(Washington) A Russian-operated fake Facebook page that had 268,000
followers made dubious claims during the 2016 election under the guise of an
already established Muslim group in the US in which to shit stir.
The group, United Muslims of America, posted content that
said Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton “created, funded and
armed” al-Qaeda and the Islamic State (IS) group. It also said that Senator
John McCain helped found IS, and that Osama bin-Laden was in cahoots with the
CIA, according to the report. Even though much of the Facebook page's content
largely posted positive memes of Muslims, it sometimes veered into fake news
such as "Support Hillary. Save American Muslims", after conflicted
gay Muslim killed 49 people in an Orlando nightclub.
The Daily Beast which broke this story states that the
Kremlin-backed internet trolls created a fake Facebook group called “United
Muslims of America” and then used it to stir the proverbial pot for months. While
the Russians’ use of imposter accounts is well noted, this is one of the first
known instances where they impersonated an actual organization.
The real UMA is a California-based non-profit that promotes
interfaith dialogue and political participation. Though it’s over 30 years old,
it’s currently “not functional,” according to its most recent president, and is
in the midst of an organizational rebuild. In the past, the group hosted events
with numerous members of Congress, including Democrats Andre Carson and
Swalwell, both of whom serve on the House intelligence committee investigating
Trump-Russia ties, and Republican Ed Royce, the chairman of the House foreign
affairs committee.
