UPDATE: Emgage Exposé Promises to Uncover Lies. Fails to Produce Any.

Emgage Seems to Confirm They are a Scam.

Screenshot from the Emgage website

Here is the link to the Emgage Article, written by its CEO Wa’el Alzayat. It appears to act more as an admission than defense. He promises to expose lies about Emgage, but fails to deliver by producing a single specific lie. The only time he actually comes close to one is by disagreeing that non-Muslims were involved with the founding of Emgage. Alzayat undermines any claim this is a lie by making it a disagreement about definition.

You see, I think Muslim means something specific while Alzayat seems to think it can mean anything. If you think “Muslim” means people who doctrinally reject pillars of Islam, well let’s agree to disagree.

He also claims:

Unfortunately, across the country, my team is being muzzled, harassed, and blocked from participating in critical work. This is a loss for our entire community. 

Emgage is a scam against the Muslim community that has promoted war profiteering. Muslim leaders not letting them work in Muslim spaces, not platforming them or letting them table is honorable. More and more community leaders and Imams are realizing this.

However, Emgage being excluded from Muslim community spaces predates my writing about Emgage, a fact I noted four years ago. Enough Muslim leaders have been duped (or have been complicit) over the years that it continues to have some oxygen.

A few updates since my last article on Emgage:

My article on Emgage’s record of advocacy for war profiteering appears to have had some impact, even being raised as an issue by Bilal Ware, the Vice-Presidential candidate of the Green Party. A few other things that happened.

1. Mufti Abdul Wahab Waheed claimed on X that he did not know what Emgage was and would not participate in the future. I was unable to speak to him about this despite multiple efforts.

2. Farooq Mitha, who promotes weapons and war contracting at the Department of Defense, is no longer on the board of Emgage, according to a reliable source. There is no explanation yet from Emgage as to why he left. As of this writing, Emgage has deleted the website identifying who its board members are. Emgage Action, the 501(c)(4) sister organization, has done the same (again, as of this writing). Emgage, as of this writing has also deleted the page identifying its staff, including Wa’el Alzayat.

3. Emgage has endorsed Kamala Harris for President in 2024, over the objection of now former Board Member Farrukh Shamsi, who resigned from the Emgage Board over this decision. At this point, Emgage does not want us to know know who the board members are, and the organization appears to be in meltdown.

   Likely, we will know who is running this organization after their next batch of public filings.

Is this Newsletter Fitna?

Muslims need to understand more about Muslim non-profits and leadership, especially when there is malfeasance and corruption involved. The work this newsletter is intended as a service to Muslims who want to know more about the nonprofit sector, both its ability to do good, as well as its capacity for abuse and mischief. Emgage is a wonderful example of mischief.

Wa’el Alzayat of Emgage accuses me in his article of causing fitna. The real fitna is to sit there and say nothing when you know ordinary Muslims as well as leaders are being scammed. If you have not already, subscribe to this newsletter for free, and share it with those who may benefit.