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Revision as of 00:04, 13 September 2005 edit65.43.126.98 (talk) nope Jay, be unfair if you want, I made 3 reverts and added the "dispute" tag, also added the word conterversial. I posted somethig to the talk page. SV hasn't added anything yet.← Previous edit Latest revision as of 15:54, 11 December 2024 edit undoItsNotGoingToHappen (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users1,509 edits Involvement in spying on American Muslim organizations 
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{{Short description|American film producer (born 1954)}}
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{{other people||Steve Emerson (disambiguation)}}


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{{Infobox writer <!-- for more information see ] -->
'''Steven Emerson''' is a conterversial American print and television ], ] and national security expert. He is a terrorism analyst for ] and is widely regarded as one of the world's leading authorities on ] financial networks and operational structures.
| name = Steven Emerson
| image = Steve Emerson-color corrected.jpg
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| caption = Emerson at a convention in June 2008
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| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|mf=yes|1954|06|06}}
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| occupation = Journalist, author, executive director of the ] (IPT)
| nationality = ]
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| alma_mater = ] (B.A., 1976; ], 1977)
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| subject = National security, terrorism, Islamic extremism
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| notableworks = '']''
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| awards = 1994 ] for best television documentary; top prize for best investigative report from ]
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'''Steven Emerson''' (born June 6, 1954)<ref name="bio">{{cite web | url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G2-3416300050.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402151343/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G2-3416300050.html | url-status=dead | archive-date=April 2, 2015 | title=Emerson, Steven A. 1954- | publisher=Contemporary Authors, New Revision Series&nbsp;— Gale Research |year=2004 | access-date=January 25, 2015}}</ref> is an American investigative journalist, author, and pundit on national security, terrorism, and ]. He is the founder and director of ], and received a ] for the 1994 documentary '']''.


==Education and early career==
He is an advisor to the ], ], ], ], ] and ] agencies.
Emerson received a ] from ] in 1976, and a ] in ] in 1977.<ref name=bio /> He went to Washington, D.C., in 1977 with the intention of putting off his law school studies for a year.<ref name="ha">{{cite news|url=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=153448&contrassID=3&subContrassID=0&sbSubContrassID=0|title=Foresight, hindsight|last=Landau|first=Benny|date=December 26, 2009|work=]|access-date=January 28, 2010}}{{Dead link|date=June 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=no }}</ref> He worked on staff as an investigator for the U.S. Senate ] until 1982, and as an executive assistant to ] Senator ] of ].<ref name=EmersonSecret>Emerson, Steven. ''Secret Warriors: Inside the Covert Military Operations of the Reagan Era'', G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1988.</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=8NElAAAAIBAJ&pg=1070,1879994&dq=steven-emerson&hl=en |title=How Saudis manipulated to win the sale of AWACS, ''The Miami News'', February 17, 1982. Retrieved January 28, 2010 |access-date=March 25, 2010 }}{{Dead link|date=August 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>


==Journalist and commentator==
Regarded as an ] by his critics, which include American ] groups, Emerson says he has been the target of a serious death threat. He lives undercover in the ].
Emerson was a freelance writer for '']'', for whom he wrote a series of articles in 1982 on the influence of ] on U.S. corporations, law firms, public-relations outfits, and educational institutions. In their pursuit of large contracts with Saudi Arabia, he argued, U.S. businesses became unofficial, unregistered lobbyists for Saudi interests.<ref name=NYTimesReview>{{cite web | url = https://www.nytimes.com/1985/07/11/arts/books-saudi-influence.html | work = The New York Times | author = Bernard Gwertzman | title = Books: Saudi Influence | date = July 11, 1985 | access-date = March 2, 2015 | archive-date = April 2, 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150402195849/http://www.nytimes.com/1985/07/11/arts/books-saudi-influence.html | url-status = live }}</ref> He expanded this material in 1985 in his first book, ''The American House of Saud: The Secret Petrodollar Connection''.<ref name=bio />


===''U.S. News & World Report'' and CNN===
==Professional background==
{{external media| float = right| video1 = , ]}}
Emerson is the author of five books on terrorism and national security, and has devoted years to the study of ] and to cataloguing the presence of international terrorists in the U.S. and ], work that has made him the target of a campaign of criticism from some Islamic and Islamist organizations.
From 1986 to 1989 he worked for '']'' as a senior editor specializing in national security issues.<ref name=EmersonSecret/><ref>{{cite news |url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=SL&p_theme=sl&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB04BFF5D0972EE&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM |title=Mink, Eric, "Fitting 'Iran-Contra' Into U.S. History," ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'', January 30, 1989. Retrieved January 28, 2010 |publisher=Nl.newsbank.com |date=January 30, 1989 |access-date=March 25, 2010 |archive-date=June 8, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110608160149/http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=SL&p_theme=sl&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB04BFF5D0972EE&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1988, he published ''Secret Warriors: Inside the Covert Military Operations of the Reagan Era'', a strongly critical review of ]-era efforts to strengthen U.S. covert capabilities. Reviewing the book, '']'' wrote: "Among the grace notes of Mr. Emerson's fine book are many small, well-told stories".<ref>{{cite news |last=Powers |first=Thomas |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/06/26/books/soldiers-of-misfortune.html?pagewanted=1 |title=Powers, Thomas, "Solderies of Misfortune," ''The New York Times'', June 26, 1988. Retrieved January 28, 2010 |work=The New York Times |date=June 26, 1988 |access-date=March 25, 2010 |archive-date=January 24, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140124111022/http://www.nytimes.com/1988/06/26/books/soldiers-of-misfortune.html?pagewanted=1 |url-status=live }}</ref>
In 1990, he co-authored ''The Fall of Pan Am 103: Inside the Lockerbie Investigation'', which argued for the then-mainstream theory that Iran was behind the bombing of ]. Reviewing the book, ''The New York Times'' wrote: "Mr. Emerson and Mr. Duffy have put together a surpassing account of the investigation to date, rich with drama and studded with the sort of anecdotal details that give the story the appearance of depth and weight."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/04/29/books/on-the-trail-of-the-terrorists.html?pagewanted=1|title=ON THE TRAIL OF THE TERRORISTS|date=April 29, 1990|work=The New York Times|access-date=February 13, 2017|archive-date=December 1, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161201021406/http://www.nytimes.com/1990/04/29/books/on-the-trail-of-the-terrorists.html?pagewanted=1|url-status=live}}</ref> The newspaper listed it as an "editors' choice" on their Best Sellers List, and cited it as a "notable book of the year".<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/05/06/books/best-sellers-may-6-1990.html?pagewanted=all |title="Best Sellers", ''The New York Times'', May 6, 1990. Retrieved January 28, 2010 |work=The New York Times |date=May 6, 1990 |access-date=March 25, 2010 |archive-date=January 24, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140124111124/http://www.nytimes.com/1990/05/06/books/best-sellers-may-6-1990.html?pagewanted=all |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/12/02/books/notable-books-of-the-year.html?pagewanted=6 |title="Notable Books of the Year," ''The New York Times'', December 2, 1990. Retrieved January 28, 2010 |work=The New York Times |date=December 2, 1990 |access-date=March 25, 2010 |archive-date=November 28, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101128145539/http://nytimes.com/1990/12/02/books/notable-books-of-the-year.html?pagewanted=6 |url-status=live }}</ref>


In 1990, he joined ] as an investigative correspondent and continued to write about terrorism. In 1991, he published ''Terrorist: The Inside Story of the Highest-Ranking Iraqi Terrorist Ever to Defect to the West'', detailing how Iraq spread and increased its terror network in the 1980s with U.S. support.<ref name=bio />
He is also the founder and executive director of the ], one of the world's largest intelligence archives on Islamist and Middle Eastern terrorist and militant groups. He started the Project in ], after the broadcast on the U.S. ] of his documentary ''Jihad in America'', which exposed the clandestine operations of Islamist groups in the U.S., and for which he received the George Polk Award for best television documentary, and the top prize for best investigative report from the Investigative Reporters and Editors Organization (IRE). Nearly all the U.S.-based Islamists Emerson identified in the documentary were indicted, prosecuted or deported after the ].


