Gatestone Institute is a think tank known for publishing anti-Muslim articles. It was founded in 2012 by Nina Rosenwald, who serves as its president.
Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and former national security advisor, John R. Bolton, was its chairman from 2013 to March 2018. Its current chairman is Amir Taheri. The organization has attracted attention for publishing false or inaccurate articles, some of which were shared widely.
History
Gatestone Institute was founded by political activist Nina Rosenwald in 2012.
The institute was founded by a parent organization that was itself founded in 2008 and which operated under two different names: "Hudson Institute New York" (not to be confused with the Hudson Institute) and Stonegate Institute.
The Gatestone Institute's personnel include Nina Rosenwald (President), and Naomi H. Perlman (Vice President). Amir Taheri is the Chairman of Gatestone Europe. John R. Bolton, the former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, served as Gatestone's chairman from 2013 to 2018, when he resigned to become National Security Advisor for President Donald Trump. Bolton was paid at least $310,000 by the organization. Its authors include Nonie Darwish, Alan Dershowitz, Raymond Ibrahim, Denis MacEoin, Daniel Pipes, Raheel Raza, Khaled Abu Toameh, Geert Wilders, Janusz Wójcik, Bat Ye'or, Josef Zbořil and Dexter Van Zile.
Rebekah Mercer, a billionaire heiress known for her donations to right-wing causes, was listed as a member of the Board of Governors of Gatestone in April 2017. After the foreign policy-focused website LobeLog inquired about her role in the organization, Gatestone removed all information about her from their website. The IRS Form-990 filing for tax year 2017 did not list Rebekah Mercer as either a member of the board of trustees, an officer of the organization, or an employee.
It was later revealed that Mercer Family Foundation (of which Rebekah Mercer is a key officer) gave $150,000 to Gatestone in 2014 and 2015. Gatestone had a revenue of $2.3 million in 2016.
Gatestone authors, including Geert Wilders, have appeared on Russian media, including Sputnik News and RT.
Content
Anti-Muslim bias
The Gatestone Institute has been frequently described as anti-Muslim, regularly publishes false reports to stoke anti-Muslim fears, and has published false stories pertaining to Muslims and Islam. Gatestone frequently warns of a looming "jihadist takeover" and "Islamization" of Europe, leading to a "Great White Death". Gatestone authors have a particular interest in Germany and Sweden, and frequently criticize leaders such as Macron and Merkel. The organization has been regarded as being part of the counter-jihad movement.
During the campaign for the 2022 French presidential election, Gatestone Institute backed anti-Muslim candidate Eric Zemmour.
Gatestone has published the writings of Geert Wilders. It hosted a 2012 talk by Wilders and paid for a trip he made to the United States in 2016. Gatestone has been criticized for affiliating itself with Wilders, who says that he "hates Islam."
Alina Polyakova, a Brookings Institution fellow and expert on far-right populism, said that Gatestone's content "was clearly anti-immigrant" and "anti-Muslim".
Policy analyst J. Dana Stuster of the National Security Network, writing in The Hill, criticized Gatestone as "paranoid" for claiming that immigration to Europe was "civilization jihad" and a "Muslim invasion".
The Council on American-Islamic Relations has accused Gatestone's founder, Nina Rosenwald, of anti-Muslim bias. Muslim writers for the Gatestone Institute have defended the organization and Rosenwald against the claims by CAIR. Zuhdi Jasser, founder and president of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy, said, "It goes without saying, but to those who may not know Nina, and having known her now for many years, it is clear to me that she has the highest respect for Muslims who love their faith, love God, and take seriously our Islamic responsibility to defeat the global jihad and its Islamist inspiration." Alan Dershowitz, a civil libertarian lawyer and retired academic who contributes to Gatestone, also defended the organization against charges of anti-Muslim bias.
Inaccurate reports
Multiple viral anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim falsehoods originate from Gatestone.