Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) is a policy advocacy group that claims to analyze political, social, cultural, and religious trends within Middle Eastern and South Asian media. 1
The organization was founded in 1998 by Yigal Carmon, a former Israeli intelligence officer and counterterrorism adviser to two former Israeli prime ministers. 2 3 He co-founded the group with Meyrav Wurmser, who worked for the Hudson Institute. 4
Background
Founded in 1998, MEMRI explores Middle East and South Asian media, translating the content from several languages including Arabic, Farsi, Urdu-Pashtu, Dari, Turkish, Russian, and Chinese. It also analyzes political, social, cultural, and religious trends in the Middle East and South Asia. 5 MEMRI’s research is translated into English, French, German, Italian, Polish, Japanese, Russian, Spanish, Hebrew, and Portuguese. 6 7
MEMRI provides translations and analysis to the governments of the United States, U.S. allies, counterterrorism officials, law enforcement agencies, and military institutions. 8 The organization further works with news outlets to promote its research. 9 MEMRI is based in Washington, D.C. and has branch offices in London, Tokyo, Rome, Baghdad, Shanghai, and Jerusalem. 10
Oliver “Buck” Revell, the chairman of MEMRI’s board of directors, wrote in the group’s 500th daily brief in July 2023 that “MEMRI has a deep, expansive understanding of what experts call the Jihadosphere, but also are leaders in analyzing the technical ways that these extremists communicate to the outside world.” 11
Controversy
Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) has received criticism over allegations that its coverage of Middle Eastern media in a negative light due to incomplete or selective translations. 12 13 Steven Stalinsky, MEMRI’s executive director, has claimed that non-extremist Muslims are “the unsung heroes in the counter-messaging war against radical Islamism and the terror group Islamic State (ISIS).” 14 According to the local Haaretz Israeli daily newspaper, in 2022 the Israeli government “unofficially outsourced” parts of its intelligence gathering to MEMRI. 15
Activities
In 2022, MEMRI launched a webpage regarding the World Cup, hosted that year in Doha, Qatar, that monitored claims of “LGTBQ+ friendly” standards at the World Cup while also monitoring “reactions and commentary from jihadi groups.” 16
MEMRI marked International Holocaust Remembrance Day in 2023 by releasing research that includes reports about continued Holocaust denial in the Middle Eastern region, including the Iranian regime’s continuous Holocaust denial. 17
October 7, 2023 Hamas Terrorist Attacks
On August 31, 2023, nearly two months before the October 7, 2023 Hamas terrorist attacks on the State of Israel, Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) co-founder and president Yigal Carmon released an article, “Signs of Possible War in September-October” which claimed to monitor signs of escalating violence in the region that could result in a broader conflict by the Fall of 2023. He wrote, according to the Wall Street Journal, “Israel will likely be compelled to undertake a large-scale response, even at the cost of an all-out war.” 18 MEMRI publicized Hamas’s videos advertising its drills for an upcoming invasion of Israel, and the terror organization’s claim that total war was coming. 19
After the October 7 attack, MEMRI established a new webpage covering reactions to the attack in both Middle East media and media worldwide. 20 Later that year, MEMRI translated the speech of an executive for the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), in which their words translated as referring to the October 7, 2023 attack as “self-defense” and “liberation.” After the exposure, CAIR was removed as a participant from the Biden administration’s Strategy to Counter Antisemitism. 21
Other Reporting
In 2024, the Middle East Media Research Institute obtained information from an Islamic State magazine, the Al-Azaim Foundation, that showed the U.S. Capitol in the center of red crosshairs with a figure wearing a military uniform holding a grenade in a clenched fist and the words, “You are next.” MEMRI also wrote warnings of a possible ISIS attack on Paris during the 2024 Summer Olympics, with an image of a drone hovering over the Eiffel Tower, saying, “Lone wolves’ Olympics have begun with the will of Allah.” 22
In 2024, MEMRI released research that claimed extremist organizations across the United States, including neo-Nazi groups, were using artificial intelligence tools to spread hate speech and radicalize both new members and online supporters. 23
In July 2024, MEMRI released documents on what became known as “Qatargate” in Israel: The documents claimed to show evidence of Qatari authorities instructing the transfer of tens of millions to Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The documents dated back to 2012 and revolved around a report by the Jordanian Anti Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorist Financing Unit about an attempt to deposit $10 million in the account of a Turkish firm, which according to the report was a straw company. The documents suggest Netanyahu was among those who allegedly collaborated with Qatari bureaucrats to facilitate the transfer of funds. MEMRI also released documents about what the Anti Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorist Financing Unit deemed a “suspicious” transfer of $50 million from an account dubbed the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science, and Community Development to the account of the World Vision organization in Jordan. 24