===''Jihad in America''===
Since September 2001, Emerson has testified before ] dozens of times on terrorist funding and on the operational structures of ], ], ], and ].
Emerson left CNN in 1993 to work on a documentary, '']'', for the ] (PBS).<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=F4AYGALitgsC&pg=PA176 |title=''Terrorism today'', Christopher C. Harmon, Routledge, 2000, ISBN 0-7146-4998-8, accessed January 29, 2010 |access-date=March 25, 2010 |isbn=9780714649986 |last1=Harmon |first1=Christopher C. |year=2000 |publisher=Frank Cass |archive-date=February 25, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170225060845/https://books.google.com/books?id=F4AYGALitgsC&pg=PA176 |url-status=live }}</ref> It aired as "a PBS special" in November 1994.<ref>"HBO's 'Hardcore TV' Lampoons All of Pop Culture - But Not Spam" Scott Williams / The Associated Press November 18, 1994</ref>


In the documentary, he warned of future Islamic terrorist attacks in the United States.<ref name="ha" /><ref name="Goodman">{{cite news |last=Goodman |first=Walter |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/11/21/arts/television-review-in-jihad-in-america-food-for-uneasiness.html?pagewanted=1 |title=Goodman, Walter, "Television Review; In 'Jihad in America,' Food for Uneasiness," ''The New York Times'', November 21, 1994. Retrieved January 21, 2010 |work=The New York Times |date=November 21, 1994 |access-date=March 25, 2010 |archive-date=June 2, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130602042638/http://www.nytimes.com/1994/11/21/arts/television-review-in-jihad-in-america-food-for-uneasiness.html?pagewanted=1 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>'']'', April 21, 1995. Retrieved January 28, 2010{{Dead link|date=June 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=no }}</ref> The ] (CAIR) noted that PBS denied requests by Arab and Muslim journalists to screen the program before its showing, and argued that Emerson was promoting "a wild theory about an Islamic terrorist network in America".<ref name="Goodman" /> Writing for ''The New York Times'', Walter Goodman opined that the request to change or cancel the documentary was not justified, but that the concerns about Emerson's claims of an Islamic terrorist network were justified "since 'Jihad in America' is likely to awaken viewers' unease over what some Muslim groups here may be up to."<ref name="Goodman" />
Richard Clarke, the former head of counter-terrorism for the ], said of Emerson: "I think of Steve as the ] of terrorism . . . We'd always learn things we weren&#8217;t hearing from the FBI or CIA, things which almost always proved to be true," (''Brown Alumni Magazine'', November-December 2002).


He received the 1994 ] for "Best Television Documentary."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.brooklyn.liu.edu/polk/prev/prev90.html |title=George Polk Award |publisher=Brooklyn.liu.edu |access-date=March 25, 2010 |archive-date=March 22, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090322060554/http://www.brooklyn.liu.edu/polk/prev/prev90.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Perez |first=Richard |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/03/07/nyregion/report-on-nicotine-levels-wins-polk-award.html |title=Perez-Pena, Richard, "Report on Nicotine Levels Wins Polk Award," ''The New York Times'', March 7, 1995. Retrieved January 28, 2010 |work=The New York Times |date=March 7, 1995 |access-date=March 25, 2010 |archive-date=December 19, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131219162940/http://www.nytimes.com/1995/03/07/nyregion/report-on-nicotine-levels-wins-polk-award.html |url-status=live }}</ref> He also received the top prize for best investigative report from the ] Organization (IRE).<ref name="Walker"> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041229222835/http://www.harrywalker.com/speakers_template.cfm?SPEA_ID=262 |date=December 29, 2004 }}.</ref>
==Death threat==
After his film ''Jihad in America'' aired in ], Emerson writes that the FBI informed him that a South African ] group had dispatched a team to the U.S. to assassinate him. Since that time, Emerson says, he uses a collapsible mirror to check there are no bombs underneath his car, stays away from windows, varies his routine, does occasional U-turns when driving to make sure no one is following him, wears inconspicuous clothing, and changes his routes and the times he leaves his home. He requires security when speaking at universities, and a police guard when addressing the Senate. According to ''Slate'', people who visit his Washington, D.C. office are blindfolded ''en route'', and employees call it "the bat cave." He left the condominium he had just purchased when ''Jihad in America'' was first aired, and now lives undercover.


A review of the book by '']'s '' ], says that conservatives and some Jewish organizations took Emerson seriously, but that others have dismissed him as "an obsessive crusader", and concludes that while Emerson sometimes connects unrelated dots, occasionally he can be wrong; but that as an investigator focusing on radical Islamic groups in the US, his information should be taken seriously but not just at face value.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Bronner|first1=Ethan|title=Suspect Thy Neighbor|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/17/books/suspect-thy-neighbor.html|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=March 6, 2015|date=March 17, 2002|archive-date=February 3, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150203105504/http://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/17/books/suspect-thy-neighbor.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
==Criticism of Emerson==
A number of groups have been critical of the way Emerson gathers and uses information. In a 1999 article for ''Extra!'', which is published by ] (FAIR) , a progressive media watchdog, John F. Sugg of the ] ''Weekly Planet'' charges that Emerson's priority is "not so much news as it is an unrelenting attack against ]s and ]s."


===Commentary===
Sugg makes a number of claims about Emerson. He says that Emerson was behind a story in '']'' on June 28, 1998 headlined "Pakistan was planning nuclear first strike against India." The ''Observer's'' source, Sugg writes, was interviewed by U.S. nuclear physicists and turned out to be a fraud, yet Emerson had telephoned a number of news outlets to alert them to the story, which gave it an authority it did not deserve. Sugg wonders why Emerson would promote the story to other journalists, rather than write about it himself.
Emerson has made false claims about Muslims in the US and Europe; in particular, some of his claims during a ] segment about the relationship between ] and the city of ] were subsequently rebuked by the then ] ] and led to a censure of ] by ] for the airing of the comments which the broadcasting regulator characterized as "materially misleading" and "a serious breach for a current affairs programme".<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/sep/21/ofcom-criticises-fox-news-for-calling-birmingham-no-go-zone-for-non-muslims |title=The Guardian |website=] |date=September 21, 2015 |access-date=December 13, 2016 |archive-date=February 22, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170222200740/https://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/sep/21/ofcom-criticises-fox-news-for-calling-birmingham-no-go-zone-for-non-muslims |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=Bio>{{cite web | url = http://www.steveemerson.com/about/ | work = Biography | publisher = Publicity.com | title = Steven Emerson | author = Steven Emerson | access-date = January 23, 2015 | archive-date = January 23, 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150123025930/http://www.steveemerson.com/about | url-status = live }}</ref><ref name = Transcript>{{cite web | url=http://www.investigativeproject.org/4730/emerson-with-judge-pirro-no-go-islamic-zones | title=Emerson with Judge Pirro: No-Go Islamic Zones and Western Self-Denial | interviewer=Jenine Pirro | work=Interview on Fox News | publisher=Investigative Project on Terrorism | date=January 11, 2015 | access-date=January 22, 2015 | author=Steven Emerson | archive-date=January 22, 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150122114615/http://www.investigativeproject.org/4730/emerson-with-judge-pirro-no-go-islamic-zones | url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=Guardian.Fox>{{cite news|title=How did Fox News' Birmingham blunder make it to air? Because everything else does|url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jan/12/fox-news-birmingham-blunder-make-it-to-air|newspaper=The Guardian|access-date=January 22, 2015|date=January 12, 2015|last1=Muto|first1=Joe|archive-date=January 22, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150122052349/http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jan/12/fox-news-birmingham-blunder-make-it-to-air|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="BBC-Apology">{{cite web | url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-birmingham-30870062 | title=Fox Apology for Birmingham 'Muslim-Only City' Claim | work=BBC News | date=January 18, 2015 | access-date=January 22, 2015 | archive-date=January 21, 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150121030744/http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-birmingham-30870062 | url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="telegraph-20150112">{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/terrorism-in-the-uk/11340399/David-Cameron-US-terror-expert-Steve-Emerson-is-a-complete-idiot.html |title=David Cameron: US terror 'expert' Steve Emerson is a 'complete idiot' |author=Matthew Holehouse |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |date=January 12, 2015 |access-date=January 12, 2015 |archive-date=November 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211110180616/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/terrorism-in-the-uk/11340399/David-Cameron-US-terror-expert-Steve-Emerson-is-a-complete-idiot.html |url-status=live }}</ref>


It was Emerson's 1994 documentary ''Jihad in America'' that first linked ] to the ] (PIJ).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tampatrib.com/MGB4QU3F1ME.html |title=Silvestrini, Elaine, "Al-Arian To Be Deported", ''The Tampa Tribune'', April 15, 2006. Retrieved January 20, 2010 |publisher=Tampatrib.com |date=April 15, 2006 |access-date=March 25, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100204001055/http://www.tampatrib.com/MGB4QU3F1ME.html |archive-date=February 4, 2010 }}</ref> When in February 2003 the U.S. indicted Al-Arian, accusing him of being the North American leader of PIJ and financing and helping support ]s, ''The New York Times'' noted that Emerson "has complained about Mr. Al-Arian's activities in the United States for nearly a decade."<ref>{{cite news|last=Lichtblau |first=Eric |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/21/national/21PROF.html?pagewanted=1 |title=Lichtblau, Eric, and Miller, Judith, "Indictment Ties U.S. Professor and 8 Others to Terror Group," ''The New York Times'', February 21, 2003. Retrieved January 29, 2010 |work=The New York Times |date=February 21, 2003 |access-date=March 25, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150403104658/http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/21/national/21PROF.html?pagewanted=1 |archive-date=April 3, 2015 }}</ref> In 2006, Al-Arian pleaded guilty to conspiracy to help a "]" organization, PIJ, and was sentenced to 57 months in prison, after a jury deadlocked on 9 charges (8 of which the government agreed to drop as part of the plea bargain) and acquitted him on another 8.<ref name="Laughlin-plea">MegLaughlin, {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121016060604/http://www.sptimes.com/2006/04/23/Hillsborough/In_his_plea_deal__wha.shtml |date=October 16, 2012 }}, '']'', April 23, 2006.</ref> Al-Arian said that he knew of the terrorist group's violent acts, though no evidence was admitted at trial showing that he was involved with violent acts.<ref name="Laughlin-plea"/>
He also claims Emerson may have taken some sections of his ] book ''The Fall of Pan Am 103'' &mdash; about the ], ] bombing of ] over ], ] &mdash; from reports that had previously appeared in the ], N.Y. ''Post-Standard''. Reporters from that newspaper allegedly confronted Emerson at a conference and forced an apology from him.


