Steve Emerson

Steve Emerson     (Journalist, author)
Born	June 6, 1954 United States
Nationality	American
Alma mater	Brown University
Founder of	Investigative Project on Terrorism
American journalist, author, and pundit on national security, "terrorism", and Islamic extremism.

Steven Emerson is an American journalist, author, and pundit on national security, "terrorism", and Islamic extremism. Emerson is the author of six books, and co-author of two more. His television documentary Jihad in America won the 1994 George Polk Award for best television documentary, and top prize for best investigative reporting from Investigative Reporters and Editors. He is also the Executive Director of the Investigative Project on Terrorism (IPT), a data-gathering centre on Islamist groups. Emerson's credibility was challenged when he made claims on television concerning the English city of Birmingham which led British Prime Minister David Cameron to say that Emerson is "clearly a complete idiot."

Islamic militancy

Emerson has testified before Congressional committees on such topics as the financing of terrorism and organisational structure of networks known for their involvement in Islamic militancy, including Al Qaeda, Hamas, Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad. Some of Emerson's statements related to Muslims in the US and Europe have been criticised for inaccuracies, and has been described as a "Islamophobe" and as a discredited "terrorism expert".

No go area

In January 2015, following terrorist attacks in Paris, France, Steve Emerson stated in an interview on Fox News that the city of Birmingham was populated entirely by Muslims and was a "no go area" for non-Muslims. According to an estimate from the UK Census of 2011, Birmingham is estimated to have 21.8% of its population identify as Muslim, with a Christian population of 46%, and 25% claiming no religion or not giving a religion. In the same interview, Emerson claimed that in London, "Muslim religious police 'beat' anyone who doesn't dress according to Muslim, religious Muslim attire". The Associated Press found the error was just one error that lead to four apologies within 12 hours by Fox News for the errors in reporting. The UK media regulatory authority Ofcom found Fox News to be in breach of the UK's broadcasting code on account of the comments.

"Clearly a complete idiot"

In response to these comments, British Prime Minister David Cameron said that he "choked on his porridge" when he heard them and observed that Emerson was "clearly a complete idiot". Local MP Gisela Stuart described Emerson's remarks as "stupid" and that they had "no redeeming features".

Apology

Emerson issued an apology for his misinformation stating, "I have clearly made a terrible error for which I am deeply sorry. My comments about Birmingham were totally in error." He further added that he would make a donation to a charity in Birmingham and also place a newspaper ad in Birmingham. It was also reported that Birmingham City Council welcomed his apology, describing Emerson's comments as "curious" and clearly without foundation.

Publications

Books

• (1985), The American House of Saud: The Secret Petrodollar Connection, Franklin Watts, ISBN 0-531-09778-1
• (1988), Secret Warriors: Inside the Covert Military Operations of the Reagan Era, Putnam, ISBN 0-399-13360-7
• (1990) The Fall of Pan Am 103: Inside the Lockerbie Investigation, with Brian Duffy, Putnam, ISBN 0-399-13521-9
• (1991), Terrorist: The Inside Story of the Highest-Ranking Iraqi Terrorist Ever to Defect to the West, Random House; ISBN 0-679-73701-4
• (1995), The worldwide Jihad movement: Militant Islam targets the West (Policy forum), Institute of the World Jewish Congress
• (2002), American Jihad: The Terrorists Living Among Us, Free Press; 2003 paperback edition, ISBN 0-7432-3435-9
• (2006), Jihad Incorporated: A Guide to Militant Islam in the US, Prometheus Books, ISBN 1-59102-453-6
• (2006), Al-Qaeda in Europe: the new battleground of international jihad, with Lorenzo Vidino, Prometheus Books

Chapters

• (1997) Terrorism in the United States, Vol. 69, # 1, "The Other Fundamentalists", Editor Frank McGuckin, H.W. Wilson Co., ISBN 0-8242-0914-1
• (1998) The future of terrorism: violence in the new millennium, "Terrorism in America: The Threat of Militant Islamic Fundamentalism," Editor Harvey W. Kushner, SAGE, ISBN 0-7619-0869-2

Documentaries

• (1994), Terrorists Among Us: Jihad in America
• (2005), Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West
• (2007), Radical Islam: Terror in Its Own Words
• (2013), Jihad in America: The Grand Deception

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References

This page imported content from Wikipedia on 18 November 2015.
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