The Bridge Initiative provides factsheets on a range of issues, individuals, and organizations that relate to our work on Islamophobia. Our growing repository of factsheets is a resource for journalists, educators, politicians, students, and the general public.
Our factsheets are collaborative research efforts, produced with the collective support of our entire team, under the final oversight of our Director. At times, we have enlisted international scholars who are subject matter experts, collaborated with independent researchers, and partnered with universities worldwide to create country-specific factsheets.
Browse through all of our factsheets or search by by keyword, topic or country.
Factsheet: DONALD TRUMP AS PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
IMPACT: The 45th President of the U.S., Donald Trump has implemented anti-Muslim policies and nominated and appointed individuals to his administration with a history of anti-Muslim animus. He has also used his Twitter to amplify... read the complete article
Factsheet: Tucker Carlson
Tucker Carlson is an American right-wing commentator who has denounced the growing power of an “Islamic cult” in the Middle East, labeled white supremacy as a hoax, and advocated prompt handling of the “Islamic problem” that he believes is an imminent threat in the United States. read the complete article
Factsheet: ALTERNATIVE FOR GERMANY (ALTERNATIVE FÜR DEUTSCHLAND/AfD)
IMPACT: Alternative for Germany (Alternative für Deutschland/AfD) is a far-right political party in Germany and the first far-right nationalist party to enter the German parliament since World War II. AfD is widely regarded as an... read the complete article
Factsheet: Christchurch Terror Attacks on Mosques
In March 2019, a white supremacist opened fire at two mosques in Christchurch, Aotearoa New Zealand, killing 51 people and live-streaming the entire attack on Facebook. The perpetrator published a manifesto outlining his racist, Islamophobic, and xenophobic views. Following the attack, the Royal Commission of Inquiry highlighted the lack of official resources devoted to countering far-right extremism. read the complete article
Factsheet: Daniel Pipes
Daniel Pipes is an academic and founder of the right-wing think-tank, Middle East Forum. Pipes supports racial profiling and the surveillance of Muslim communities and believes Muslims in the United States seek to infiltrate and overthrow the country. He has spent decades promoting anti-Muslim tropes and has financed numerous activists and organizations that spread misinformation about Muslims and Islam. read the complete article
Factsheet: Geert Wilders
A prominent politician in the Netherlands, Geert Wilders has decried what he calls the “Islamization” of the Netherlands and advocates a ban on the Qur’an. He believes Islam is a problem and promotes anti-Muslim tropes, namely that Islam is not a religion; it is a totalitarian and violent ideology. His alarmist, discriminatory, and racist rhetoric paints all Muslims as violent individuals who seek to dominate Europe. read the complete article
Factsheet: Love Jihad Conspiracy Theory
Love Jihad is a widely debunked conspiracy theory promoted by Hindu nationalists in India to incite fear, animosity, and violence against the country’s 200 million Muslims. The theory claims that Muslim men are luring Hindu women into marriages in an effort to forcibly convert them to Islam. This conspiracy theory has been heavily promoted by Hindu far-right groups, right-wing media, and the leaders of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). As a result of this conspiracy theory, Muslim men have been imprisoned, faced violent attacks, and killed. read the complete article
Factsheet: Operation Luxor
Operation Luxor was a large-scale police operation involving 940 officers targeting dozens of individuals and businesses that took place on November 9, 2020, in Austria. The government claimed the action aimed to “cut off the roots of political Islam.” In 2021, an Austrian court ruled that the raids were unlawful. In the three years since the raids, not a single person has been arrested or convicted. This “textbook example of governing with crime and fear” was conducted under Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, who was known for his anti-Muslim policies. read the complete article
Factsheet: The Patriot Act
The “Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001,” commonly known as the Patriot Act, was passed less than two months after September 11, 2001. The act greatly expanded the surveillance powers of the U.S. Government, allowing the National Security Agency to access phone metadata, authorize roving wiretaps, and detain individuals at the U.S. border. Congress has authorized the extension of certain portions of the act numerous times, however, as of December 2020, key provisions of the Patriot Act have expired. read the complete article