(WASHINGTON, D.C., 5/24/22) – The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today expressed deep concern about the selection of Tonya Ugoretz to lead the FBI Directorate of Intelligence due to her past work with an anti-Muslim hate group and far-right extremist Daniel Pipes.
Last week, Ugoretz announced that she had been appointed to her new position. In response, Daniel Pipes publicly praised Ugoretz, describing her as an “alumna” of his anti-Islam hate group, the Middle East Forum (MEF). Pipes said that Ugoretz was “managing editor” of his Middle East Quarterly from 1994 to 1997. He also provided an example of a Wall Street Journal article they co-authored.
The Southern Poverty Law Center says Pipes “has made a career of attacking Muslims.” In a 1990 article for the National Review, Pipes referred to Muslims as ‘brown-skinned peoples cooking strange foods and maintaining different standards of hygiene.’”
Pipes has also written favorably of the U.S. internment of American citizens of Japanese descent during WWII. He was cited numerous times in Anders Breivik’s manifesto detailing the far-right mass murderer’s motivations for his July 2011 attack that resulted in the death of more than 70 Norwegians. In 2012, Pipes advanced the false narrative the former President Obama was raised a Muslim.
SEE: CAIR’s Islamophobe Profile of Daniel Pipes
FACTSHEET: Daniel Pipes
In a letter sent to FBI Director Christopher Wray on May 23, 2022, CAIR Government Affairs Department Director Robert McCaw wrote in part:
“Naming Ugoretz to such an important role, after a series of promotions, points to the systemic issues the FBI has regarding its relationship with hate movements. We look forward to either learning of her repudiation of Middle East Forum or your swift, decisive, and public action to ensure racism and bigotry are not uplifted by your agency.”
In his letter, McCaw also referenced previous reporting by journalist Spencer Ackerman detailing how the Bureau was infected with anti-Islam training materials. After Ackerman’s revelations, the FBI correctly moved to remove such training materials.
After detailing specific concerns, McCaw asked Wray the following questions:
- Was the Bureau previously aware of Ugoretz’s work for the anti-Islam think tank?
- How does the decision to promote Ugoretz not indicate that association with the anti-Islam hate movement remains acceptable within your agency?
- How can the public trust any assessment emerging from Ugoretz’s Intelligence Directorate after she partnered with Pipes?
- Has she engaged in any professional communication with Middle East Forum representatives during her FBI tenure?
In 2021, CAIR documented 679 complaints pertaining to law enforcement and government overreach, which included reports about the government’s terrorism watchlist, which falsely stigmatizes hundreds of thousands of people, especially Muslims.
SEE: CAIR Civil Rights Report 2022
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
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CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, rmccaw@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Coordinator Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com