In 1995 CBS interviews, prior to any knowledge the ] was perpetrated by ], Emerson said "Oklahoma City, I can tell you, is probably considered one of the largest centers of Islamic radical activity outside the Middle East",<ref>], 1995, {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191219233941/https://www.thefreelibrary.com/One+man%27s+Jihad.-a016882537 |date=December 19, 2019 }}</ref><ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170225053102/https://www.theguardian.com/media/shortcuts/2015/jan/12/steven-emerson-muslims-birmingham-error-fox-news |date=February 25, 2017 }}; ''The Guardian''; January 12, 2015</ref> and that the bombing "was done with the intent to inflict as many casualties as possible. That is a Middle Eastern trait, and something that has been generally not carried out on this soil until we were rudely awakened to it in 1993".<ref name=Brown>''Brown Alumni Magazine'', November–December 2002.</ref><ref>Sennott, Charles M., "After bombings, America faces up to prejudice", ''The Boston Globe'', June 21, 1995. Retrieved May 2, 2010</ref><ref name="NYT2001">{{cite web | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/09/24/business/nation-challenged-journalists-terror-experts-use-lenses-their-specialties.html | title=A Nation Challenged: The Journalists; Terror Experts Use Lenses of Their Specialties | work=International New York Times Business Day | date=September 24, 2001 | access-date=March 8, 2015 | author=Felicity Barringer | archive-date=April 2, 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402134508/http://www.nytimes.com/2001/09/24/business/nation-challenged-journalists-terror-experts-use-lenses-their-specialties.html | url-status=live }}</ref> He also told viewers not to believe Islamic groups' denials of their involvement.<ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180509033200/http://www.loc.gov/rr/frd/pdf-files/Media_Interaction.pdf |date=May 9, 2018 }}; ''The Library of Congress''; August 1999; Pgs. 43; 47-48</ref> Emerson has said some critics fail to recite the rest of his statement that references the 1993 World Trade Center attack which was also carried out with a fertilizer truck bomb.<ref name="NYT2001"/><ref name="IPT10-22-10">{{cite web | url=http://www.investigativeproject.org/2272/juan-i-know-just-how-you-feel | title=Juan, I Know Just How You Feel | work=News | publisher=The Investigative Project On Terrorism | date=October 22, 2010 | access-date=March 6, 2015 | author=Steven Emerson | archive-date=March 21, 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150321224126/http://www.investigativeproject.org/2272/juan-i-know-just-how-you-feel | url-status=live }}</ref> Emerson indicated that he was one of many experts interviewed after the bombing who concluded there were similarities between the Oklahoma City bombing and Middle Eastern terrorism. He said the initial reporting did not "tar the entire Muslim community", that he referred only to a fanatical minority in the Islamic community. He acknowledged there were outbreaks of harassment which he referred to as unfortunate. In response to claims that all Muslims were blamed Emerson said "the charge of racism against Muslims is a canard designed to justify radical Islamic activities in this country." He supported the media's decision to report the possible link to Middle East terrorism, saying "There was no doubt" that the FBI and other law enforcement agencies suspected it.<ref name="AJR">{{cite web |last=Bender |first=Penny |url=http://www.ajr.org/Article.asp?id=1980 |title=Penny Bender Fuchs, American Journalism Review ''Jumping to Conclusions in Oklahoma City?'' June 1995 |publisher=Ajr.org |access-date=April 30, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101205081115/http://www.ajr.org/article.asp?id=1980 |archive-date=December 5, 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
Sugg quotes a '']'' review of Emerson's ] book ''Terrorist'', which said the book was "marred by factual errors . . . and by a pervasive anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian bias." Emerson's documentary "Jihad in America" was, writes Suggs, "faulted for bigotry and misrepresentations," by reporter Robert Friedman in '']'' who, on ], ], accused Emerson of "creating mass hysteria against American Arabs."


In testimony on March 19, 1996, to the ], Emerson described the ] as "the main fund-raising arm for Hamas in the United States."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nysun.com/editorials/defending-judith-miller-ii/2477/|title=Defending Judith Miller, II|publisher=nysun.com|access-date=January 29, 2010|archive-date=June 4, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604215421/http://www.nysun.com/editorials/defending-judith-miller-ii/2477/|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2007, federal prosecutors brought charges against Holy Land for funding ] and other Islamic terrorist organizations. In 2009, the founders of Holy Land were given ]s for "funneling $12 million to Hamas."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://jta.org/news/article/2009/05/28/1005480/holy-land-founders-get-life-sentences#When:10:32:00Z|title=Holy Land founders get life sentences|work=Jewish Telegraphic Agency|date=May 28, 2009|access-date=January 29, 2010|archive-date=March 12, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100312060801/http://jta.org/news/article/2009/05/28/1005480/holy-land-founders-get-life-sentences#When:10:32:00Z|url-status=live}}</ref>
Emerson's "most notorious gaffe," writes Suggs, was his claim on '']'' that the 1995 ] showed "a Middle Eastern trait" because it was carried out "with the intent to inflict as many casualties as possible." After this, ''CBS'' decided not to renew Emerson's contract. Emerson himself has written that ''CBS'' blacklisted him for five years.


In January 2001 it was reported that Emerson pointed out that the U.S. had missed clues that would have allowed it to focus on al-Qaeda early on. One of the men convicted in the World Trade Center bombing, ], returned to the U.S. from Pakistan in 1992 with a bomb manual later seized by the U.S. An English translation of the document, entered into evidence in the World Trade Center trial, said that the manual was dated 1982, that it had been published in Amman, Jordan, and that it carried a heading on the front and succeeding pages: "The Basic Rule". But those were all errors, as Emerson pointed out. The heading said "al-Qaeda"&nbsp;– which translates as "The Base". In addition, the document was published in 1989, a year after al-Qaeda was founded, and the place of publication was Afghanistan, not Jordan.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/01/14/world/holy-warriors-first-three-articles-network-terror-one-man-global-web-violence.html?pagewanted=7 |title=Holy Warriors; A Network of Terror; One Man and a Global Web of Violence," ''The New York Times'', January 14, 2001. Retrieved January 29, 2010 |work=The New York Times |date=January 14, 2001 |access-date=March 25, 2010 |first1=Judith |last1=Miller |first2=Stephen |last2=Engelberg |archive-date=November 22, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181122194037/https://www.nytimes.com/2001/01/14/world/holy-warriors-first-three-articles-network-terror-one-man-global-web-violence.html?pagewanted=7 |url-status=live }}</ref>
In response to Sugg's article, the ''Journal of Counterterrorism and Security International,'' a publication Emerson has written for, issued a press release stating that it had "uncovered evidence that Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting (FAIR) together with Tampa ''Weekly Planet'' editor John Sugg. and a radical Islamic group called the ] (CAIR), have collectively fabricated evidence in manufacturing a conspiracy against investigative journalist and terrorism expert Steven Emerson."


== Investigative Project on Terrorism ==
The press release described FAIR as "an ultra-left wing group that has defended Iraqi dictator ], supported Islamic and Middle Eastern terrorists, and even promoted a known ]." The press release accused Sugg of having "falsely attributed quotes to people who never spoke to him," and of having "twisted the comments of the sources he claims to have interviewed." Sugg denied the charges. Emerson filed a lawsuit against Sugg but abandoned it in ].


