United States of Islamophobia - Action Center on Race and the Economy

One year ago, the highest court in the United States made discrimination against Muslims the official law of the land with its decision to uphold Trump’s Muslim ban. The Supreme Court’s endorsement of anti-Muslim bigotry had heartbreaking consequences for the thousands of families that were separated, denied lifesaving medical treatment, or sent to their deaths in countries they had fled because of persecution. While devastating, the Supreme Court decision on the Muslim ban was hardly unexpected or unprecedented. Attacks on Muslims and communities mistakenly perceived as Muslim have always been commonplace in this country, going back to the arrival of the first ships carrying enslaved Muslims on this continent.

Follow the money and take action now.

There is a long history of discrimination and bigotry against Muslim, Arab, and South Asian communities in the United States, and corporations have played a key role in spreading it. Tech corporations like Google and Amazon provide a platform for anti-Muslim bigotry. Right-wing media conglomerates like News Corp and the Sinclair Broadcast Group are regular purveyors of anti-Muslim content to the masses. Wall Street firms like Wells FargoFidelity, and Vanguard help finance anti-Muslim corporations and hate groups. Oil companies and defense contractors like Halliburton and ExxonMobil profit from war and political turmoil in the Muslim world. Corporations like CaterpillarPeabody Energy, and Raytheon are complicit in the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian, Uyghur, and Yemeni peoples. The political action committees and executives of corporations like Koch Industries and Walmart donate millions to anti-Muslim politicians. These corporations are all complicit in the rise of anti-Muslim hate crimes, violence, and bigotry in the United States. Their actions are all prelude to the Supreme Court ruling on the Muslim ban.

To mark the first anniversary of the Muslim ban decision, we bring you this map featuring anti-Muslim corporations in every state in the US and Washington, DC. These are the corporations that created the conditions that made last year’s Supreme Court ruling possible.

TAKE ACTION: Tell these corporations to stop spreading anti-Muslim hate!

Download the PDF version of the following listicle here.

Alabama

ANTI-MUSLIM CORPORATION: SOUTHERN COMPANY

The Southern Company, which owns Alabama Power, is one of the largest gas and electricity corporations in the US. The corporation is a major supporter of Alabama State Senator Gerald Allen, who spearheaded the effort to pass Alabama’s anti-Sharia law. The Southern Company, its employees, and political action committees have given $69,000 to Allen, making them one of the top donors over the course of his career. Allen Southern CEO Tom Fanning has also faced criticism for refusing to denounce Trump for saying that the group of white supremacists at the deadly Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville in 2017 included some “very fine people.”

Alaska

ANTI-MUSLIM CORPORATION: GCI LIBERTY

GCI Liberty, which owns Charter Communications and Liberty Broadband, is one of the largest communications providers in Alaska and also one of its largest employers. GCI Liberty, its executives, and board members donated $1 million to Trump’s inauguration festivities in 2017, even though Trump had run on an explicitly anti-Muslim platform. He enacted the first version of the Muslim ban mere days after his inauguration.


Arizona

ANTI-MUSLIM CORPORATION: RAYTHEON

Raytheon is a major military contractor and the world’s largest supplier of guided missiles. Its missiles have been used by the US and Israeli military operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Palestine. Additionally, Trump’s May 2019 emergency declaration that fast-tracked weapons sales to the Saudis contained a provision that allows Raytheon to build high-tech bomb parts in Saudi Arabia. Human rights groups worry that the Saudis could use this technology in their genocidal assault on Yemen. Raytheon Missile Systems, the Raytheon subsidiaries that manufactures missiles, is based in Tucson, Arizona.

Arkansas

ANTI-MUSLIM CORPORATION: WALMART

Arkansas-based Walmart is a major supporter of anti-Muslim candidates in the state. Walmart, its employees, and political action committees donated more than $27,000 to the 2018 reelection campaigns of 38 members of the Arkansas State Legislature who voted for the anti-Sharia bill that passed in 2017.By giving to the campaigns of nearly half of the legislators who voted for the law, Walmart sent a clear message that the retail giant is okay with anti-Muslim bigotry.

