Author: Ali Abunimah
Affiliation: The Electronic Intifada
Organization/Publisher: The Electronic Intifada
Date/Place: September 9, 2020/Chicago
Type of Literature: Profile
Word Count: 2661
Link:https://electronicintifada.net/content/meet-emgage-pro-israel-muslims-backing-joe-biden/31146
Keywords: Emgage, Israeli, Muslim Americans, Mitha, Palestine
Brief:
Emgage, a Muslim American Organization, is all into campaigning for Joe Biden to get him the Muslim votes, but that is not the only story about them. The organization is Pro-Israel too, and there are hardly any records of this organization engaged in supporting Palestinian rights. In the United States, if you want to get recognition then forget Palestine, and Emgage’s history indicates that they have been doing it for a long time now. In July of this year, The Washington Post described this organization as the largest Muslim American Political Action Committee, and identified Farooq Mitha as Biden’s senior advisor on Muslim American engagement. Mitha’s father Amin Mitha is the registered agent of Emgage in Florida, where the organization is also headquartered. When Mitha was contacted for comment on their engagement with the Israeli lobby, he didn’t provide any clear answers. Emgage was initially founded as Center for Voter Advocacy in 2006, under which name it sponsored a fundraiser in 2010 for Israel-hardliner Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (Miami Republican). Muslim organizations like CAIR, MPAC, and MPower Change have decided to engage with Emgage despite its connections with the Israeli lobby and Israel Lobby donors. Although this organization has stayed very lowkey about its Israeli affairs, one of its recruits Hamza Khan appeared at a Pro-Israel rally in 2006 in Washington carrying a banner reading “True Muslims support Israel.” In the “Our Issues” section of its website, it comprises of only three international concerns: Kashmir, Rohingya, and Uyghur Muslims. These three issues at least keep Israel and America out of the blame games.
By: Saima Rashid, CIGA Research Assistant
