Investigation: Islamist Group Used Wikipedia to Advance Proselytizing Agenda
An investigative report claims that the Dar Al-Salam Center, based in the village of Kafr Qara, pursued a coordinated effort to promote Islamic proselytizing among Jews and shape Israeli public perception by presenting a façade of Muslim moderation, including through organized activity on Wikipedia. The findings were published by Hakol Hayehudi.
According to the investigation, a substantial portion of the funding behind Dar Al-Salam’s initiatives originated with the Zakat Al-Quds Foundation, an organization identified in a 2022 indictment as Hamas’ financial arm in Yerushalayim. Additional financial backing reportedly came from Muslim Hands, an entity that has been banned over alleged links to Hamas.
The report further alleges that the group organized a training program for converts in Turkey, where participants were instructed by internationally known antisemites on how to conduct dawah—Islamic missionary outreach—specifically aimed at Jews.
As part of these activities, members of the Muslim center took part in a 2018 course organized by Wikimedia Israel. During three workshops held at the Dar Al-Salam facility in Kafr Qara, participants created 42 new Wikipedia entries dealing with Islamic subjects.
The Wikipedia page describing the course highlights the scope of the project, noting the volume of articles produced in a single month and stating that participants also made edits to more than 100 existing entries.
On the course page itself, the “Dar Al-Salam Center” is presented in benign terms, described as “a center for understanding the religion of Islam, for Muslims and members of other religions. Its purpose is to teach the scriptures of Islam and its true principles, according to the understanding of the local people, which include: tolerance, moderation, openness, modest and spiritual living, exploring the surrounding world, developing curiosity and intellectual talent. Another goal is mutual acquaintance among the various cultures living in Israel, to promote peaceful coexistence and mutual respect for each other’s culture.”
The investigation, however, points to internal correspondence that paints a different picture. In a document sent by Dar Al-Salam to Ali Arbash, head of Turkey’s Ministry of Religious Affairs and a figure known for anti-Israel positions, the organization explicitly labeled its online efforts as “electronic dawah.”
The letter, which details the group’s activities and seeks Arbash’s assistance in establishing a dawah center in the Old City of Yerushalayim, states: “Electronic dawah via Facebook and Hebrew Wikipedia: Praise and thanks to God, a contract was signed with the Israeli Wikipedia in Hebrew to add and edit content on Islam in this encyclopedia, which serves as the main source of information on Islam in Hebrew. 58 new entries were added, and 500 entries were edited. The views of the new and edited entries exceed 82,000.”
Wikimedia Israel responded to the findings by clarifying its role, saying: “In the past, Wikimedia Israel held editing workshops upon request by various organizations, but currently, the organization focuses on initiatives for training editors in educational and academic settings. It is important to emphasize that the training activities of the organization are entirely separate from Wikipedia’s content control mechanisms: every article is reviewed by the editing community according to uniform standards, regardless of whether the writer is a volunteer or a graduate of the organization’s training. The organization’s training has no effect on editorial judgment or preferential treatment in the community.”
{Matzav.com}