California

ANTI-MUSLIM CORPORATION: GOOGLE

YouTube, which is owned by California-based Google, serves as a major platform for anti-Muslim and white supremacist content. According to researchers, the online video platform’s algorithm recommends more extreme and more incendiary videos, which automatically start playing when the previous video ends. White supremacists and other far-right personalities have figured out how to exploit the algorithm to try to spread their bigoted ideologies to large swaths of the population, leaving impressionable young people particulalry vulnerable to radicalization. There are entire YouTube channels devoted to anti-Muslim content, and stumbling onto one can quickly take users down a rabbit hole.

Dishonorable Mention: Facebook, Twitter, Uber, Charles Schwab

Colorado

ANTI-MUSLIM CORPORATION: CARGILL

Cargill, which runs a meatpacking plant in Fort Morgan, Colorado, had to pay $1.5 million in 2018 to settle charges that it discriminated against 138 Muslims by denying them prayer breaks and then firing them when they complained. Cargill’s political action committees and employees also gave tens of thousands of dollars during the 2018 election cycle to anti-Muslim candidates like Joe Arpaio, Lou Barletta, Ted Cruz, Ron DeSantis, Greg Gianforte, Amy Klobuchar, and Rick Scott.

Dishonorable Mention: Western Union

Connecticut

ANTI-MUSLIM CORPORATION: UNITED TECHNOLOGIES

Connecticut-based United Technologies and its subsidiary Pratt & Whitney hold military contracts with the Israeli Ministry of Defense. The Israeli Air Force has used F-16 fighter jets using Pratt & Whitney engines in mulitple airstrikes over Palestine that resulted in the killing of hundreds of civilians. The Israeli military also uses Pratt & Whitney engines to surveil Palestinians. In 2017, United Technologies also contributed $4,500 to elect notoriously bigoted Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz.

Dishonorable Mention: Sikorsky Aircraft

Delaware

ANTI-MUSLIM CORPORATION: DUPONT

Wilmington-based DuPont is the largest employer in Delaware. A DuPont chemist invented Kevlar in 1965 and since then Kevlar has been essential to many military efforts. DuPont was a major contractor to the US military during the Iraq war supplying body armor and helmets featuring Kevlar to troops.

District of Columbia

ANTI-MUSLIM CORPORATION: CARYLE GROUP

The Carlyle Group is a Washington, DC-based private equity firm. From 2008 through 2018, Carlyle was invested in Booz Allen Hamilton, a military contractor that collaborates with oppressive authoritarian regimes in the Muslim world. For example, Booz Allen provided surveillance and security services to Middle East governments trying to suppress political dissent in the aftermath of the Arab Spring. Carlyle still has investments in many other military contractors.


Florida

ANTI-MUSLIM CORPORATION: DISNEY

Florida-based Disney has a long history of relying on and reinforcing offensive racial stereotypes in its films. The original 1992 version of Aladdin was criticized for portraying Arabs and Muslims as barbaric and uncivilized. Although the 2019 live-action remake of the film is an improvement on the original, it has still been subject to similar criticism.

Dishonorable Mention: GEO Group

Georgia

ANTI-MUSLIM CORPORATION: DELTA AIRLINES

There is a history of Muslim passengers being kicked off of Delta Airlines flights for flying while Muslim. For example, in one case, a Muslim couple was removed from a plane because a member of the flight crew felt uncomfortable that the woman was using a cell phone while wearing a hijab and that her husband was sweating and had said the word “Allah”, which is the Arabic word for “God”. More recently, the airline came under fire when seven members of an all-Muslim cleaning crew in Minneapolis were fired by a Delta contractor for taking a break to pray at a time when there were no planes left to clean. Delta is based in Atlanta.

Hawaii

ANTI-MUSLIM CORPORATION: AIRBNB

One in every 24 homes in Hawaii is used as a vacation rental on Airbnb or other platforms, which has contributed to soaring housing costs. Airbnb has been targeted for boycotts for listing vacation rentals in Israeli-occupied Palestinian lands and recently reneged on its announced plan to delist rentals in Israeli settlements.

Idaho

ANTI-MUSLIM CORPORATION: HEWLETT-PACKARD

Hewlett-Packard, which is a major employer in Idaho, provides technology, equipment, and services to the Israeli military. HP’s political action committee was a major donor to Idaho Senator Mike Crapo’s 2018 reelection campaign, giving him a whopping $30,000. Crapo was a vocal supporter of Trump’s Muslim ban.

