GOP’s Favorite Muslim Activist Under Fire From Muslim Groups

Dr. Zuhdi Jasser testifies at one of Rep. Peter King's hearings on Muslim radicalization. Pete Marovich/ZUMA Press

Fight disinformation: Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily newsletter and follow the news that matters.


Sixty-four American Muslim groups have signed a letter criticizing the appointment of American Islamic Forum for Democracy founder Dr. Zuhdi Jasser—whose conservative leanings have made him a favorite of Republican Congressmen, conservative philanthropists and National Review columnists—to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom.

The letter reads:

The USCIRF promotes the freedom of religion and belief, and it seeks to combat religious extremism, intolerance, and repression throughout the world. In contrast with these laudable goals, Dr. Jasser believes, ‘. . .operationally, Islam is not peaceful.’ His consistent support for measures that threaten and diminish religious freedoms within the United States demonstrates his deplorable lack of understanding of and commitment to religious freedom and undermines the USCIRF’s express purpose.

Jasser himself identifies as a devout Muslim who is leading a necessary internal reformation of Islam. His Muslim critics see his behavior—opposing the Islamic community center near Ground Zero, testifying in support of Rep. Peter King’s domestic radicalization hearings focused on Muslims, supporting the NYPD’s surveillance of local Muslim communities, associating with anti-Muslim figures like Frank Gaffney and, as Mother Jones recently reported, taking money from right-wing sources—as legitimizing anti-Muslim narratives. Furthermore, much of Jasser’s politics—he refers to the West Bank as “Judea and Samaria,” much as the way a right-wing Israel hawk would—are substantially to the right of the average American Muslim. That, after all, is why Republicans like him. 

The Commission is tasked with studying religious freedom in foreign countries and offering “policy recommendations” to Congress and the president. Nevertheless, the commission itself has something of a controversial history. The Washington Post reported last year that the commission has “long been accused of focusing too much on the persecution of Christians and not enough on smaller religious groups,” and two years ago was sued for discrimination by one of its Muslim policy analysts. Still, the appointment elevates Jasser to an official position with the US government, and perhaps Republicans are grooming him for even bigger things.

AN IMPORTANT UPDATE

We’re falling behind our online fundraising goals and we can’t sustain coming up short on donations month after month. Perhaps you’ve heard? It is impossibly hard in the news business right now, with layoffs intensifying and fancy new startups and funding going kaput.

The crisis facing journalism and democracy isn’t going away anytime soon. And neither is Mother Jones, our readers, or our unique way of doing in-depth reporting that exists to bring about change.

Which is exactly why, despite the challenges we face, we just took a big gulp and joined forces with the Center for Investigative Reporting, a team of ace journalists who create the amazing podcast and public radio show Reveal.

If you can part with even just a few bucks, please help us pick up the pace of donations. We simply can’t afford to keep falling behind on our fundraising targets month after month.

Editor-in-Chief Clara Jeffery said it well to our team recently, and that team 100 percent includes readers like you who make it all possible: “This is a year to prove that we can pull off this merger, grow our audiences and impact, attract more funding and keep growing. More broadly, it’s a year when the very future of both journalism and democracy is on the line. We have to go for every important story, every reader/listener/viewer, and leave it all on the field. I’m very proud of all the hard work that’s gotten us to this moment, and confident that we can meet it.”

Let’s do this. If you can right now, please support Mother Jones and investigative journalism with an urgently needed donation today.

payment methods

AN IMPORTANT UPDATE

We’re falling behind our online fundraising goals and we can’t sustain coming up short on donations month after month. Perhaps you’ve heard? It is impossibly hard in the news business right now, with layoffs intensifying and fancy new startups and funding going kaput.

The crisis facing journalism and democracy isn’t going away anytime soon. And neither is Mother Jones, our readers, or our unique way of doing in-depth reporting that exists to bring about change.

Which is exactly why, despite the challenges we face, we just took a big gulp and joined forces with the Center for Investigative Reporting, a team of ace journalists who create the amazing podcast and public radio show Reveal.

If you can part with even just a few bucks, please help us pick up the pace of donations. We simply can’t afford to keep falling behind on our fundraising targets month after month.

Editor-in-Chief Clara Jeffery said it well to our team recently, and that team 100 percent includes readers like you who make it all possible: “This is a year to prove that we can pull off this merger, grow our audiences and impact, attract more funding and keep growing. More broadly, it’s a year when the very future of both journalism and democracy is on the line. We have to go for every important story, every reader/listener/viewer, and leave it all on the field. I’m very proud of all the hard work that’s gotten us to this moment, and confident that we can meet it.”

Let’s do this. If you can right now, please support Mother Jones and investigative journalism with an urgently needed donation today.

payment methods

We Recommend

Latest

Sign up for our free newsletter

Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

Get our award-winning magazine

Save big on a full year of investigations, ideas, and insights.

Subscribe

Support our journalism

Help Mother Jones' reporters dig deep with a tax-deductible donation.

Donate