The ] was founded by Emerson in 1995, shortly after the release of his documentary film, '']'', which first aired in the United States in 1994 on PBS.<ref name="about">{{cite web | url=http://www.investigativeproject.org/about.php | title=About The Investigative Project on Terrorism | publisher=IPT | access-date=March 3, 2014 | archive-date=February 9, 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140209055327/http://www.investigativeproject.org/about.php | url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="international">Ziegler, Andrew, {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304053611/http://www.unc.edu/depts/diplomat/item/2008/0103/zieg/zeigler_seminar.html |date=March 4, 2016 }}, ''American Diplomacy'', January 15, 2008. Retrieved April 1, 2014.</ref> The documentary was faulted for misrepresentation, and ] accused Emerson of "creating mass hysteria against American Arabs."<ref>{{cite book|title=Terrorism financing: origination, organization, and prevention|year=2004|publisher=Hearing before the Committee on Governmental Affairs, United States Senate, One Hundred Eighth Congress, first session|page=Vol 4 p.178|isbn=978-0756740306}}</ref> The think-tank, ] (CAP), stated that the IPT was one of ten foundations constituting what it called "the Islamophobia network in America".<ref>{{cite book|author=Greg Barrett|title=The Gospel of Rutba: War, Peace, and the Good Samaritan Story in Iraq|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZtAu9jwDTy0C&pg=PA147|year=2012|publisher=Orbis Books|isbn=978-1-60833-113-0|page=147|access-date=September 25, 2016|archive-date=June 28, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140628234405/http://books.google.com/books?id=ZtAu9jwDTy0C&pg=PA147|url-status=live}}</ref>
Emerson can be "his own worst enemy," according to journalist John Mintz, who writes that:


==Reception==
<blockquote>'']'' reporter Martin Merzer once called for comment on a case involving alleged terrorist sympathizers in ], and said he had written an earlier piece on the controversy. He said Emerson replied: 'What perspective did you take, that this is a brutal ] plot against the weak, underprivileged Arab minority?' After sensing the new piece would be unflattering, Emerson sent a nasty letter about Merzer to his editor and local Jewish leaders.</blockquote>
In 1988, Emerson was referred to by '']'' as "an expert on intelligence",<ref name="The New York Times"/> and in 2015 as a "self-described terrorism expert".<ref name="nytimes.com"/> The '']'' referred to prior to 1989 as "the nation's foremost journalistic expert on terrorism"<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thecrimson.com/article/1999/10/22/extremism-and-its-apologists-pthis-past/ |last=Oppenheim |first=Noah |title=Extremism and Its Apologists |work=] |date=October 22, 1999 |access-date=January 29, 2010 |archive-date=October 2, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121002220924/http://www.thecrimson.com/article/1999/10/22/extremism-and-its-apologists-pthis-past/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The ''Los Angeles Times'' referred to Emerson as a terrorism expert,<ref>{{cite news|last=Neuman|first=Johanna|title=Obama criticized for associating with Ingrid Mattson|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-jan-25-na-ticket25-story.html|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=January 25, 2009|access-date=April 18, 2011|archive-date=November 6, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121106125952/http://articles.latimes.com/2009/jan/25/nation/na-ticket25|url-status=live}}</ref> and as a ] commentator.<ref>{{cite web|title=Birmingham, England, a 'no-go zone'? The diverse city says go on!|url=http://www.latimes.com/world/europe/la-fg-britain-birmingham-profile-20150130-story.html|work=Los Angeles Times|date=January 30, 2015|access-date=March 2, 2015|archive-date=March 1, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150301190125/http://www.latimes.com/world/europe/la-fg-britain-birmingham-profile-20150130-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref> He has also been regarded as a part of the ].<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bq-IDwAAQBAJ&dq=act+for+america+Counter-jihad&pg=PT111|title=Soldiers of a Different God: How the Counter-Jihad Movement Created Mayhem, Murder and the Trump Presidency|first=Christopher|last=Othen|year=2018|publisher=Amberley|isbn=9781445678009}}</ref> Some have called Emerson an ].<ref name="The New York Times">{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/06/01/us/washington-talk-briefing-undercover-talk.html?pagewanted=1|title=WASHINGTON TALK&nbsp;— BRIEFING&nbsp;— Undercover Talk&nbsp;— NYTimes.com|date=June 1, 1988|work=The New York Times|access-date=February 13, 2017|archive-date=November 30, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181130061231/https://www.nytimes.com/1988/06/01/us/washington-talk-briefing-undercover-talk.html?pagewanted=1|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="nytimes_1990-04-29">{{cite news |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CE6DB1130F93AA15757C0A966958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all |title=Michael Wines, ''NY Times Books'', '' On the Trail of the Terrorists'', April 29, 1990 |work=The New York Times |date=April 29, 1990 |access-date=March 25, 2010 |archive-date=February 23, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070223141159/http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CE6DB1130F93AA15757C0A966958260 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="nytimes.com">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/13/world/europe/twitter-users-react-with-glee-to-fox-news-claim-on-birmingham.html|title=Fox News Beats a Retreat After Gaffes About Islam|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=March 2, 2015|date=January 12, 2015|last1=Castle|first1=Stephen|last2=MacKey|first2=Robert|archive-date=March 23, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190323004609/https://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/13/world/europe/twitter-users-react-with-glee-to-fox-news-claim-on-birmingham.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="WaPo.FoxNews"/><ref name="CambridgeCompanion">{{cite book |author1=Hammer, Julie |author2=Safi, Amid |title=The Cambridge Companion to American Islam |date=2013 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=9781107002418 |page=8 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OBPKKFUyZaUC&pg=PA8 |access-date=January 22, 2015 |archive-date=June 4, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150604203213/https://books.google.com/books?id=OBPKKFUyZaUC&pg=PA8 |url-status=live }}</ref>


], former head of counter-terrorism for the ], said of Emerson, "I think of Steve as the ] of terrorism ... We'd always learn things we weren’t hearing from the ] or ], things which almost always proved to be true."<ref name=Brown/>
<blockquote>In ], Emerson heard a Muslim activist planned to leaflet against him at a New York speech of his. He dashed off a withering seven-page response, which included the false assertion that in the 1960s one of his critics, California journalist Reese Erlich, 'was charged with conspiracy to carry out violence in support of the ].' Emerson apologized and paid Erlich $3,000," (''Washington Post'', ], ]).</blockquote>
==Books and papers by Emerson==
*(2002), '']'', Free Press; 2003 paperback edition, ISBN 0743234359
*(1995), ''The worldwide Jihad movement: Militant Islam targets the West (Policy forum)'', Institute of the World Jewish Congress
*(1991), ''Terrorist: The Inside Story of the Highest-Ranking Iraqi Terrorist Ever to Defect to the West'', Random House; Villard paperback edition, ISBN 0679737014
*(1990) with Duffy B., ''The Fall of Pan Am 103: Inside the Lockerbie Investigation'', Putnam, ISBN 0399135219
*(1988), ''Secret Warriors: Inside the Covert Military Operations of the Reagan Era'', Putnam, ISBN 0399133607
*(1985), ''The American House of Saud: The Secret Petrodollar Connection'', Franklin Watts, ISBN 0531097781
*(1982), ''Dutton of Arabia'', New Republic


], in his 2003 book, ''Images of terror: what we can and can't know about terrorism'' responded that certain groups criticize Emerson in order to silence and delegitimize his views.<ref name="Jenkins">{{cite book |title=Images of terror: what we can and can't know about terrorism |url=https://archive.org/details/imagesterrorwhat00jenk |url-access=limited |page= |author=Philip Jenkins |isbn=978-0-202-30679-7 |year=2003 |publisher=Aldine De Gruyter |location=NY}}</ref>
==Award ==

*George Polk Award for best television documentary '']''. A film which exposes clandestine operations of ] groups on American soil.
] wrote an article defending Emerson that attempted to explain why ] dislike him.<ref>{{cite web|last=Schwartz|first=Stephen|title=Why the Islamists Target Steve Emerson|url=http://www.islamicpluralism.org/1159/why-the-islamists-target-steve-emerson|publisher=Center for Islamic Pluralism|access-date=April 18, 2011|archive-date=August 7, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110807134923/http://www.islamicpluralism.org/1159/why-the-islamists-target-steve-emerson|url-status=live}}</ref>

A review by ] in ''The New York Times'' of ''The Fall of Pan Am 103,'' while noting that the authors were "respected journalists" and "not to be lightly dismissed," and that they "talked to 250 people, including senior law enforcement and intelligence officials in seven nations", opined that charges of Iranian complicity were presented "without much substantiation" although Wines did go on to say that: "They build a convincing circumstantial case against Iran and its terrorist agents."<ref name="nytimes_1990-04-29"/>