Illinois

ANTI-MUSLIM CORPORATION: CATERPILLAR

Peoria-based Caterpillar aids in the demolition of Palestinian homes for the purpose of building Israeli settlements in occupied Palestine. In 2003, during a home demolition by the Israeli Defense Forces, an unknown number of Palestinians and one American were run over and killed by a Caterpillar bulldozer as they defended the homes of Palestinian families being threatened. Neither the Israeli government or Caterpillar has ever accepted responsibility for the killings.

Dishonorable Mention: Motorola, United Airlines, Chicago Cubs

Indiana

ANTI-MUSLIM CORPORATION: ELI LILLY

Indiana-based Eli Lilly has ties to the anti-Muslim Trump Administration. Alex Azar, the former president of Eli Lilly’s US division left the company to serve as the Secretary of Health and Human Services in Trump’s Cabinet. Eli Lilly’s political action committee and employees have been one of Mike Pence’s largest campaign contributors over the course of his career. They have also given to other anti-Muslim candidates like Steve King and Marsha Blackburn. Eli Lilly also funds the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a conservative group that has hosted anti-Muslim speakers like David Horowitz.

Iowa

ANTI-MUSLIM CORPORATION: SUMMIT AGRICULTURAL GROUP

The CEO of Iowa-based Summit Agricultural Group, Bruce Rastetter, is very supportive of the anti-Muslim Trump administration. Rastetter is a Trump donor, served on Trump’s Agricultural Advisory Council, and his name was even floated as Trump’s Secretary of Agriculture. Rastetter, who also served as President of the Board of Regents of the University of Iowa at the time Trump enacted the first version of the Muslim ban, refused to come out against the ban.

Dishonorable Mention:Blue Bunny, Brownells

Kansas

ANTI-MUSLIM CORPORATION: KOCH INDUSTRIES

The Koch Brothers lead and fund a vast right-wing political network that includes politicians and organizations that spread anti-Muslim bigotry. For example, the donor-advised fund Donors Trust is a major vehicle for Koch cash. From 2015 through 2017, Donors Trust gave at least $1.02 million to anti-Muslim hate groups including the Center for Security Policy and the David Horowitz Freedom Center. The Koch brothers are also major financiers of efforts to silence criticism of Israel and stifle support of Palestinian rights in the US. Wichita-based Koch Industries’ political action committee was also a major donor to vocally anti-Muslim Steve King during the 2018 election cycle.

Dishonorable Mention: Spirit Aerosystems

Kentucky

ANTI-MUSLIM CORPORATION: YUM! BRANDS

Yum! Brands, which owns KFC, Pizza Hut ,and Taco Bell,  is opening new KFC restaurants in Israel and already has some locations on Israeli-occupied Palestinian lands. Yum!’s Pizza Hut brand faced heat in 2017 when it ran an ad mocking the leader of a mass hunger strike in Israeli prisons.

Louisiana

ANTI-MUSLIM CORPORATION: ENTERGY

New-Orleans based Entergy has donated money to anti-Muslim politicians and causes. In the 2018 election cycle, Entergy’s political action committee gave $10,000 to Steve Scalise, a man who once attended and spoke at the convention of the white supremacist European American Unity and Rights Organization–an organization that was founded by the former grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, David Duke. Scalise has also piled onto the bigoted, anti-Muslim attacks on Ilhan Omar. Since the 2010 election cycle, Entergy has given more than $60,000 to the Louisiana Republican Legislative Delegation Campaign Committee, an organization whose two members introduced Louisiana’s anti-Sharia bill in 2010.

Maine

ANTI-MUSLIM CORPORATION: ASTRAZENECA PHARMACEUTICALS

Maine-based AstraZeneca contributed to the campaign of former Maine Governor Paul LePage, a well-documented xenophobe who opposed the resettlement of refugees in his state. They gave directly as well as through various PACs including the Republican Governors Association.

Maryland

ANTI-MUSLIM CORPORATION: SINCLAIR BROADCAST GROUP

Maryland-based Sinclair regularly peddles anti-Muslim propaganda and consipiracy theories into its news broadcasts on local stations around the country. Segments like the “Terrorism Alert Desk” (which is required to run daily) conflate Muslims with terrorists and promote Islamophobia.

