Steven Emerson

Steven Emerson
Steven Emerson is considered one of the leading authorities on Islamic extremist networks, financing and operations. He serves as the Executive Director of The Investigative Project on Terrorism, a non-profit organization that serves one of the world's largest storehouses of archival data and intelligence on Islamic and Middle Eastern terrorist groups. Emerson and his staff frequently provide briefings to U.S. government and law enforcement agencies, members of Congress and congressional committees, and print and electronic media on terrorist financing and operational networks of Al Qaeda, Hamas, Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad, and the rest of the worldwide Islamic militant spectrum. Since 9-11, Emerson has been interviewed frequently on all the major television networks and in the national and international print media. The website of the Investigative Project on Terrorism, which was started in September 2007, is now considered one of the top counter-terrorism websites in the world and can be accessed at www.investigativeproject.org. Emerson launched The Investigative Project on Terrorism in 1995, following the November 1994 broadcast of his documentary film, "Jihad in America," on public television. The film exposed clandestine operations of militant Islamic terrorist groups on American soil. For the film, Emerson received numerous awards including the George Polk Award for best television documentary, one of the most prestigious awards in journalism. He also received the top prize from the Investigative Reporters and Editors Organization (IRE) for best investigative report in both print and television for the documentary. The award from IRE was the fourth he had received from that group. The documentary, which was featured on 60 Minutes, has become standard viewing for federal law enforcement and intelligence organizations. Emerson is recognized as one of the first terrorism experts to have testified and warned about the threat of Islamic militant networks operating in the United States and their connections worldwide. In a pioneering congressional testimony delivered in 1998, he specifically warned about the threat of Osama Bin Laden's network. Nearly every one of the terrorist suspects and groups first identified in his 1994 film have been indicted, convicted, or deported since 9-11. Emerson is the author or co-author of six books on terrorism and national security, including: "Jihad Incorporated: A Guide to Militant Islam in the U.S." (Prometheus, 2006) "American Jihad: The Terrorists Living Among Us" (The Free Press, 2002) "Terrorist: The Inside Story of the Highest-Ranking Iraqi Terrorist Ever to Defect to the West" (Villard Books /Random House, 1991) "The Fall of Pan Am 103: Inside the Lockerbie Investigation" (Putnam's Sons, 1990) "Secret Warriors: Inside the Covert Military Operations of the Reagan Era" (Putnam's Sons, 1988) "The American House of Saud: The Secret Petrodollar Connection" (Franklin Watts, 1985) Prior to starting the Investigative Project on Terrorism, Emerson worked as a correspondent for CNN and previously as a senior editor at US News and World Report. His first job in Washington DC in 1977 was as a staff researcher for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He has a BA and MA from Brown University and once ran a marathon in 2 hours, 59 minutes, a feat he was never able to repeat again.

ARTICLES BY: Steven Emerson

June 24, 2022 10:09 am

The Obvious Answer to Dana Milbank’s Question About CAIR

"Why not?" Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank asked that simple question last week, after the normally publicity-mad Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) told him it had...

June 23, 2022 11:12 am

Recent ‘Nakba’ Protest Showcases Raw Hatred and False Narratives

The hateful and often violent rhetoric prominent at anti-Israel rallies is something the Investigative Project on Terrorism (IPT) has tracked and documented for years. While participants...

April 20, 2022 11:33 am

SJP Forum Hypes Palestinian ‘Genocide’ While Advocating for Israel’s Elimination

If a seminar last Wednesday organized by the anti-Israel group Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) is any indicator, City University of New York (CUNY) law...

April 13, 2022 11:50 am

Zahra Billoo’s Antisemitism Unleashed with CAIR’s Backing

I've spent a lot of time in recent months chronicling the unabashed hatred spewed by Zahra Billoo, one of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)'s...

March 22, 2022 10:46 am

The Hate That CAIR Loves to Defend

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is again making it clear that its understanding of antisemitism stops at the moment that Israel -- the birthplace...

January 21, 2022 1:02 pm

After Texas Synagogue Attack, CAIR Revives Its Campaign to Free Aafia Siddiqui

Less than four days after a gunman held four Jews hostage inside a Texas synagogue in a doomed attempt to free a convicted terrorist, the...

January 17, 2022 12:08 pm

What CAIR Shares in Common With Synagogue Hostage Taker

Most Americans may not have heard of Aafia Siddiqui before Saturday, when a gunman entered Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas, and took the rabbi...

January 11, 2022 11:25 am

Anti-Israel Muslim Group Drops Lawsuit Against Whistleblower

A former employee who alleged rampant sexual discrimination and harassment inside the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) was using "disturbingly false allegations" in a "systemic...

December 30, 2021 12:27 pm

‘Jewish’ Group Joins Wiesenthal Center’s Global Antisemites List

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is among 10 of the world's worst antisemitic organizations, according to the Simon Wiesenthal Center's new report. The list, which...

December 22, 2021 11:10 am

Gripping Memoir Spotlights Israel’s Duty to Bring Missing Soldiers Home

He would walk into a room with a mob boss. He would sit alone with a terrorist who believed in killing Israelis. They knew his...

December 9, 2021 1:20 pm

CAIR’s Antisemitism Ignored or Embraced by Elected Officials

This is Part 2 of a two-part series excerpted from a book being published next year on CAIR’s long antisemitic track record by the Investigative...

December 8, 2021 12:15 pm

CAIR’s Antisemitism Fails to Draw Media Scrutiny

This is Part 1 of a two-part series excerpted from an Investigative Project on Terrorism book being published early next year on CAIR’s long antisemitic...

December 2, 2021 11:35 am

Major US Islamic Leader Considers Tel Aviv ‘Occupied,’ Prays for Its Liberation

Nihad Awad normally presents himself as mild-mannered and measured. That demeanor has helped the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) co-founder and executive director appear on...

October 27, 2021 12:12 pm

A US Police Chief’s Israel-Inspired Innovation Eviscerates ‘Deadly Exchange’ Narrative

The Washington Post ran a profile on Sunday about the police chief of a small Georgia town, who created a fairly revolutionary training program. Rather...