Steven Stalinsky, the MEMRI executive director, wrote a piece for the Wall Street Journal that referenced Hamas support among residents of Dearborn, Michigan, and called the suburb of Detroit “America’s jihad capital.” 25 Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud (D) later responded to article by claiming it caused, “an alarming increase in bigoted and Islamophobic rhetoric online targeting the city” while announcing he would increase police presences “at places of worship and major infrastructure points.” 26 MEMRI later released a video of a speech in Dearborn that included crowd chants of “Death to America” and “Death to Israel.” The video had 2.6 million views on X, formerly Twitter. The video showed local activist Tarek Bazzi criticizing Israel’s “satanic actions” and “the United States government providing funds that allow the atrocities.” He added, “when these fools ask if Israel has a right to exist, the chant ‘Death to Israel’ has become the most logical chant shouted across the world today.” 27
Leadership
Yigal Carmon is the co-founder and president of the Middle East Media Research Institute. 28 Carmon was an Israeli military intelligence officer for 22 years and a counterterrorism adviser to former Israeli prime ministers Yitzhak Shamir and Yitzhak Rabin. 29 30 31
Co-founding MEMRI with Carmon was Meyrav Wurmser, who worked as the director of the Center for Middle East Policy at the Hudson Institute. 32
Alberto M. Fernandez is the vice president of MEMRI. Fernandez is a former president of the Middle East Broadcasting Network. 33
Steven Stalinsky is the executive director of MEMRI. 34
Oliver “Buck” Revell is chairman of the board of MEMRI. Revell is a former FBI executive assistant director. 35
Anna Mahjar-Barducci is the director of the MEMRI Russian Media Studies Project for MEMRI. 36
Members of the board of directors include former U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey; former U.S. Defense Department senior advisor Robert Reilly; and intellectual property lawyer Jeffrey Kaufman. 37
References
- “Middle East Media Research Institute.” LinkedIn. Accessed September 21, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/company/memri/
- Kaufman, Elliot. “When Terrorists Talk, They Listen.” Wall Street Journal. January 12, 2024. Accessed September 21, 2024. https://www.wsj.com/articles/when-terrorists-talk-they-listen-oct-7-attack-israel-memri-arabic-translation-3af6e0f3
- Weigel, George. “Secularist Blinders and the Middle East.” First Things. January 31, 2024. Accessed September 21, 2024. https://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2024/01/secularist-blinders-and-the-middle-east
- Whitaker, Brian. “Selective Memri.” The Guardian. August 12, 2002. Accessed September 21, 2024. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/aug/12/worlddispatch.brianwhitaker
- “Middle East Media Research Institute.” LinkedIn. Accessed September 21, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/company/memri/
- “About.” Middle East Media Research Institute. Accessed September 21, 2024. https://www.memri.org/about
- “Middle East Media Research Institute.” Charity Navigator. Accessed September 21, 2024. https://www.charitynavigator.org/ein/522068483
- “About.” Middle East Media Research Institute. Accessed September 21, 2024. https://www.memri.org/about
- “About.” Middle East Media Research Institute. Accessed September 21, 2024. https://www.memri.org/about
- Chapman, Greer Fay. “Impacting the collective global MEMRI.” Jerusalem Post. April 15, 2009. Accessed September 22, 2024. https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/impacting-the-collective-global-memri
- Accesswire. “In Its 500th MEMRI Daily Brief, The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) Addresses Future.” Fox 5 San Diego. July 26, 2023. Accessed September 21, 2024. https://fox5sandiego.com/business/press-releases/accesswire/770429/in-its-500th-memri-daily-brief-the-middle-east-media-research-institute-memri-addresses-future-challenges-in-counterterrorism/
- “The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI).” Library of Congress. Accessed September 21, 2024. https://www.loc.gov/item/lcwaN0011753/
- Whitaker, Brian. “Selective Memri.” The Guardian. August 12, 2002. Accessed September 21, 2024. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/aug/12/worlddispatch.brianwhitaker
- Scarborough, Rowan. “Islamic State propaganda machine exposed by MEMRI.” Washington Times. September 12, 2016. Accessed September 21, 2024. https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/sep/12/islamic-state-propaganda-machine-exposed-by-memri/
