The David Horowitz Freedom Center, formerly the Center for the Study of Popular Culture (CSPC), is a
conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
anti-Islam foundation founded in 1988 by political
activist
Activism consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived common good. Forms of activism range from mandate build ...
David Horowitz
David Joel Horowitz (January 10, 1939 – April 29, 2025) was an American conservative writer and activist. He was a founder and president of the David Horowitz Freedom Center (DHFC); editor of the Center's website '' FrontPage Magazine''; and ...
and his long-time collaborator
Peter Collier. It was established with funding from groups including the
John M. Olin Foundation, the
Bradley Foundation
The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, commonly known as the Bradley Foundation, is an American charitable foundation based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, that has been one of the most influential funders of the conservative movement. The foundation ...
and the
Scaife Foundation.
It runs several websites and blogs, including the anti-Islam website ''
FrontPage Magazine'' and the anti-Muslim blog
Jihad Watch.
It has been described as a part of the
counter-jihad
Counter-jihad (also known as the counter-jihad movement) is a self-titled Islamophobia, anti-Muslim political movement loosely consisting of authors, bloggers, think tanks, demonstrators, and other activists across the Western world. Proponents are ...
movement. It is designated as a hate group by the
Southern Poverty Law Center
The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit legal advocacy organization specializing in civil rights and public interest litigation. Based in Montgomery, Alabama, it is known for its legal cases against white ...
.
Finances
DHFC is a
501(c)
A 501(c) organization is a nonprofit organization in the federal law of the United States according to Internal Revenue Code (26 U.S.C. § 501(c)). Such organizations are exempt from some federal income taxes. Sections 503 through 505 set o ...
(3) charity. In 2005 it had revenues of $4.9 million, expenses of $4.0 million, 8.4% of which was $336,000 compensation for David Horowitz.
For 2008 the DHFC reported on IRS Form 990 revenues of $5,466,103 and expenses of $5,994,547 with total compensation to David Horowitz of $480,162 and to vice-president Peter Collier of $228,744. In 2015, Horowitz made $583,000 from the organization – that same year, the organization received $5.4 million in donations.
Between July 2000 and February 2006, the center (under its old name) was the sponsor of 25 trips by
United States senators and
representatives, all
Republicans, to six different events. Total expenditures were about $43,000. In 2014–2015, Horowitz provided $250,000 in funding to the Dutch
right
Rights are law, legal, social, or ethics, ethical principles of freedom or Entitlement (fair division), entitlement; that is, rights are the fundamental normative rules about what is allowed of people or owed to people according to some legal sy ...
-wing nationalist
Geert Wilders
Geert Wilders (born 6 September 1963) is a Dutch politician who has led the far-right Party for Freedom (PVV) since he founded it in 2006. He is also the party's leader in the House of Representatives. Wilders is best known for his right-wing p ...
's
Party for Freedom
The Party for Freedom ( , PVV) is a right-wing populist, far-right political party in the Netherlands. Geert Wilders is the founder, party leader, and sole registered member of the party.
Founded in 2006 as the successor to Wilders' one-ma ...
.
Activities
The center's activities have included:
*
''FrontPage'' Magazine – a political website edited by Horowitz that has been described by scholars and writers as right-wing,
far-right, Islamophobic, and anti-Islam.
*
Discover the Networks – a database of alleged left-wing agendas, activists and groups. After two years of development, they went online in February 2005, with a staff of two at a cost of about $500,000.
* ''
Jihad Watch'' (formerly ''Dhimmi Watch'') – a blog run by blogger
Robert Spencer which has been described as one of the main homes of the
Counter-jihad
Counter-jihad (also known as the counter-jihad movement) is a self-titled Islamophobia, anti-Muslim political movement loosely consisting of authors, bloggers, think tanks, demonstrators, and other activists across the Western world. Proponents are ...
movement on the internet.
*''Heterodoxy'' was a
news magazine
A news magazine is a typed, printed, and published magazine, radio, or television program, usually published weekly, consisting of articles about current events. News magazines generally discuss stories in greater depth than newspapers or new ...
published in a
tabloid format by the center, edited by David Horowitz and
Peter Collier. Its focus was exposing the excesses of "
political correctness
"Political correctness" (adjectivally "politically correct"; commonly abbreviated to P.C.) is a term used to describe language, policies, or measures that are intended to avoid offense or disadvantage to members of particular groups in society. ...
