How Foreign Islamic Organizations Manipulated US Government Against A Bill Preventing Foreign Manipulation
A one-page bill clarifying a passed in 2018 was twisted into a censorship scare—by Iranian state media, foreign muslim outlets like CAIR, and grifting American politicians
If you've been online recently, you might have come across viral posts warning of new legislation, the so-called “IGO Anti-Boycott Act”, H.R. 867 and how it will "impose million-dollar fines or even 20 years in prison for Americans who support boycotts of Israel" and how it targets free speech.
HR 867 is one page long bill, yet somehow, a small amendment to existing U.S. law became the center of a manufactured foreign propaganda campaign, sparking outrage over imaginary jail time for Americans who wish to boycott Israel. The reality? The bill doesn’t criminalize anything, doesn’t restrict individual speech, and doesn’t impose penalties of any kind.
So what does it do? It updates 2018 U.S. anti-boycott laws—which already prohibit complying with foreign-government-forced boycotts of US allies—to also apply to intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) like the Islamic superpac CAIR the United Nations Hamas Hezbollah and European Union.
The message: foreign governments and institutions can’t blackmail U.S. companies into participating in anti-Israel boycotts.
This bill is about expanding the protection from foreign pressure on U.S. businesses—not silencing political advocacy. Whether you support or oppose it, understanding what it actually does is key to having an informed debate.
That’s it. No criminal provisions. No fines. No targeting of private citizens. Just a clarification of scope within existing trade policy.
BOYCOTT ISRAEL, FACE PRISON? HOW ISLAMIC FOREIGN GROUPS LIED ABOUT MILLION-DOLLAR FINES AND 20-YEAR PRISON SENTENCES FOR BOYCOTTING ISRAEL
The disinformation campaign seems to began with PressTV, the Iranian state-controlled propaganda outlet, which published an article on May 2nd which falsely claimed the bill would "punish Americans for boycotting Israel with prison and million dollar fines." The framing was intentionally inflammatory and entirely false.
Lara Friedman, head of the Islamic Foundation for Middle East Peace (FMEP) repeated the same misleading narrative a few hours later, lending it credibility in progressive and policy circles.
From there, the narrative moved to Drop Site, a fringe publication tied to individuals with known connections to Hamas who retweeted Lara Friedman’s post. The Drop Site amplified the lie that HR 867 would restrict free speech and criminalize dissent—knowing full well that American audiences, especially in activist and fringe-right spaces, would take the bait.
Next came the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), an organization with documented historical ties to the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas-affiliated networks. CAIR launched a full-blown campaign to pressure lawmakers into voting against HR 867. CAIR organized outreach to Congress, mobilized followers, and flooded social media with disinformation.
NOT ABOUT POLITICAL SPEECH—IT’S ABOUT COMPLIANCE WITH FOREIGN DEMANDS
For a movement supposedly devoted to fighting foreign influence and standing against radical Islamist networks, the irony is inescapable. Kirk, MTG, Massie, and others uncritically parroted Iranian, Hamas-linked, and Muslim Brotherhood narratives to millions of people. All over a one-page bill. They could have read the bill in five minutes. Instead, they echoed islamic propaganda.
THE REAL PROBLEM: ISLAMIC INFLUENCE OVER OUR GOVERNMENT.
When U.S. representatives and leading influencers are so easily manipulated by hostile foreign Islamic propaganda—from Iran, Hamas affiliates, and Muslim Brotherhood-linked groups like CAIR—we don’t just have a political problem. We have a national security vulnerability.
This bill doesn’t create new punishments, but it does expand existing its application to organizations like the UN Hamas Iran CAIR and the EU. It’s part of a legal framework that has existed since the 1970s, originally targeting foreign state-imposed boycotts. What’s new is the inclusion of international organizations.
U.S. law should not be shaped by lies from America’s adversaries. Oppose the Bill If You Want—But Don’t Lie. Read the bill! It’s one page!. That’s the job.