Dishonorable Mention: Marriott International, Under Armour

Massachusetts

ANTI-MUSLIM CORPORATION: FIDELITY

Boston-based Fidelity has funneled millions of dollars to anti-Muslim hate groups through its donor-advised funds. Donor-advised funds are charitable giving vehicles that allow wealthy donors to make contributions to nonprofits in exchange for an immediate tax break. However, donor-advised funds help individuals hide the names of the nonprofits where they wish to direct their money. This means that people who might be too ashamed to publicly donate to hate groups can route their money through donor-advised funds and remain anonymous. As a result, Fidelity is effectively enabling people who might not want their names associated with hate groups to make these donations.

Dishonorable Mention: General Electric, Cognex

Michigan

ANTI-MUSLIM CORPORATION: AMWAY

Grand Rapids-based Amway is a marketing corporation founded by Betsy DeVos’s father-in-law Richard DeVos. The DeVos family, one of the wealthiest families in America, has donated $25 million over the years to the Young America’s Foundation, a conservative youth outreach organization that prominently features anti-Muslim speakers and thinkers like Dinesh D’Souza. In a university graduation ceremony in 2007, Richard DeVos’s son likened the presence of the “Muslim world” today to the threat that Hitler imposed globally.    

Dishonorable Mention: Ford Motor Company

Minnesota

ANTI-MUSLIM CORPORATION: GENERAL MILLS

Minneapolis-based General Mills has a pattern of putting white men who support anti-Muslim organizations into leadership positions. Brent Robbins, who is a Vice President at General Mills, served on the board of directors of the Center of the American Experiment, a right-wing think tank that pushes bigoted propaganda mainstreaming hateful stereotypes about Muslims as recently as October 2018. Earlier in 2018, former Best Buy CEO Brad Anderson was forced to step down from the General Mills board of directors after revelations that he had given $25,000 in 2016 to Secure America Now, an anti-immigrant hate group that launched an anti-Muslim ad campaign to help Trump win the election.

Dishonorable Mention: US Bank, TCF Bank

Mississippi

ANTI-MUSLIM CORPORATION: ASHLEY FURNITURE

Ashley Furniture Industries President and CEO Todd Wanek has a history of donating to politicians like former Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour, former Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, and former North Carolina Governor Patrick McCrory, all of whom have a history of anti-Muslim bigotry. Ashley’s political action committee and/or employees also donated to the campaigns of anti-Muslim and bigoted politicians like Donald Trump and Florida Senator Rick Scott in the 2018 election cycle. Ashley is one of the largest employers in Mississippi, with several manufacturing facilities based there.

Missouri

ANTI-MUSLIM CORPORATION: PEABODY ENERGY

St. Louis-based Peabody cooperated with the government of the Chinese Xinjiang province to build a coal mine on Uyghur land in East Turkestan that it still continues to operate. East Turkestan is the homeland of the Uyghur people, who are being rounded up and put into concentration camps in an ongoing genocide.

Dishonorable Mention: Monsanto

Montana

ANTI-MUSLIM CORPORATION: WELLS FARGO

Wells Fargo’s political action committees and/or employees donated to the campaigns of anti-Muslim politicians like Donald Trump, Amy Klobuchar, Rick Scott, Steven Scalise, Joe Manchin, and Ted Cruz during the 2018 election cycle. Wells Fargo is also a major contributor the the American Bankers Association (ABA), which is an integral donor to noted anti-Muslim politician Steve King. The ABA has donated $78,500 to King since 2001, making the organization the Congressman’s second highest all-time donor. Although the bank recently announced that it was divesting from private prisons, in the past it has also been a major financier of and investor in private prison corporations like the GEO Group and CoreCivic, which run immigrant detention centers and prisons that systematically lock up Muslims, other immigrants, and other people of color. Wells Fargo is one of the largest banks in Montana.

Nebraska

ANTI-MUSLIM CORPORATION: BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY

Omaha-based Berkshire Hathaway is invested in many other anti-Muslim corporations featured on this list, including Amazon, Bank of America, Southwest Airlines, US Bank, and Wells Fargo.