" on college and university campuses across the United States, describing itself as “an irreverent monthly journal combating the folly of political correctness.”
*Truth Revolt - a political website with the mission of destroying what it referred to as the leftist media "where they stand." The editor-in-chief of the site was
Ben Shapiro
Benjamin Aaron Shapiro (born January 15, 1984) is an American Conservatism in the United States, conservative political commentator, media host, and attorney. He writes columns for Creators Syndicate, ''Newsweek'', and ''Ami Magazine'', an ...
and the managing editor was
Jeremy Boreing. Boreing was fired from the website in 2015, and Shapiro resigned shortly after.
Mark Tapson took over as editor-in-chief. The site closed in March 2018.
Criticism
The
Southern Poverty Law Center
The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit legal advocacy organization specializing in civil rights and public interest litigation. Based in Montgomery, Alabama, it is known for its legal cases against white ...
(SPLC) has described the Center as a
far-right
Far-right politics, often termed right-wing extremism, encompasses a range of ideologies that are marked by ultraconservatism, authoritarianism, ultranationalism, and nativism. This political spectrum situates itself on the far end of the ...
organization
and anti-Muslim hate group. According to Horowitz, the SPLC's designation resulted in the Freedom Center's donation processing being blocked by
Visa and
Mastercard.
Chip Berlet
John Foster "Chip" Berlet (; born November 22, 1949) is an American investigative journalist, research analyst, photojournalist, scholar, and activist specializing in the study of extreme right-wing movements in the United States. He also studie ...
, writing for the SPLC, accused Horowitz of blaming slavery on "black Africans ... abetted by dark-skinned Arabs" and of "attack
ngminority 'demands for special treatment' as 'only necessary because some blacks can't seem to locate the ladder of opportunity within reach of others,' rejecting the idea that they could be the victims of lingering racism."
A 2011 report authored by Wajahat Ali, Eli Clifton, Matthew Duss, Lee Fang, Scott Keyes and Faiz Shakir of the
Center for American Progress
The Center for American Progress (CAP) is a public policy think tank, research and advocacy organization which presents a Modern liberalism in the United States, liberal viewpoint on Economic policy, economic and social issues. CAP is headquarter ...
cited Horowitz as a prominent figure instrumental in propagating
Islamophobia
Islamophobia is the irrational fear of, hostility towards, or hatred against the religion of Islam or Muslims in general. Islamophobia is primarily a form of religious or cultural bigotry; and people who harbour such sentiments often stereot ...
and spreading fear about an Islamic takeover of
Western society
Western culture, also known as Western civilization, European civilization, Occidental culture, Western society, or simply the West, refers to the Cultural heritage, internally diverse culture of the Western world. The term "Western" encompas ...
. Horowitz responded, saying that the Center had "joined the
Muslim Brotherhood
The Society of the Muslim Brothers ('' ''), better known as the Muslim Brotherhood ( ', is a transnational Sunni Islamist organization founded in Egypt by Islamic scholar, Imam and schoolteacher Hassan al-Banna in 1928. Al-Banna's teachings s ...
".
In 2012, the
Anti-Defamation League wrote that Horowitz sponsors a college campus project that promotes anti-Muslim views and arranges events with anti-Muslim activists. The DHFC was also a sponsor of the May 3, 2015,
Muhammad Art Exhibit and Cartoon Contest in
Garland, Texas
Garland is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, located within Dallas County, Texas, Dallas County with portions extending into Collin County, Texas, Collin and Rockwall County, Texas, Rockwall counties. It is located northeast of Dallas and is a ...
, where two
Muslim terrorist attackers were shot and killed by a school security guard.
References
External links
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*
{{Authority control
1988 establishments in California
Anti-Islam sentiment in the United States
Charities based in California
Conservative organizations in the United States
Counter-jihad
David Horowitz
Organizations established in 1988
Political organizations based in the United States