Chances are you that you’ve come across #PragerU's 5 min animated videos promoting right-wing viewpoints on political &social issues. The lecture-style videos have been narrated by the whos-who of the RW incl. Ben Shapiro, Dinesh D’Souza, & Charlie Kirk. bridge.georgetown.edu/research/facts… 
Although it includes the word “university,” in its name, #PragerU is NOT an academic institution. It’s a conservative non-profit established in 2010 by conservative radio talk show host #DennisPrager & radio producer Allen Estrin motherjones.com/politics/2018/…
According to #PragerU, the goal of their videos is “to undo [the] damage” inflicted by an education system that teaches American students that their country is “a land of inequality and racism” and a place of which to be “ashamed.” buzzfeednews.com/article/joseph…
Prager comes off quite calm in his “fireside chats,” but he holds some disturbing views. In 2006, he argued tht American Muslim congressman, @keithellison should not b allowed 2 take the oath on the Quran, “because the act undermines American civilization” townhall.com/columnists/den…
Prager went on to claim that allowing Ellison to take the oath on the Qur’an would “embolden Islamic extremists and make new ones, as Islamists, rightly or wrongly, see the first sign of the realization of their greatest goal — the Islamicization of America.”
Prager’s anti-Islam and anti-#Muslim views have translated into content produced by Prager U. 22 videos appear when searching the word “Muslim” on its website.
Titles include: “The Dangers of Islamism,” “Are Some Cultures Better than Others?,” “How Is Muslim Immigration to Sweden Working Out?,” “Where Are the Moderate Muslims?,” and “Radical Islam: The Most Dangerous Ideology.”
In a video titled “Is Islam a Religion of Peace?” host #AyaanHirsiAli (who’s built a career off of promoting anti-Muslim hatred) claims “it is foolish to insist…tht the violent acts committed in the name of Islam can somehow be divorced from the religion” nybooks.com/daily/2018/06/…
In another #PragerU video entitled “Where are the Moderate Muslims?,” host Hussein Aboubakr claims that his teachers & imams reacted to the news of the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center with “joy,” boldly asserting that “my experience was typical.”
The hosts of these videos use personal encounters to make broad generalizations that promote dangerous and problematic tropes about a faith practiced by 1.7 billion people bridge.georgetown.edu/research/facts…
In one video on #Muslim immigration to #Sweden, Ami Horowitz claims tht “increased Muslim immigration is leading to a spike in rapes" & crime. In 2017, #Trump cited Horowitz’s documentary as evidence tht immigration was contributing to crime in Sweden theguardian.com/world/2017/feb…
Another #PragerU video features British author #DouglasMurray claiming #Europe is “committing suicide” due to “the mass mvmnt of peoples into Europe…from the MENA & East Asia.” This is the central thesis of Murray’s 2017 book, The Strange Death of Europe bridge.georgetown.edu/research/facts…
The #PragerU video and Murray's book both evoke the common white nationalist trope of ‘white genocide.’ bridge.georgetown.edu/research/facts…
Prager U also hosts the #CandaceOwens Show, which featured an interview w/ fake “Imam” Tawhidi. Tawhidi made countless racist claims incl tht London Mayor Sadiq Khan is corrupted by a “Pakistani mentality,” & tht CW #IlhanOmar is “ISIS with lipstick.” theintercept.com/2019/06/25/moh…
According to the #PragerU’s 2018 tax documents, it took in almost $18 million in contributions and grants. A January 2020 New York Times investigation found that in 2019, the organization raised $22 million and aims to raise $25 million in 2020. nytimes.com/2020/01/04/us/…
A multi-million dollar right-wing organization is pushing out short, visually-appealing, and easy to follow videos promoting dangerous tropes & conspiracy theories, all aimed at a younger audience. Check out the full factsheet on #PragerU here: bridge.georgetown.edu/research/facts…
