The Bridges Initiative, formally known as The Bridge Initiative, researches allegations of anti-Muslim sentiment in America and provides commentary, reports, and other materials related to its mission. ¹ It is an initiative of the Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at Georgetown University. ²

Funding

The Bridge Initiative’s funding comes from the Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding. The Center was founded in 1993 “to build stronger bridges of understanding” between Muslims and Christians, and especially “to…enhance understanding of Muslims in the West.” The Center received $20 million in 2005 from Saudi prince, philanthropist, and multi-billionaire businessman Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal. It was subsequently renamed for Prince Alwaleed. ³⁴⁵

Prince Alwaleed has faced a number of controversies. He was arrested and later released in 2017 as part of an alleged corruption crackdown by the Saudi Arabian government, though he declared his innocence as the Saudi government sought six billion dollars for his release. ⁶ He also declared his opposition to the existence of Israel and Tweeted that he carries a Palestinian passport. ⁷

Initiatives

The Bridge Initiative focuses exclusively on anti-Muslim animus, known as “Islamophobia.” ⁸⁹¹⁰ Its initiatives include highlights of individuals in America and abroad whom the Initiative accuses of engaging in anti-Muslim behavior, reports on the state of alleged Islamophobia, and commentary in the news on these subjects.

The Initiative has published several extensive reports since the election of Donald Trump as President of the United States. One of those reports, published in June 2017, concluded that anti-Muslim views were mainstreamed by the Trump campaign and administration. ¹¹¹²

The report relied heavily on viewpoints held by individuals in the administration and administration allies in addition to several policies which were proposed and/or enacted. The report provided an expansive view of “anti-Muslim” actions and viewpoints which led the report to include mainstream conservatives such as Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) and former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions in the same category as prominent critics of Islam and Islamist politics such as Center for Security Policy Founder Frank Gaffney. ¹³¹⁴

An infographic likewise tied Trump White House spokesperson Kellyanne Conway and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson to three groups which are critical of Islam and Islamist politics. ¹⁵

The Initiative also released a report in 2018 which concluded that attacks against American Muslims were tied to critiques of Muslims by presidential candidates, especially Republicans and most especially Donald Trump in 2015 and 2016. ¹⁶ The Initiative hosted a panel discussion about “Islamophobia” in the Trump era, with an Initiative staffer concluding that the level is “unprecedented.” ¹⁷

In April 2019, the Initiative co-signed a letter to “America’s CEOs” urging companies to not hire Trump administration officials who were involved in creating and enacting the administration’s immigration policies. ¹⁸

Leadership

Professor John Esposito leads The Bridge Initiative. Esposito is the founding director of the Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding has been involved in religious studies for decades. He has published a number of books on various aspects of Islam. ¹⁹

1. The Bridge Institute, Accessed June 17, 2019. https://bridge.georgetown.edu/
2. Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, About ACMCU, Accessed June 17, 2019. https://acmcu.georgetown.edu/about
3. Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, About ACMCU, Accessed June 17, 2019. https://acmcu.georgetown.edu/about
4. Philanthropy News Digest, “Saudi Prince Alwaleed Pledges $32 Billion Fortune to Charity,” July 2, 2015. Accessed June 17, 2019. https://philanthropynewsdigest.org/news/saudi-prince-alwaleed-pledges-32-billion-fortune-to-charity
5. Elizabeth Redden, “Detained prince is major donor to universities,” November 9, 2017. Accessed June 19, 2019. https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2017/11/09/detained-prince-major-donor-universities
6. Gareth Browne, “Saudi Arabia demands $6 billion for the release of Prince Al-Waleed Bin Talal, one of the richest men in the world,” December 25, 2017. Accessed June 17, 2019. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/12/25/saudi-arabia-demands-6-billion-release-prince-al-waleed-bin/
7. Mamoon Alabbasi, “Fabricated quotes attributed to Saudi Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal on Israel-Palestine go viral,” October 29, 2015. Accessed June 17, 2019. https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/fabricated-quotes-attributed-saudi-prince-alwaleed-bin-talal-israel-palestine-go-viral
8. Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, ACMCU Courses Fall 2019, Accessed June 17, 2019. https://acmcu.georgetown.edu/course-description-fall2019
9. Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, Research & Publications, Accessed June 17, 2019. https://acmcu.georgetown.edu/research
10. The Bridge Institute, Accessed June 17, 2019. https://bridge.georgetown.edu/
11. The Bridge Institute Report Summary, “A new era in American politics: The Trump administration and mainstream Islamophobia,” June 23, 2017. Accessed June 17, 2019. https://bridge.georgetown.edu/research/a-new-era-in-american-politics-the-trump-administration-and-mainstream-islamophobia/
12. The Bridge Institute Report, “A new era in American politics: The Trump administration and mainstream Islamophobia,” June 23, 2017. Accessed June 17, 2019. https://bridge.georgetown.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/final-trump-admin-report.pdf
13. Center for Security Policy, Center Staff, Accessed June 17, 2019. https://www.centerforsecuritypolicy.org/about-us/staff/
14. Center for Security Policy, CSP Press, Accessed June 17, 2019. https://www.centerforsecuritypolicy.org/publications/csp-press/
15. Infographic, “The Trump administration and anti-Muslim groups,” June 29, 2017. Accessed June 17, 2019. https://bridge.georgetown.edu/research/the-trump-administration-and-anti-muslim-groups/
16. The Bridge Initiative, “When Islamophobia turns violent: The 2016 U.S. presidential elections,” November 2018. Accessed June 17, 2019. https://bridge.georgetown.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/When-Islamophobia-Turns-Violent.pdf
17. Deepika Jonnalagadda, “Experts talk Muslim ban, Islamophobia in Trump era,” February 23, 2018. Accessed June 17, 2019. https://www.thehoya.com/experts-talk-muslim-ban-islamaphobia-trump-era/
18. “An open letter to America’s CEOs,” April 6, 2019. Accessed June 17, 2019. https://www.influencewatch.org/app/uploads/2019/04/Restore-Public-Trust-Open-Letter-Asylum-04.2019.pdf
19. The Bridge Institute, Meet the team, Accessed June 17, 2019.  https://bridge.georgetown.edu/about-us/meet-the-team/