Political endorsements, millions in nonprofit funding, a fight over ties to Jewish organizations and a $460,000 mosque initiative reveal the complicated network surrounding one of America's most influential Muslim political groups.
In my “not really but kind of” Part One, I looked deep into Emgage’s political operation, its leadership and its growing influence in Florida elections. With CAIR now, thankfully, suspending its Florida operations, I wanted to take a closer look at the organizations surrounding Emgage, particularly those that share funding sources, leadership connections, and political interests. Emgage has spent years building relationships that reach far beyond Florida, and those relationships deserve the same eyeballs as its campaign endorsements.
You may want to read this one if you haven’t already. It sets the scene:
That research had me wandering through nonprofit tax returns, foundation grants, federal appointments programs and a rather interesting dispute involving Jewish organizations. It also led to an Islamic Relief USA grant of $460,000 to the U.S. Council of Muslim Organizations and to a national program that exchanged Friday preachers between mosques. One of those mosques was the Islamic Center of Detroit, where recorded sermons have included antisemitic conspiracy theories and language describing Zionists as cockroaches.
There is quite a bit to unpack here, especially when we look at which organizations worked together, which ones parted ways, and how the money moved between them. Some of these relationships go back quite a bit, while others were still active in October 2026. Following them gives us a much fuller picture of the network surrounding Emgage and the people and institutions involved. Which, seeing as I believe Emgage is primed to fill the void CAIR leaves…it’s important to be aware of this organization and its cohorts.
In September 2020, a campaign called Drop Emgage began pressuring Muslim American organizations to cut their ties with Emgage. The campaign accused Emgage leaders of maintaining relationships with Jewish and pro-Israel organizations that its organizers considered unacceptable. Among the organizations named were the Anti-Defamation League, American Jewish Committee, American Israel Public Affairs Committee and Washington Institute for Near East Policy. The campaign also objected to participation by some Emgage leaders in the Muslim Leadership Initiative, a program associated with the Shalom Hartman Institute that brought Muslim leaders into contact with Jewish and Israeli institutions.
American Muslims for Palestine joined the campaign and issued a statement on Sept. 22 demanding that Emgage renounce its past and current affiliations with organizations the campaign labeled Zionist. The organizers also called on the U.S. Council of Muslim Organizations, known as USCMO, to remove Emgage from its coalition. Organizations including CAIR, the Islamic Circle of North America and the Muslim American Society were urged to suspend collaboration until Emgage complied with the demands. The campaign was directed at specific relationships and sought to make cooperation with certain Jewish organizations unacceptable within Muslim American political circles.
On Sept. 16, Emgage co-founder Khurrum Wahid issued a written response acknowledging that he and other Emgage leaders had participated in the Muslim Leadership Initiative in their personal capacities. Wahid apologized for his participation, explaining that he had initially viewed the program as an opportunity for dialogue but later understood the pain it caused among Palestinians and the perception that it normalized Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories. He disclosed that Emgage’s board had unanimously adopted a resolution in February 2019 prohibiting members from participating in the initiative, even privately. He also said Emgage itself had never participated in the program and denied maintaining joint programming with ADL or AJC, although it had participated in broader coalitions that included Muslim and non-Muslim organizations.
On Oct. 8, USCMO announced that Emgage was no longer a member. Its statement cited the controversy over relationships with Jewish organizations and Emgage leaders’ participation in the Muslim Leadership Initiative. The expulsion revealed a political boundary within a coalition that included some of the country’s largest Muslim advocacy organizations. Emgage had been pressured to distance itself from Jewish organizations, its co-founder had publicly apologized, and the coalition ultimately removed it anyway. Yet Emgage continued to expand its political operations and build relationships with Muslim organizations across the country, including those that had been part of the same coalition.
In November 2022, Emgage announced plans for Muslim Civic Tables in Michigan, Pennsylvania, New York, Florida, Texas and the Washington metropolitan area. These tables were designed to bring community organizations together for voter education, political participation and local organizing. The Michigan network included CAIR Michigan, the Islamic House of Wisdom, ACCESS, Dream of Detroit, Michigan Voices and the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding. Pennsylvania’s network included CAIR Pennsylvania, several mosques and the Muslim League of Voters. These were organizations Emgage identified as partners in its own announcements, providing direct evidence of its organizing relationships after leaving USCMO.
Florida became another important hub of activity back in April 2023 when Emgage launched its Florida Muslim Civic Table. Its founding partners included the Coalition of South Florida Muslim Organizations, South Florida Muslim Federation, Masjid Al-Ansar, the Islamic Foundation of South Florida, the Muslim Public Affairs Council and several other community organizations. By the end of 2023, Emgage’s annual report listed a much larger Florida network that included CAIR Florida, the Muslim American Society of Central Florida, ICNA Relief Central Florida and numerous mosques and Islamic institutions. The network brought together religious organizations, community service providers and political advocates under Emgage’s voter engagement and organizing programs, giving the organization an established statewide presence before CAIR Florida suspended its operations on Nov. 5, 2026.
Emgage Action’s endorsement operation extended to state and local races, including the Nov. 3 election in Florida House District 106. Lucia Báez-Geller, a former Miami-Dade County School Board member, defeated Republican incumbent Fabián Basabe with Emgage Action among her publicly listed endorsers. Báez-Geller had defended her support for Israel during the campaign, citing her relationship with the Jewish community and her work addressing antisemitism on the school board. Emgage Action, meanwhile, had taken positions sharply critical of Israel and called for restrictions on American military support. Her endorsement is noteworthy because the candidate’s public statements and the endorsing organization’s positions differed on an issue that had previously caused a major dispute within Emgage’s own coalition relationships.
