Two decades after 9/11, newly-elected Mayor Eric Adams’ transition team includes terrorist sympathizers and outspoken antisemites. Adams himself has cultivated close relations with Turkey’s Islamist government and suspected Turkish proxies funded his mayoral campaign. What explains the rise of Islamist political influence in New York City politics? Why has Adams’ Islamist-friendly administration failed to attract attention?

Netanyahu's acknowledged interest in a plea bargain deal to end his legal problems may not end in an agreement. But it has meant that Government and Opposition both act as though the post-Bibi era has begun.

A forthcoming visit to Iran by Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro brings a critical partnership into the spotlight. Tehran’s support for the Venezuelan regime has not only helped Maduro remain in power but also affected much of Latin America. The recent visit by Iran's Vice President for Economic Affairs Mohsen Rezae to Nicaragua, despite having an international arrest warrant for his role in the 1994 AMIA attack in Argentina, put Iran's brazen disregard for international justice in full display. What are the key aspects of this relationship? What can Washington do to curtail Iranian activities in Latin America?

Recently, the Middle East Forum came into possession of tens of thousands of leaked documents from a self-admitted “semi-government” charity in Qatar founded by a U.S.-designated terrorist. The documents reveals that Eid Charity has donated hundreds of millions of dollars to Islamists and jihadis around the world. With other organizations, MEF has researched the use of these funds. What has been found so far? What does it mean?

MEF’s Washington Project Director Cliff Smith will discuss these issues with Martha Lee of Islamist Watch, Abhinav Pandya of the Usanas Foundation, and Jordan Cope of Stand With Us.

Israel is abuzz with reports about Netanyahu seeking a plea deal to end his legal problems. Why now? What does this mean for him? For the government coalition?

Members of the Middle East Studies Association will soon have an opportunity to vote whether to make boycott, divestment, and sanction (BDS) of Israel MESA’s official policy. If MESA or its institutional and individual members carry out the boycott on campuses, they may run afoul of anti-discrimination and academic freedom protections. What are the implications of this step? How can students and faculty be protected from it?

Could the Citizenship Law (concerning Palestinians) provoke the first major fissure in the government? Might it also, for the first time, prompt elements of the Coalition and Opposition to cooperate?

What can be done to reverse the trend of Muslims accepting radical ideologies? By recognizing that while the Koran’s text is eternal, its interpretation has constantly changes, and this has direct implications for the Sharia (Islamic law). The reigning theology contradicts modern pluralism and so needs to be adjusted. What efforts toward such an adjustment are Muslims taking? What has been accomplished?

“We are in a struggle between modernity and backwardness, between people who treat women as animals and those who treat them as human beings”; so speaks Wafa Sultan and many other ex-Muslims agree. Indeed, Muslims increasingly are leaving their religion. What causes this exodus? Is it larger than in the past? Can Muslims reform the tenets of Islam?

New year but old quarrels between the Coalition and Opposition. How is this affecting the challenges of Covid-19, Gaza, and Iran?