], writing in '']'' described Emerson and Cristina del Sesto's 1991 book ''Terrorist'', as "marred by factual errors (such as mistranslations of Arabic names) and marked by "a pervasive anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian bias."<ref name="Defectors Story">{{cite news |title=A Defector's Story |work=] |author = Adrienne Edgar | date= May 19, 1991}}</ref> Emerson and del Sesto responded: "We defy anyone to point to any passages that suggest such bias.... these characterizations of the book are wild figments of Ms. Edgar's political imagination."<ref name="Defectors Story Letter">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/06/16/books/l-a-defector-s-story-900091.html?scp=3&sq=Terrorist+Emerson+Sesto&st=nyt |title=A Defector's Story&nbsp;– Letter |work=] |author=Steven Emerson, Cristina Del Sesto |date=June 16, 1991 |access-date=February 13, 2017 |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304132944/http://www.nytimes.com/1991/06/16/books/l-a-defector-s-story-900091.html?scp=3&sq=Terrorist+Emerson+Sesto&st=nyt |url-status=live }}</ref>

In their report "Fear, Inc.: The Roots of the Islamophobia Network in America", the ] accused Emerson of being an "misinformation expert" who, through his testimonies, exaggerates the presence of Sharia law in America and terrorism sympathizers in mosques.<ref name="Fear, Inc.">{{cite web |url=http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/religion/report/2011/08/26/10165/fear-inc/ |title=Fear, Inc.: The Roots of the Islamophobia Network in America |publisher=] |date=August 26, 2011 |access-date=July 12, 2014 |archive-date=August 11, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160811033158/https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/religion/report/2011/08/26/10165/fear-inc/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Emerson has been criticized for espousing ] views by Islamic studies scholars such as Juliane Hamer and Omid Safi, with German media scholar ], and ] naming Emerson along with ] as the two most prominent Islamophobic voices in the US.<ref name=CambridgeCompanion/><ref>{{cite book|last1=Hafez|first1=Kai|title=Islam in Liberal Europe: Freedom, Equality, and Intolerance|date=2014|publisher=]|isbn=9781442229525|page=288|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wSXbAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA288|access-date=January 23, 2015|quote=This is not different among Islamophobic opinion leaders in the United States such as Steven Emerson or Daniel Pipes, whose notions of Islamic jihadism as the new communism, and so on, have gained wide currency.|archive-date=June 6, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150606094508/https://books.google.com/books?id=wSXbAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA288|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=Palgrave.Macmillan>{{cite book|last1=Ernst|first1=Carl W.|title=Islamophobia in America: The Anatomy of Intolerance|date=2013|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|isbn=9781137290083|page=86|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=K-0VFNIfZyIC&pg=PT86|quote=Robert Spencer, Daniel Pipes, New Ginrich, Steven Emerson, Glenn Beck, Frank Gaffney&nbsp;— many of the most prominent producers of Islamophobic discourse |access-date=January 23, 2015|archive-date=June 6, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150606093209/https://books.google.com/books?id=K-0VFNIfZyIC&pg=PT86|url-status=live}}</ref> Emerson responded to these and similar characterizations<ref name=WaPo.FoxNews>{{cite news|title=9 questions about Birmingham that Fox News was too embarrassed to ask|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2015/01/12/9-questions-about-birmingham-that-fox-news-was-too-embarrassed-to-ask/|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=January 22, 2015|quote=Emerson has been accused of Islamophobia in the past.|archive-date=July 7, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150707231340/http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2015/01/12/9-questions-about-birmingham-that-fox-news-was-too-embarrassed-to-ask/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="law as movement">{{cite journal|last=Yazdiha|first=Haj|year=2014|title=Law as movement strategy: How the Islamophobia movement institutionalizes fear through legislation|journal=]|volume=13|issue=2|pages=267–274|doi= 10.1080/14742837.2013.807730|s2cid=145686284|quote="funding flows to the Islamophobia movement's 'misinformation experts' including...Steven Emerson of the Investigative Project on Terrorism}}</ref> in an op-ed for Fox News, stating that criticism of Islam labeled as Islamphophia, and the labeling of "Islamic terrorism" as a racist generalization of Muslims, is "one of the biggest and most dangerous national security frauds of the past 30 years."<ref>{{cite web|last1=Emerson|first1=Steven|title=Will we ever learn? Obama White House can't admit Paris attacks 'Islamic terrorism'|url=https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/will-we-ever-learn-obama-white-house-cant-admit-paris-attacks-islamic-terrorism/|publisher=Fox News Channel|access-date=March 5, 2015|archive-date=February 24, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150224131841/http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2015/01/07/will-ever-learn-obama-white-house-cant-admit-paris-attacks-islamic-terrorism/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Emerson's work was cited as an instance of poor reporting on Islam in the ] film about ] '']'', specifically his claim after the ] that the municipality was a center of Muslim extremism.<ref>EDWARD SAID - ON ORIENTALISM. Dir. Sut Jhally. Prod. Sanjay Talreja. Perf. Edward Said, Sut Jhally. Media Education Foundation, 1998. DVD.</ref>

==Controversies==

===Sami al-Arian case===
Emerson has played a role in criminal prosecutions. In the widely criticized ] he was a major source of information and advice to the federal prosecutors and the '']''.<ref>{{cite news|last=Perry|first=Mitch|title=John Sugg on why won't the Tampa Trib tell you what people in Nashville know about Steve Emerson?|url=http://cltampa.com/dailyloaf/archives/2010/11/02/john-sugg-on-why-wont-the-tampa-trib-tell-you-what-people-in-nashville-know-about-steve-emerson#.T_TEPpHNlfs|access-date=July 4, 2012|archive-date=November 26, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121126035129/http://cltampa.com/dailyloaf/archives/2010/11/02/john-sugg-on-why-wont-the-tampa-trib-tell-you-what-people-in-nashville-know-about-steve-emerson#.T_TEPpHNlfs|url-status=live}}</ref> He has a close relationship to ], a federal prosecutor in the ].<ref>{{cite web|last=Gerstein|first=Josh|title=A Prosecutor Is Called 'Relentless'|url=http://www.nysun.com/national/a-prosecutor-is-called-relentless/82727/|work=New York Sun|access-date=July 4, 2012|archive-date=May 18, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120518042745/http://www.nysun.com/national/a-prosecutor-is-called-relentless/82727/|url-status=live}}</ref> The ] prosecution relied on evidence produced by Emerson's Investigative Project.<ref name="Special Public Event">{{cite web |url=http://counterterrorismblog.org/2007/11/special_panel_on_holy_land_fou.php |title=Special Public Event: Panel on Holy Land Foundation & Muslim Brotherhood |author=Andrew Cochran |date=November 29, 2007 |access-date=March 21, 2014 |archive-date=February 3, 2009 |archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20090203154715/http://counterterrorismblog.org/2007/11/special_panel_on_holy_land_fou.php |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Boston Marathon bombing===
On April 17, 2013, Emerson stated on the Fox News program '']'' that he had been informed by an official in the ] (ICE) that a Saudi national who was present during the ] was suspected of playing a role in the bombing. Emerson wondered why a suspect would be deported and not prosecuted. Emerson reasoned that United States handles Saudi nationals differently to appease Saudi Arabia and not to embarrass the country.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://foxnewsinsider.com/2013/04/18/terrorism-expert-saudi-national-questioned-boston-bombings-being-deported-national|title=Saudi Man Cleared in Boston Bombing Now Being Deported?!|author=Hannity|work=Fox News Insider|date=April 18, 2013|access-date=April 19, 2013|archive-date=April 20, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130420004256/http://foxnewsinsider.com/2013/04/18/terrorism-expert-saudi-national-questioned-boston-bombings-being-deported-national|url-status=live}}</ref> ] Secretary Janet Napolitano, whose department supervises the ICE, dismissed Emerson's allegation during a meeting with the House Homeland Security Committee, as being incorrect.<ref>, '']'', Alex Seitz-Wald, April 18, 2013. Retrieved December 4, 2015.</ref> United States officials stated that the injured Saudi national was regarded as a witness and not a suspect. A Saudi official at the embassy also stated that there was no known suspect or person of interest that they were aware of.<ref>{{cite news |last=Miller |first=Greg |title=Injured Saudi is a witness, not a suspect, in Boston bombing |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/injured-saudi-is-a-witness-not-a-suspect-in-boston-bombing/2013/04/16/791de708-a6ad-11e2-b029-8fb7e977ef71_story.html |newspaper=] |access-date=April 19, 2013 |date=April 16, 2013 |archive-date=April 18, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130418234308/http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/injured-saudi-is-a-witness-not-a-suspect-in-boston-bombing/2013/04/16/791de708-a6ad-11e2-b029-8fb7e977ef71_story.html |url-status=live }}</ref> On April 19, 2013, Steve Emerson was featured in an opinion piece on Fox News and referred to the suspects, ] and ], ] channels as being similar in tone to Al Qaeda videos.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/boston-marathon-suspects-islamic-terrorists-not-chechen-separatists/|title=Boston Marathon suspects Islamic terrorists, not Chechen separatists|author=Steven Emerson|publisher=Fox News Channel|date=March 9, 2015|access-date=April 20, 2013|archive-date=April 20, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130420042824/http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2013/04/19/boston-terror-suspects-islamic-terrorists-not-chechen-separatists/|url-status=live}}</ref> Many local, state and federal officials, including President ], cautioned against jumping to conclusions while there's an ongoing investigation.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/barackobama/10007338/Boston-Marathon-bombings-Barack-Obama-statement-on-suspects-capture.html|title=Boston Marathon bombings: Barack Obama statement on suspect's capture|date=April 20, 2013|work=The Daily Telegraph|access-date=April 3, 2018|archive-date=September 22, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180922115738/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/barackobama/10007338/Boston-Marathon-bombings-Barack-Obama-statement-on-suspects-capture.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Comments on Fox News about Birmingham and Paris===
In January 2015, following ], Emerson stated in an interview on Fox News that the city of ] was populated entirely by Muslims and was a "]" for non-Muslims.<ref name=berror /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.investigativeproject.org/4730/emerson-with-judge-pirro-no-go-islamic-zones|title=Emerson with Judge Pirro: No-Go Islamic Zones and Western Self-Denial|author=Steven Emerson|work=The Investigative Project on Terrorism|access-date=January 11, 2015|archive-date=January 12, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150112013056/http://www.investigativeproject.org/4730/emerson-with-judge-pirro-no-go-islamic-zones|url-status=live}}</ref> According to an estimate from the UK Census of 2011, Birmingham is estimated to have 21.8% of its population identify as Muslim, with a Christian population of 46%, and 25% claiming no religion or not giving a religion.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-30773297 | title=Apology for 'Muslim Birmingham' Fox News claim | publisher=BBC | date=January 15, 2015 | access-date=March 2, 2015 | archive-date=March 6, 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150306233728/http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-30773297 | url-status=live }}</ref> In the same interview, he claimed that in London, "Muslim religious police 'beat' anyone who doesn't dress according to Muslim, religious Muslim attire".<ref name="BBC-20150112">{{cite news|title=Apology for 'Muslim-only Birmingham'|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-30773297|work=BBC News|date=January 12, 2015|access-date=June 21, 2018|archive-date=May 28, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180528145153/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-30773297|url-status=live}}</ref> The errors led to four apologies within 12 hours by Fox News.<ref name=berror>{{cite web | url=https://www.questia.com/read/1G1-397944832 | title=Fox News Network Apologises for String of On-Air Gaffes | publisher=Cape Times|location=South Africa | date=January 20, 2015 | access-date=January 22, 2015 | author=Walker, Tim}}</ref> The UK media regulatory authority ] found Fox News to be in breach of the UK's broadcasting code on account of the comments. Ofcom described the comments as "materially misleading" and "a serious breach".<ref>Alexander Seamer, {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150922235902/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/fox-news-birmingham-is-a-nogo-zone-for-nonmuslims-comment-found-in-violation-of-broadcasting-code-10510953.html |date=September 22, 2015 }}, ''The Independent'', September 21, 2015</ref>

