Muslim Brotherhood expands influence in America through think tank
The Levant
11 November 2020
The issue of impartiality and independence of think tanks and research centres in Washington has always been a contested one. It is well known that many of the entities that shape the policy conversation in the city have extensive ties and receive large funding from foreign countries and corporations. This, of course, makes their analyses and activities at times questionable, as it is arguable that, beyond their veneer of independence, they pursue specific agendas. Muslim Brotherhood
While most of the attention has been on governmental funding, a related and equally serious problem is that of Washington think tanks with strong ties to Islamist groups and, in particular, to the Muslim Brotherhood. Despite some statements in the past from the Trump administration announcing their intention to do so, the Muslim Brotherhood is not a designated terrorist organization in the US. But the presence of think tanks that, while claiming to be independent and hiding their true colours and therefore attracting mainstream praise and attention, have solid links to the Muslim Brotherhood is a serious problem.
An investigation conducted by The Levant has revealed that the Center for Global Policy (CGP, https://cgpolicy.org/), a relatively new DC think tank that has loudly proclaimed its independence has strong connections to the upper echelons of the Muslim Brotherhood in America. CGP and its newly launched flagship publication Newlines have been getting accolades across the board for the excellent quality of their analysis. They have also made of independence from any political influence their alleged main feature.
But a search of Washington DC governmental databases clearly shows that the Center for Global Policy is registered on October 2, 2019, as a trade name for the International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT).
Moreover CGP and IIIT share the same address (1776 Mass. Av. NW Washington DC). levant
Finally, CGP stated on its website that its funding comes from the Fairfax University of America (FUA). FUA’s Chair of the Board of Trustees is IIIT’s founder and governor, Dr. Hisham al Talib.
IIIT is arguably the most prominent global think tank of the Muslim Brotherhood in the world.
Its founding meeting took place in Switzerland in 1977 in the home of top Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood financier Youssuf Nada. Attending it were some of the most prominent figures of the global Islamist movement, including Khurshid Ahmad from Pakistan’s Jemaat e Islami; WAMY co-founder Abdul Hamid Abu Sulayman; Malaysia’s Anwar Ibrahim; and Muslim Brotherhood spiritual leader Youssuf al Qaradawi.
IIIT was incorporated in 1980 in Pennsylvania and later moved its headquarters to northern Virginia. It has since become a global knowledge hub aimed at what it calls the “Islamization of knowledge.” With branches worldwide, it has translated the works of and provided a platform to a broad array of Islamist scholars, including Youssuf al Qaradawi, Sayyid Qutb and many others.
For decades IIIT has been run by its founders, three prominent and long-time US-based leaders of the global Islamic movement whom Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood financier Youssuf Nada calls “my boys”: Ahmed Totonji, Hisham al Talib, and the late Jamal Barzinji.
IIIT founders Ahmed Totonji, Hisham al Talib, and the late Jamal Barzinji were also founding members of many other Muslim Brotherhood-linked organizations in America (the Muslim Students Association, the Islamic Society of North America, the North America Islamic Trust…). They also served in leadership positions in global entities such as the World Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY) and the International Islamic Federation of Student Organizations (IIFSO).
The same individuals that have run IIIT since its inception are also behind the so-called SAAR network, a northern Virginia-based complex web of companies, think tanks and charities—all of them sharing the same address (500 Grove Street, Herndon, Virginia 20170). An analysis of 990s filed by some of the entities that belong to the network clearly show very significant financial fluxes.
The York Foundation, for example, declared 77 million USD dollars in total assets in 2018.
The Safa Trust, for example, declared 334 million USD in total assets in 2018.
It should also be noted that SAAR was raided by federal authorities in 2002 as part of Operation Greenquest, one of the largest terrorism financing investigations in American history.
These facts strongly bring into question CGP’s claim of independence. The claim becomes even more problematic if one considers the deep and widely documented ties between IIIT and Turkey’s AKP and the fact that recently IIIT cancelled a scholar’s lecture allegedly because he expressed anti-Erdogan views.