- David, Barak. “Officials: Israel Outsources Monitoring of Palestinian Media After IDF Lapse.” January 31, 2012. Accessed September 21, 2024. https://www.haaretz.com/2012-01-31/ty-article/officials-israel-outsources-monitoring-of-palestinian-media-after-idf-lapse/0000017f-f6fe-d887-a7ff-fefeb7c00000
- Press Release. “Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) Launches Webpage Dedicated To World Cup 2022 Hosted In Qatar.” November 17, 2022. Accessed September 21, 2024. https://www.wane.com/business/press-releases/accesswire/726682/middle-east-media-research-institute-memri-launches-webpage-dedicated-to-world-cup-2022-hosted-in-qatar/
- Press Release. “The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) Marks International Holocaust Remembrance Day.” January 27, 2023. Accessed September 21, 2024. https://fox59.com/business/press-releases/accesswire/737078/the-middle-east-media-research-institute-memri-marks-international-holocaust-remembrance-day-with-release-of-new-research-from-the-lantos-archives-on-antisemitism-and-holocaust-denial/
- Kaufman, Elliot. “When Terrorists Talk, They Listen.” Wall Street Journal. January 12, 2024. Accessed September 21, 2024. https://www.wsj.com/articles/when-terrorists-talk-they-listen-oct-7-attack-israel-memri-arabic-translation-3af6e0f3
- Kaufman, Elliot. “When Terrorists Talk, They Listen.” Wall Street Journal. January 12, 2024. Accessed September 21, 2024. https://www.wsj.com/articles/when-terrorists-talk-they-listen-oct-7-attack-israel-memri-arabic-translation-3af6e0f3
- Press Release. “Visit The New Webpage Of The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) For Reactions To Hamas Attack On Israel And The Israel-Hamas War.” Yahoo Finance. October 27, 2023. Accessed September 21, 2024. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/visit-webpage-middle-east-media-141500177.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAALX_EEbzgStfLZnT66bUfGaFzbNejhTG2I6_B22S0MkPa0LYm2JfWOWhBQ2PthN-Rv4_D5ELDBqKHXsTmOn1SmX5r_EdoSCIVVU-9EEUPaXHAIsBl8r5bSNUTo9ib7fX3xX_gUGl0jY0VGQ7MUdUMvKp4u_rpr1n9255KRwtsEUr
- Weigel, George. “Secularist Blinders and the Middle East.” First Things. January 31, 2024. Accessed September 21, 2024. https://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2024/01/secularist-blinders-and-the-middle-east
- Walker, Jackson. “’You are next’: Pro-ISIS group creates poster targeting US Capitol.” KLEW-TV, via The National Desk. September 6, 2024. Accessed September 21, 2024. https://klewtv.com/news/nation-world/you-are-next-isis-linked-group-creates-poster-targeting-us-capitol-middle-east-media-research-institute-memri-terrorism-us-central-command-centcom-paris-olympics-attack
- Gilbert, David. “Neo-Nazis All in on AI.” Wired. June 20, 2024. Accessed September 21, 2024. https://www.wired.com/story/neo-nazis-are-all-in-on-ai/
- Merlin, Ohad. “Qatargate two: Jordanian documents detail transfer of millions to Israeli officials.” Jerusalem Post. July 20, 2024. Accessed September 21, 2024. https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-811122
- Mohtasham, Diba. “Michigan city ramps up security after ‘WSJ’ op-ed calls it ‘America’s jihad capital.’” NPR. February 6, 2024. Accessed September 21, 2024. https://www.npr.org/2024/02/06/1229437685/dearborn-wsj-arab-americans-jihad
- Mohtasham, Diba. “Michigan city ramps up security after ‘WSJ’ op-ed calls it ‘America’s jihad capital.’” NPR. February 6, 2024. Accessed September 21, 2024. https://www.npr.org/2024/02/06/1229437685/dearborn-wsj-arab-americans-jihad
- Aguilar, Louis and Rahal, Sarah. “’Death to America’ chants in Dearborn echo across social media, draw local condemnation.” Detroit News. April 8, 2024. Accessed September 21, 2024. https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2024/04/08/death-to-america-chant-dearborn-jihad-rally-al-quds-day-draws-condemnation/73247053007/
- “About.” Middle East Media Research Institute. Accessed September 21, 2024. https://www.memri.org/about
- Kaufman, Elliot. “When Terrorists Talk, They Listen.” Wall Street Journal. January 12, 2024. Accessed September 21, 2024. https://www.wsj.com/articles/when-terrorists-talk-they-listen-oct-7-attack-israel-memri-arabic-translation-3af6e0f3
- Weigel, George. “Secularist Blinders and the Middle East.” First Things. January 31, 2024. Accessed September 21, 2024. https://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2024/01/secularist-blinders-and-the-middle-east
- Whitaker, Brian. “Selective Memri.” The Guardian. August 12, 2002. Accessed September 21, 2024. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/aug/12/worlddispatch.brianwhitaker
- Whitaker, Brian. “Selective Memri.” The Guardian. August 12, 2002. Accessed September 21, 2024. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/aug/12/worlddispatch.brianwhitaker
- “About.” Middle East Media Research Institute. Accessed September 21, 2024. https://www.memri.org/about
- “About.” Middle East Media Research Institute. Accessed September 21, 2024. https://www.memri.org/about
- “About.” Middle East Media Research Institute. Accessed September 21, 2024. https://www.memri.org/about
- “About.” Middle East Media Research Institute. Accessed September 21, 2024. https://www.memri.org/about
- “About.” Middle East Media Research Institute. Accessed September 21, 2024. https://www.memri.org/about