Nevada

ANTI-MUSLIM CORPORATION: LAS VEGAS SANDS

Las Vegas Sands CEO Sheldon Adelson is a major supporter of both Trump and Israel and a noted anti-Muslim bigot. He is a major donor to anti-Muslim organizations like AIPAC and the Clarion Project, and has spent hundreds of millions electing right-wing politicians. Las Vegas Sands owns and operates the Venetian and Palazzo hotel-casinos on the Las Vegas Strip.

New Jersey

ANTI-MUSLIM CORPORATION: VERIZON

New Jersey-based Verizon has a close relationship with the FBI, providing the federal agency with easy access to customers’ data. Additionally, Verizon’s political action committees and/or employees donated to anti-Muslim politicians like Joe Manchin, Marsha Blackburn, Ted Cruz, Lou Barletta, and Donald Trump in the 2018 election cycle.

New Hampshire

ANTI-MUSLIM CORPORATION: BAE SYSTEMS

BAE Systems is one of the Pentagon’s largest contractors and profits from wars in the Muslim world–most recently in Yemen and Syria. BAE’s Electronic Systems sector is headquartered in Nashua, New Hampshire.

New Mexico

ANTI-MUSLIM CORPORATION: LOWE’S

In 2011, Lowe’s stopped its commercials from airing during the reality show “All-American Muslim.” Despite public and political pressure to reinstate the ads, Lowe’s stood by its decision to align with anti-Muslim bigots and organizations like the Flordia Family Association. In 2018, Lowe’s also contributed $10,000 to the campaign of Marsha Blackburn, an ardent ally of Trump and supporter of the Muslim Ban who has been listed as a speaker at conferences organized by anti-Muslim hate groups including ACT for America and the David Horowitz Freedom Center. Lowe’s is one of the largest employers in New Mexico.

New York

ANTI-MUSLIM CORPORATION: NEWS CORP

News Corp is a mass media corporation owned by Rupert Murdoch and based in New York City. News Corp owns Fox News, the New York Post, and other right-wing media outlets in the US and abroad that regularly peddle in anti-Muslim bigotry. News Corp has a particularly tight control over the media market in Australia, where Murdoch is originally from. News Corp outlets in Australia spread anti-Muslim propaganda, demonize Muslims, and provide platforms to anti-Muslim white supremacists like Milo Yiannopoulos.

Dishonorable Mention: Renaissance Technologies, Elliott Management, JPMorgan Chase

North Carolina

ANTI-MUSLIM CORPORATION: BANK OF AMERICA

Charlotte-based Bank of America has come under fire for abruptly closing the accounts of Iranian-Americans without any apparent reason. Bank of America’s political action committees and/or employees donated to the campaigns of anti-Muslim politicians like Donald Trump, Marco Rubio, Rick Scott, Ted Cruz, Devin Nunes, and Lee Zeldin in the 2018 election cycle. Bank of America is also a major contributor the the American Bankers Association (ABA), which is an integral donor to noted anti-Muslim politician Steve King. The ABA has donated $78,500 to King since 2001, making the organization the Congressman’s second highest all-time donor.

North Dakota

ANTI-MUSLIM CORPORATION: HESS CORPORATION

John Hess, the CEO of the Hess Corporation, gave $1 million to Trump’s inauguration festivities in 2017, even though Trump had run on an explicitly anti-Muslim platform. He enacted the first version of the Muslim ban mere days after his inauguration. Hess Corporation is one of the top oil producers in North Dakota.

Dishonorable Mention: Energy Transfer Partners

Ohio

ANTI-MUSLIM CORPORATION: MARATHON PETROLEUM

Marathon Petroleum is headquartered in Findlay, Ohio and is the country’s largest petroleum refinery operator. In 2018, Marathon was listed as a member of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and representatives from the corporation attended the right-wing and anti-Muslim organization’s conference in New Orleans. The company’s political action committee and employees have also donated to a long list of anti-Muslim politicians including Ted Cruz, Lou Barletta, Devin Nunes, and Liz Cheney.