In response to these comments, ] ] said that he "choked on his ]" when he heard them and observed that Emerson was "clearly a complete idiot".<ref name="telegraph-20150112"/><ref name="ITV-20150112">{{cite web|url=http://www.itv.com/news/central/update/2015-01-12/prime-minister-steven-emerson-is-clearly-an-idiot/|title=Prime Minister: Steven Emerson is "clearly an idiot"|publisher=itv.com|access-date=January 12, 2015|date=January 12, 2015|archive-date=January 12, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150112190909/http://www.itv.com/news/central/update/2015-01-12/prime-minister-steven-emerson-is-clearly-an-idiot/|url-status=live}}</ref> Local ] ] described Emerson's remarks as "stupid" and that they had "no redeeming features".<ref name="BBC-20150112" /><ref name="BBC">{{cite web | url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-30773297 | title=Apology for 'Muslim Birmingham' Fox News claim | work=UK News Birmingham and Black Country | publisher=BBC News | date=January 12, 2015 | access-date=January 12, 2015 | archive-date=January 12, 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150112015315/http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-30773297 | url-status=live }}</ref> Emerson's remarks, which "embarrassed" Fox, extended to other countries, especially regarding supposed exclusion zones in Paris.<ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151210181319/https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/erik-wemple/wp/2015/01/18/fox-news-corrects-apologizes-for-no-go-zone-remarks/ |date=December 10, 2015 }}, '']'', Eric Wemple, January 18, 2015. Retrieved December 4, 2015.</ref> Thousands of people ridiculed Emerson's comments on social media using the hashtag #FoxNewsFacts.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2015-01-13|title='Brutal' backlash to Fox News pundit|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-england-birmingham-30789759|access-date=2021-10-10|archive-date=October 10, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211010182346/https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-england-birmingham-30789759|url-status=live}}</ref>

Emerson issued an apology for his misinformation stating, "I have clearly made a terrible error for which I am deeply sorry. My comments about Birmingham were totally in error." He further added that he would make a donation to a charity in Birmingham and also place a newspaper ad in Birmingham.<ref name="auto">{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/11338985/Fox-News-terror-expert-says-everyone-in-Birmingham-is-a-Muslim.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150112001716/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/11338985/Fox-News-terror-expert-says-everyone-in-Birmingham-is-a-Muslim.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 12, 2015 |title=Fox News 'terror expert' says everyone in Birmingham is a Muslim |last1=Sanchez |first1=Raf |date=January 11, 2015 |work=The Daily Telegraph |access-date=January 11, 2015}}</ref> It was also reported that ] welcomed his apology, describing Emerson's comments as "curious" and clearly without foundation.<ref name="BBC-20150112" /> ], the leader of the council mocked Emerson writing "As I arrived for work at the Council House this morning I was full of awe and admiration for the many commuters who braved the 'no-go area' that is now Birmingham city centre" and described Emerson's remarks as "stupid, untrue and damaging...ridiculous".<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/sir-albert-bore/fox-news-birmingham_b_6469024.html |title=''The Huffington Post'' |date=January 14, 2015 |access-date=December 28, 2015 |archive-date=December 22, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222123756/http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/sir-albert-bore/fox-news-birmingham_b_6469024.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Involvement in spying on American Muslim organizations ===
Emerson has recently been accused of spying on two different American Muslim organizations.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> On December 14, 2021, CAIR's Ohio chapter fired an executive who confessed to acting as a "mole" and passing confidential information to for Steven Emerson's organization IPT.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|last=Harte|first=Julia|date=December 15, 2021|title=U.S. Muslim advocacy group fires Ohio chapter director for alleged spying|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-muslim-advocacy-group-fires-ohio-chapter-director-alleged-spying-2021-12-15/|access-date=December 26, 2021|archive-date=December 27, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211227000445/https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-muslim-advocacy-group-fires-ohio-chapter-director-alleged-spying-2021-12-15/|url-status=live}}</ref> Shortly thereafter, another mole operating at a different Muslim organization came forward to CAIR and admitted to being paid $3,000 by Steven Emerson every month for recording discussions with prominent American Muslim leaders, amounting to a total of $100,000 over the course of four years.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news|date=December 22, 2021|title=US Muslim body: Another 'spy' confesses to links with far-right group|url=https://www.trtworld.com/americas/us-muslim-body-another-spy-confesses-to-links-with-far-right-group-52870|access-date=December 26, 2021|archive-date=December 25, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211225175927/https://www.trtworld.com/americas/us-muslim-body-another-spy-confesses-to-links-with-far-right-group-52870|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Works==

===Books===
* {{cite book|year=1985|title=The American House of Saud: The Secret Petrodollar Connection|publisher=Franklin Watts|isbn=0-531-09778-1}}
* {{cite book|year=1988|title=Secret Warriors: Inside the Covert Military Operations of the Reagan Era|publisher=Putnam|isbn=0-399-13360-7}}
* {{cite book|year=1990|title=The Fall of Pan Am 103: Inside the Lockerbie Investigation|publisher=Putnam|isbn=0-399-13521-9}} (with Brian Duffy)
* {{cite book|year=1991|title=Terrorist: The Inside Story of the Highest-Ranking Iraqi Terrorist Ever to Defect to the West|publisher=Random House|isbn=0-679-73701-4}}
* {{cite book|year=1995|title=The worldwide Jihad movement: Militant Islam targets the West|publisher=Institute of the World Jewish Congress}}
* {{cite book|year=2002|title=]|publisher=Free Press|isbn=0-7432-3435-9}}
*{{cite book|year=2006|title=Jihad Incorporated: A Guide to Militant Islam in the US|publisher=Prometheus Books|isbn=1-59102-453-6}}

