C. policy conference tickets, MEF event access To apply: Send cover letter & resume to internship@meforum.org To learn more, click here. How Much Influence Does Nafeez Ahmed Wield over Anti-'Islamophobia' Working Group? By: Hannah Baldock Nafeez Ahmed, a researcher notorious for branding counter-Islamist voices as "extremists," stands ready to shape the U.K.'s anti-Muslim hatred policy. Why it matters: Ahmed's connections to two key members of the Anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia Definition Working Group threaten to skew the initiative towards his controversial views. Ahmed submitted written recommendations in 2019 to a Home Office committee advocating restrictions on speech to counter "Islamophobia"—positions his wife, Akeela Ahmed, and Baroness Gohir may now channel into government policy. Tell MAMA clash: Ahmed's ongoing feud with Tell MAMA, an anti-hate service, has exposed deep rifts. Accusations of misinformation and bias have led Tell MAMA to reject public funding, highlighting the toxic impact of Ahmed's interventions. Red flags: Ahmed's background, marked by ties to far-left outlets and the Islamic Human Rights Commission, raises alarms. Ahmed has publicly accused prominent Jewish figures such as Melanie Phillips and Daniel Finkelstein of "mainstreaming far-right ideology." His potential to influence government policy on Islamophobia might endanger free speech and fuel division, with his agenda overshadowing objective analysis. To read the full article, click here. Report Highlights U.K.'s Failure to Confront Islamist Antisemitism By: Jules Gomes In a historic first, an explosive report by the Counter Extremism Group (CEG) establishes the significant role Islamist ideology plays in fostering antisemitism among British Muslims. Why it matters: The report criticizes the failure of policymakers to recognize "Islamist antisemitism" as a distinct phenomenon, often dismissed as liberation theology. Institutions tasked with counter extremism have overlooked the extensive history of antisemitic incidents involving Islamists in the U.K. Antisemitic preaching: The report documents antisemitic sermons in mosques across Britain, celebrating Hamas' actions and calling for jihad against Jews. The report found these antisemitic and anti-Israel sermons often go unchallenged by mosque leaders and trustees and "create a permissive environment for radicalization," especially since "their sermons typically fail to draw a distinction between Israel and Jewish communities in the U.K." Ties to Nazi ideology: The research traces historic links between Nazi and Islamist ideologies, warning of a hybrid form of antisemitism prevalent among both Shia and Sunni Islamists. A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said, "The country we knew is vanishing before our eyes. The authorities need to acknowledge and grapple with this major problem before it's too late." To read the full article, click here. Report: Watchdog Bullies Journalists into Silence over Extremism, Islamist Supremacism in U.K. By: Jules Gomes A leading Muslim media watchdog in the U.K., the Centre for Media Monitoring (CfMM), coerces journalists into sanitizing their coverage of radical Islam, according to a July 7 report by The Policy Exchange. Why it matters: The report accuses CfMM of suppressing terms like "Islamism" and "Islamic extremism" in media, which could lead to a sanitized narrative on radical Islam. The watchdog's "real purpose" is to control the mainstream media narrative on Islam by shaping and promoting a "partisan" version of Islam as normative, Policy Exchange's study asserts. It achieves this by creating a counter-narrative that blames the media for "misrepresenting" Islam. If put into practice, such strictures would in effect promote a "blasphemy law." Whitewashing violence: The watchdog opposes linking terms like "Islamist" to terrorist groups such as Hamas, Al-Shabaab, and Boko Haram. This approach obstructs honest reporting on Islamist extremism and its impact on society. Influence of MCB: CfMM was established by the Muslim Council of Britain to change the narrative about Islam. The Policy Exchange warns that CfMM acts as a "bad-faith actor" and "should not be engaged with or taken at face value by journalists, regulators or anyone else." To read the full report, click here. U.K. Lords Raise Alarm Over Labour Government's Push for 'Islamophobia' Definition By: Jules Gomes More than three dozen members of Britain's House of Lords have warned the Labour government that its proposed definition of "Islamophobia" could stifle free speech with "serious repercussions." Why it matters: The peers demand the removal of "Islamophobia" from the definition and call for a public debate to prevent privileging Islam over other religions. Concerns rise over the consultation process, allegedly rigged by involving Islamist groups without transparency. The "monocultural character" of the group indicates that the definition it frames will proscribe "legitimate criticisms" as well as "accurate observations" of Islam, such as the historical fact that it has, at times, been imposed on oppressed populations by force, the Lords warn. Privileging Islam: The peers argue that focusing solely on "Anti-Muslim Hatred" is unfair to other religions. "Privileging Islam in this way will only increase perceptions of two-tier justice and two-tier policy under this Labour government. If they succeed, the consequences to our culture will be monumental," Tim Dieppe, who leads the public policy division at Christian Concern, told FWI. Sikhs join the fight: Britain's Network of Sikh Organizations opposes the definition, warning it risks censoring historical truths and legitimate discussions. "Special definitions for some groups and not others, especially using vague catch-all terms like 'Islamophobia,' serve not only to create a hierarchy of religions, but also provide cover for extremists, who want to shut down legitimate discussion on religion, historical truths and issues like grooming gangs," said Lord Singh of Wimbledon. To read the full article, click here. We hope you enjoyed this issue of the Dispatch and that it was useful in understanding the complex issues central to MEF's mission. If you enjoyed it, please pass it along to a friend, and please share your thoughts in the comments. Thank you, Winfield Myers Managing Editor, Middle East Forum Director, Campus Watch Was this edition useful? Your email will be recorded and shared with the sender MEF, an activist think tank, deals with the Middle East, Islamism, U.S. foreign policy, and related topics, urging bold measures to protect Americans and their allies. 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