Oklahoma

ANTI-MUSLIM CORPORATION: HOBBY LOBBY

Hobby Lobby is an Oklahoma City-based craft store megachain that most notably successfully argued against paying for contraception on the grounds of religious freedom in the Supreme Court in 2014. In 2015, the Green family, which owns Hobby Lobby, was under investigation for illegally purchasing religious artifacts of unknown origin from Iraq and was ordered to pay $3 million in damages. They have played a significant role in cultural extraction from and the political destabilization of Arab communities.

Oregon

ANTI-MUSLIM CORPORATION: NIKE

Nike, the Oregon-based athletics wear company, has repeatedly come under fire for placing symbols that resemble the Arabic script for “Allah” on the bottom of their shoes, which is considered extremely disrespectful in many Muslim cultures. The company has also prevented a Muslim customer from customizing their shoes with the words “Islam” or “Muslim”.

Pennsylvania

ANTI-MUSLIM CORPORATION: VANGUARD

The Vanguard Group’s donor-advised fund, Vanguard Charitable, often serves as a funding pass through for hate groups including the American Freedom Defense Initiative, the Center for Security Policy, and the David Horowitz Freedom Center. When questioned about their role in funding the groups, the chief strategic planning officer at Vanguard Charitable said that the fund was “cause-neutral.” The fund’s corporate headquarters are located in Pennsylvania.

Rhode Island

ANTI-MUSLIM CORPORATION: CVS HEALTH

CVS Health, the largest employer in Rhode Island, was an early major corporate backer of America First Policies, a pro-Trump 501(c)(4) nonprofit started by former Trump campaign staffers that espouses racist, anti-Muslim, anti-Semitic, and anti-LGBT views. After it was revealed that CVS Health was among the largest donors to the organization, they discontinued funding and claimed that they had only then learned about the organization’s views.

South Carolina

ANTI-MUSLIM CORPORATION: BOEING

South Carolina’s top employer, Boeing, has made an immense profit off of war and s representative from the corporation serves on the Advisory Council of Center for Security Policy–a far right think tank run by an anti-Muslim conspiracy theorist, Frank Gaffney. Boeing is also a major bundler for Governor Henry McMaster and was given access to his VIP fundraising event with Trump.

South Dakota

ANTI-MUSLIM CORPORATION: SMITHFIELD FOODS

Smithfield Foods’ political action committee and employees were major campaign contributors to former Utah Senator Orrin Hatch in 2014. Hatch came to Trump’s defense during the announcement of the Muslim ban, saying “he’s one of the best presidents I’ve served under.” He also considered the ban a “lawful exercise of presidential power.” Smithfield is one of the largest employers in South Dakota.

Tennessee

ANTI-MUSLIM CORPORATION: CORECIVIC

Tennessee-based CoreCivic owns and manages private prisons and detention centers, including those used to detain immigrants without status and therefore benefits from increasingly aggressive anti-immigrant policies. In 2018, a public letter issued by Muslim Advocates detailed how CoreCivic correctional officers at a detention center in Kansas repeatedly harassed a Muslim woman housed in the facility, especially after she filed grievances. In the 2018 election cycle, CoreCivic’s political action committee and employees donated more than $60,000 to Senator Marsha Blackburn, a supporter of the Muslim ban who was listed as a speaker for a conference organized by the anti-Muslim David Horowitz Freedom Center, and has met with leaders from a far-right Austrian political party with Nazi roots.

Texas

ANTI-MUSLIM CORPORATION: EXXONMOBIL

Many of Texas-based Fortune 500 companies including ExxonMobil are heavily invested in oil extraction in the Middle East, and are tied to the political destabilization in the region over the past several decades. The Iraq War provided a profitable opportunity for private oil companies like ExxonMobil that wanted access to Iraq’s previously nationalized oil supply. Now ExxonMobil, along with other large oil companies, have a massive presence developing oil fields in Iraq and the region generally.

Dishonorable Mention:iHeartMedia, Southwest Airlines

Utah

ANTI-MUSLIM CORPORATION: SKYWEST AIRLINES

In one of many similar incidents in which Muslim airplane passengers have been discriminated against and kicked off of flights, a Muslim couple was kicked off of a SkyWest Airlines flight in 2016. CAIR Chicago has filed a lawsuit over the incident. SkyWest Airlines is headquartered in St. George, Utah.