===Chapters===
* ''Terrorism in the United States'' (1997), Vol. 69,&nbsp;# 1, "The Other Fundamentalists", Editor Frank McGuckin, H.W. Wilson Co., {{ISBN|0-8242-0914-1}}
* ''The future of terrorism: violence in the new millennium'' (1998), "Terrorism in America: The Threat of Militant Islamic Fundamentalism," Editor Harvey W. Kushner, SAGE, {{ISBN|0-7619-0869-2}}

===Documentaries===
* '']'' (1994)
* '']'' (2005)
* ''Radical Islam: Terror in Its Own Words'' (2007)
* ''Jihad in America: The Grand Deception'' (2013)


==References== ==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}
]

*
==Further reading==
*
* by Steven Emerson, February 26, 2002 * Emerson, Steven. , February 26, 2002
* ''The Washington Post'', November 14, 2001
* ''Middle East Forum'' interview with Steven Emerson, conducted on April 7, 1997; published June 1997
*, a letter from Shaykh Prof. Abdul Hadi Palazzi, ''Root and Branch Information Service'', September 19, 1999
*, a news service soon to be offered by Emerson's Investigative Project
* by John F. Sugg, ''Extra!'', Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting, January-February 1999
*
*, Council for Arab-American Relations, undated, retrieved on January 2, 2005
* by Eric Boehlert, ''Salon'', January 19, 2002
*, Counterpunch, May 19, 2003, retrieved January 4, 2004
* by Cynthia Cotts, ''Village Voice'', July 18-24, 2001, retrieved January 4, 2004
*
*''Brown Alumni Magazine'', November-December 2002
*John Mintz, ''The Washington Post'', November 14, 2001
*Robert Friedman, '']'', May 15, 1995


==External links==
*
*
* , January 21, 2005. Retrieved January 20, 2010
*{{C-SPAN|91625}}


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Latest revision as of 15:54, 11 December 2024

American film producer (born 1954) For other people with the same name, see Steve Emerson (disambiguation).

Steven Emerson
Emerson at a convention in June 2008Emerson at a convention in June 2008
Born (1954-06-06) June 6, 1954 (age 70)
United States
OccupationJournalist, author, executive director of the Investigative Project on Terrorism (IPT)
NationalityAmerican
Alma materBrown University (B.A., 1976; M.A., 1977)
SubjectNational security, terrorism, Islamic extremism
Notable worksTerrorists Among Us: Jihad in America
Notable awards1994 George Polk Award for best television documentary; top prize for best investigative report from Investigative Reporters and Editors

Steven Emerson (born June 6, 1954) is an American investigative journalist, author, and pundit on national security, terrorism, and Islamic extremism. He is the founder and director of The Investigative Project on Terrorism, and received a George Polk Award for the 1994 documentary Terrorists Among Us: Jihad in America.

Education and early career

Emerson received a Bachelor of Arts from Brown University in 1976, and a Master of Arts in sociology in 1977. He went to Washington, D.C., in 1977 with the intention of putting off his law school studies for a year. He worked on staff as an investigator for the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee until 1982, and as an executive assistant to Democratic Senator Frank Church of Idaho.

Journalist and commentator

Emerson was a freelance writer for The New Republic, for whom he wrote a series of articles in 1982 on the influence of Saudi Arabia on U.S. corporations, law firms, public-relations outfits, and educational institutions. In their pursuit of large contracts with Saudi Arabia, he argued, U.S. businesses became unofficial, unregistered lobbyists for Saudi interests. He expanded this material in 1985 in his first book, The American House of Saud: The Secret Petrodollar Connection.

U.S. News & World Report and CNN

External videos
video icon Booknotes interview with Emerson and Brian Duffy on The Fall of Pan Am 103, May 13, 1990, C-SPAN

From 1986 to 1989 he worked for U.S. News & World Report as a senior editor specializing in national security issues. In 1988, he published Secret Warriors: Inside the Covert Military Operations of the Reagan Era, a strongly critical review of Ronald Reagan-era efforts to strengthen U.S. covert capabilities. Reviewing the book, The New York Times wrote: "Among the grace notes of Mr. Emerson's fine book are many small, well-told stories". In 1990, he co-authored The Fall of Pan Am 103: Inside the Lockerbie Investigation, which argued for the then-mainstream theory that Iran was behind the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103. Reviewing the book, The New York Times wrote: "Mr. Emerson and Mr. Duffy have put together a surpassing account of the investigation to date, rich with drama and studded with the sort of anecdotal details that give the story the appearance of depth and weight." The newspaper listed it as an "editors' choice" on their Best Sellers List, and cited it as a "notable book of the year".

In 1990, he joined CNN as an investigative correspondent and continued to write about terrorism. In 1991, he published Terrorist: The Inside Story of the Highest-Ranking Iraqi Terrorist Ever to Defect to the West, detailing how Iraq spread and increased its terror network in the 1980s with U.S. support.

Jihad in America

Emerson left CNN in 1993 to work on a documentary, Terrorists Among Us: Jihad in America, for the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). It aired as "a PBS special" in November 1994.

In the documentary, he warned of future Islamic terrorist attacks in the United States. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) noted that PBS denied requests by Arab and Muslim journalists to screen the program before its showing, and argued that Emerson was promoting "a wild theory about an Islamic terrorist network in America". Writing for The New York Times, Walter Goodman opined that the request to change or cancel the documentary was not justified, but that the concerns about Emerson's claims of an Islamic terrorist network were justified "since 'Jihad in America' is likely to awaken viewers' unease over what some Muslim groups here may be up to."

He received the 1994 George Polk Award for "Best Television Documentary." He also received the top prize for best investigative report from the Investigative Reporters and Editors Organization (IRE).

A review of the book by The New York Times's Ethan Bronner, says that conservatives and some Jewish organizations took Emerson seriously, but that others have dismissed him as "an obsessive crusader", and concludes that while Emerson sometimes connects unrelated dots, occasionally he can be wrong; but that as an investigator focusing on radical Islamic groups in the US, his information should be taken seriously but not just at face value.

Commentary

Emerson has made false claims about Muslims in the US and Europe; in particular, some of his claims during a Fox News segment about the relationship between British Muslims and the city of Birmingham were subsequently rebuked by the then British Prime Minister David Cameron and led to a censure of Fox News by Ofcom for the airing of the comments which the broadcasting regulator characterized as "materially misleading" and "a serious breach for a current affairs programme".

It was Emerson's 1994 documentary Jihad in America that first linked Sami Al-Arian to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ). When in February 2003 the U.S. indicted Al-Arian, accusing him of being the North American leader of PIJ and financing and helping support suicide bombings, The New York Times noted that Emerson "has complained about Mr. Al-Arian's activities in the United States for nearly a decade." In 2006, Al-Arian pleaded guilty to conspiracy to help a "specially designated terrorist" organization, PIJ, and was sentenced to 57 months in prison, after a jury deadlocked on 9 charges (8 of which the government agreed to drop as part of the plea bargain) and acquitted him on another 8. Al-Arian said that he knew of the terrorist group's violent acts, though no evidence was admitted at trial showing that he was involved with violent acts.

In 1995 CBS interviews, prior to any knowledge the bombing of the Oklahoma City Federal Building was perpetrated by Timothy McVeigh, Emerson said "Oklahoma City, I can tell you, is probably considered one of the largest centers of Islamic radical activity outside the Middle East", and that the bombing "was done with the intent to inflict as many casualties as possible. That is a Middle Eastern trait, and something that has been generally not carried out on this soil until we were rudely awakened to it in 1993". He also told viewers not to believe Islamic groups' denials of their involvement. Emerson has said some critics fail to recite the rest of his statement that references the 1993 World Trade Center attack which was also carried out with a fertilizer truck bomb. Emerson indicated that he was one of many experts interviewed after the bombing who concluded there were similarities between the Oklahoma City bombing and Middle Eastern terrorism. He said the initial reporting did not "tar the entire Muslim community", that he referred only to a fanatical minority in the Islamic community. He acknowledged there were outbreaks of harassment which he referred to as unfortunate. In response to claims that all Muslims were blamed Emerson said "the charge of racism against Muslims is a canard designed to justify radical Islamic activities in this country." He supported the media's decision to report the possible link to Middle East terrorism, saying "There was no doubt" that the FBI and other law enforcement agencies suspected it.

In testimony on March 19, 1996, to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Emerson described the Holy Land Foundation as "the main fund-raising arm for Hamas in the United States." In 2007, federal prosecutors brought charges against Holy Land for funding Hamas and other Islamic terrorist organizations. In 2009, the founders of Holy Land were given life sentences for "funneling $12 million to Hamas."