Vermont

ANTI-MUSLIM CORPORATION: BEN AND JERRY’S

Vermont-based Ben and Jerry’s has an Israeli licensee that sells ice cream in illegal Jewish-only settlements on occupied Palestinian land. This ice cream travels freely through Israeli checkpoints designed to impede and control the movements of the Palestinian people, travels through Palestinian land on Jewish-only roads that cut off Palestinian neighborhoods from one another, and is sold in Jewish-only supermarkets on stolen Palestinian land. Ben and Jerry’s remains committed to the Israeli licensee that is selling its ice cream in the Occupied Territories in violation of international law.

Virginia

ANTI-MUSLIM CORPORATION: NORTHROP GRUMMAN

Northrop Grumman, a major defense contractor based in Falls Church, sponsored a police conference where an anti-Muslim conspiracy theorist spoke about “Muslim terrorists”. The corporation also develops missiles and other technology used by Israel to target Palestinians. Northrop Grumman was also very slow to fire a white supremacist with security clearance who attacked a Black person at a white power rally in Charlottesville.

Dishonorable mention: Blackwater

Washington

ANTI-MUSLIM CORPORATION: AMAZON

Amazon, the Seattle-based tech giant, plays a key role in fueling anti-Muslim bigotry. The corporation has provided a platform for white supremacists and anti-Muslim bigots to spread their propaganda. Its algorithms can actually serve to radicalize users by recommending even more anti-Muslim content to them. Amazon also donates money to hate groups through its AmazonSmile program. Under the program, the company’s foundation donates “0.5% of the purchase price of eligible products to the charitable organization of [customers’] choice- even if those groups are hate groups. Amazon warehouse workers in Minnesota have also organized and filed a discrimination complaint against the company with the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission, saying that “they worried about taking breaks to pray or go to the bathroom because they were under pressure to meet certain quotas” that they could eventually be fired for not making..

Dishonorable Mention: Microsoft

West Virginia

ANTI-MUSLIM CORPORATION: AMERICAN ELECTRIC POWER

American Electric Power (AEP) is a top employer in West Virginia. Its political action committees and employees have donated more than $65,000 to Joe Manchin. Manchin built a relationship with “alt-right” Breitbart News, the notorious news outlet for white supremacy and bigotry. Manchin also recently hung an anti-Muslim poster outside of his office. AEP also only recently ended its membership in the right-wing and anti-Muslim American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC).

Wisconsin

ANTI-MUSLIM CORPORATION: MENARDS

Menards is a Wisconsin-based home improvement store chain. Owner John Menard, Jr. has donated to Ron Johnson, who oversees funding for the Countering Violent Extremism Grant Program (CVE) as the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Menard also donated to Wisconsin State Senator Moulton, who cosponsored an anti-Sharia bill in the Wisconsin legislature, and to Scott Walker, who has made anti-Muslim comments. Menard has also donated to Trump.

Wyoming

ANTI-MUSLIM CORPORATION: HALLIBURTON

Halliburton is an oilfield service contractor and major employer in Wyoming. Dick Cheney, who is from Wyoming, is its former CEO. Halliburton has profited massively from sustained war in the Middle East. The Equal Employment Opportunities Commission also filed a federal lawsuit against Halliburton in 2018 for allegedly discriminating against Muslim workers who say they were subject to anti-Muslim bigotry and harassment at work.


What Makes a Corporation Anti-Muslim?

We believe a corporation is anti-Muslim if it or its executives engage in anti-Muslim behavior or if they directly or indirectly support or enable bigotry against Muslims or people perceived to be Muslim. This includes:

  • Fearmongering or perpetuating negative stereotypes about MASA communities
  • Discriminating against the Muslim, Arab, and South Asian (MASA) communities
  • Profiting from war and/or political turmoil in the predominantly Muslim lands
  • Profiting from the incarceration, detention, or surveillance of MASA communities
  • Providing capital, funding, or financing to other anti-Muslim corporations or organizations
  • Providing a platform for other anti-Muslim corporations, organizations, or people
  • Donating to politicians that espouse anti-Muslim views or support anti-Muslim policies
  • Donating to, belonging to, or sitting on the boards of organizations that espouse anti-Muslim views or support anti-Muslim policies

This report was written in partnership with our friends at LittleSis.