In January 2001 it was reported that Emerson pointed out that the U.S. had missed clues that would have allowed it to focus on al-Qaeda early on. One of the men convicted in the World Trade Center bombing, Ahmad Ajaj, returned to the U.S. from Pakistan in 1992 with a bomb manual later seized by the U.S. An English translation of the document, entered into evidence in the World Trade Center trial, said that the manual was dated 1982, that it had been published in Amman, Jordan, and that it carried a heading on the front and succeeding pages: "The Basic Rule". But those were all errors, as Emerson pointed out. The heading said "al-Qaeda" – which translates as "The Base". In addition, the document was published in 1989, a year after al-Qaeda was founded, and the place of publication was Afghanistan, not Jordan.

Investigative Project on Terrorism

The Investigative Project on Terrorism was founded by Emerson in 1995, shortly after the release of his documentary film, Terrorists Among Us: Jihad in America, which first aired in the United States in 1994 on PBS. The documentary was faulted for misrepresentation, and Robert Friedman accused Emerson of "creating mass hysteria against American Arabs." The think-tank, Center for American Progress (CAP), stated that the IPT was one of ten foundations constituting what it called "the Islamophobia network in America".

Reception

In 1988, Emerson was referred to by The New York Times as "an expert on intelligence", and in 2015 as a "self-described terrorism expert". The New York Post referred to prior to 1989 as "the nation's foremost journalistic expert on terrorism" The Los Angeles Times referred to Emerson as a terrorism expert, and as a Fox News commentator. He has also been regarded as a part of the counter-jihad movement. Some have called Emerson an Islamophobe.

Richard Clarke, former head of counter-terrorism for the United States National Security Council, said of Emerson, "I think of Steve as the Paul Revere of terrorism ... We'd always learn things we weren’t hearing from the FBI or CIA, things which almost always proved to be true."

Philip Jenkins, in his 2003 book, Images of terror: what we can and can't know about terrorism responded that certain groups criticize Emerson in order to silence and delegitimize his views.

Stephen Suleyman Schwartz wrote an article defending Emerson that attempted to explain why Islamists dislike him.

A review by Michael Wines in The New York Times of The Fall of Pan Am 103, while noting that the authors were "respected journalists" and "not to be lightly dismissed," and that they "talked to 250 people, including senior law enforcement and intelligence officials in seven nations", opined that charges of Iranian complicity were presented "without much substantiation" although Wines did go on to say that: "They build a convincing circumstantial case against Iran and its terrorist agents."

Adrienne Edgar, writing in The New York Times Book Review described Emerson and Cristina del Sesto's 1991 book Terrorist, as "marred by factual errors (such as mistranslations of Arabic names) and marked by "a pervasive anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian bias." Emerson and del Sesto responded: "We defy anyone to point to any passages that suggest such bias.... these characterizations of the book are wild figments of Ms. Edgar's political imagination."

In their report "Fear, Inc.: The Roots of the Islamophobia Network in America", the Center for American Progress accused Emerson of being an "misinformation expert" who, through his testimonies, exaggerates the presence of Sharia law in America and terrorism sympathizers in mosques.

Emerson has been criticized for espousing Islamophobic views by Islamic studies scholars such as Juliane Hamer and Omid Safi, with German media scholar Kai Hafez, and Carl Ernst naming Emerson along with Daniel Pipes as the two most prominent Islamophobic voices in the US. Emerson responded to these and similar characterizations in an op-ed for Fox News, stating that criticism of Islam labeled as Islamphophia, and the labeling of "Islamic terrorism" as a racist generalization of Muslims, is "one of the biggest and most dangerous national security frauds of the past 30 years."

Emerson's work was cited as an instance of poor reporting on Islam in the Sut Jhally film about Edward Said's Orientalism, specifically his claim after the Oklahoma City bombing that the municipality was a center of Muslim extremism.

Controversies

Sami al-Arian case

Emerson has played a role in criminal prosecutions. In the widely criticized Sami Al-Arian case he was a major source of information and advice to the federal prosecutors and the Tampa Tribune. He has a close relationship to Gordon Kromberg, a federal prosecutor in the Eastern District of Virginia. The Holy Land Foundation prosecution relied on evidence produced by Emerson's Investigative Project.

Boston Marathon bombing

On April 17, 2013, Emerson stated on the Fox News program Hannity that he had been informed by an official in the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that a Saudi national who was present during the Boston Marathon bombing was suspected of playing a role in the bombing. Emerson wondered why a suspect would be deported and not prosecuted. Emerson reasoned that United States handles Saudi nationals differently to appease Saudi Arabia and not to embarrass the country. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, whose department supervises the ICE, dismissed Emerson's allegation during a meeting with the House Homeland Security Committee, as being incorrect. United States officials stated that the injured Saudi national was regarded as a witness and not a suspect. A Saudi official at the embassy also stated that there was no known suspect or person of interest that they were aware of. On April 19, 2013, Steve Emerson was featured in an opinion piece on Fox News and referred to the suspects, Tamerlan Tsarnaev and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, YouTube channels as being similar in tone to Al Qaeda videos. Many local, state and federal officials, including President Barack Obama, cautioned against jumping to conclusions while there's an ongoing investigation.

Comments on Fox News about Birmingham and Paris

In January 2015, following terrorist attacks in Paris, Emerson stated in an interview on Fox News that the city of Birmingham was populated entirely by Muslims and was a "no go area" for non-Muslims. According to an estimate from the UK Census of 2011, Birmingham is estimated to have 21.8% of its population identify as Muslim, with a Christian population of 46%, and 25% claiming no religion or not giving a religion. In the same interview, he claimed that in London, "Muslim religious police 'beat' anyone who doesn't dress according to Muslim, religious Muslim attire". The errors led to four apologies within 12 hours by Fox News. The UK media regulatory authority Ofcom found Fox News to be in breach of the UK's broadcasting code on account of the comments. Ofcom described the comments as "materially misleading" and "a serious breach".

In response to these comments, British Prime Minister David Cameron said that he "choked on his porridge" when he heard them and observed that Emerson was "clearly a complete idiot". Local MP Gisela Stuart described Emerson's remarks as "stupid" and that they had "no redeeming features". Emerson's remarks, which "embarrassed" Fox, extended to other countries, especially regarding supposed exclusion zones in Paris. Thousands of people ridiculed Emerson's comments on social media using the hashtag #FoxNewsFacts.

Emerson issued an apology for his misinformation stating, "I have clearly made a terrible error for which I am deeply sorry. My comments about Birmingham were totally in error." He further added that he would make a donation to a charity in Birmingham and also place a newspaper ad in Birmingham. It was also reported that Birmingham City Council welcomed his apology, describing Emerson's comments as "curious" and clearly without foundation. Sir Albert Bore, the leader of the council mocked Emerson writing "As I arrived for work at the Council House this morning I was full of awe and admiration for the many commuters who braved the 'no-go area' that is now Birmingham city centre" and described Emerson's remarks as "stupid, untrue and damaging...ridiculous".

Involvement in spying on American Muslim organizations

Emerson has recently been accused of spying on two different American Muslim organizations. On December 14, 2021, CAIR's Ohio chapter fired an executive who confessed to acting as a "mole" and passing confidential information to for Steven Emerson's organization IPT. Shortly thereafter, another mole operating at a different Muslim organization came forward to CAIR and admitted to being paid $3,000 by Steven Emerson every month for recording discussions with prominent American Muslim leaders, amounting to a total of $100,000 over the course of four years.

Works

Books

  • The American House of Saud: The Secret Petrodollar Connection. Franklin Watts. 1985. ISBN 0-531-09778-1.
  • Secret Warriors: Inside the Covert Military Operations of the Reagan Era. Putnam. 1988. ISBN 0-399-13360-7.
  • The Fall of Pan Am 103: Inside the Lockerbie Investigation. Putnam. 1990. ISBN 0-399-13521-9. (with Brian Duffy)
  • Terrorist: The Inside Story of the Highest-Ranking Iraqi Terrorist Ever to Defect to the West. Random House. 1991. ISBN 0-679-73701-4.
  • The worldwide Jihad movement: Militant Islam targets the West. Institute of the World Jewish Congress. 1995.
  • American Jihad: The Terrorists Living Among Us. Free Press. 2002. ISBN 0-7432-3435-9.
  • Jihad Incorporated: A Guide to Militant Islam in the US. Prometheus Books. 2006. ISBN 1-59102-453-6.

Chapters

  • Terrorism in the United States (1997), Vol. 69, # 1, "The Other Fundamentalists", Editor Frank McGuckin, H.W. Wilson Co., ISBN 0-8242-0914-1
  • The future of terrorism: violence in the new millennium (1998), "Terrorism in America: The Threat of Militant Islamic Fundamentalism," Editor Harvey W. Kushner, SAGE, ISBN 0-7619-0869-2

Documentaries

References

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Further reading

External links

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