The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has "retired" its Glossary of Extremism following backlash from senior MAGA figures who suggested Christians were being labeled extremist.
"With over 1,000 entries written over many years, the ADL Glossary of Extremism has served as a source of high-level information on a wide range of topics for years," the ADL said on Tuesday in an announcement on X.
"At the same time, an increasing number of entries in the Glossary were outdated. We also saw a number of entries intentionally misrepresented and misused."
Elon Musk and several other conservative names have spoken out against the ADL—for listing Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point USA (TPUSA) as extremist and for classifying a specific movement called "Christian Identity" as "extremism, hate or terrorism."
Newsweek has contacted the ADL and TPUSA, via email, for comment.
Why It Matters
The ADL’s Glossary of Extremism was a widely-cited, searchable reference that mapped extremist terms, symbols, groups, publications, and tactics.
Now, if you search any term in the glossary, it says: "No results were found."
The retirement of the resource comes during heightened political polarization and increasing concerns over religious violence and free speech in the United States.
What To Know
The ADL, which says its mission is "to stop the defamation of the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment to all," said in its announcement it would "explore new strategies and creative approaches to deliver our data and present our research more effectively."
The ADL added that some of its entries had been "intentionally misrepresented and misused."
This came a few days after there was outrage online about how the ADL classed TPUSA and the "Christian Identity" movement.
The ADL has stressed that "Christian Identity" is a known "loosely organized movement that has nothing to do with mainstream Christianity."
Adherents believe "Jews to be the satanic offspring of Eve and the Serpent, while non-whites are ‘mud peoples’ created before Adam and Eve," according to the ADL’s backgrounder on the movement.
Alex Lorusso, a producer for the conservative podcast The Benny Show, on Monday posted screengrabs of the ADL’s classifications of "Christian Identity" and TPUSA with the caption: "In case you’re wondering, organizations who falsely label you as part of a ‘Extremist, Hate or Terror’ Group are not your friends."
Musk then commented: "Using such false and defamatory labels about people and organizations encourages murder."
The Tesla CEO also commented on a similar post by an anti-immigration account, which shared a similar a screengrab of the ADL's 2017 entry on "Christian Identity."
"The ADL hates Christians, therefore it is a hate group," Musk said.
Republican U.S. Representative Anna Paulina Luna and MAGA figure Matt Gaetz also posted about the "Christian Identity" label, with Luna calling it "a targeted hate campaign against Christians."
The ADL then shared the link to the backgrounder being screengrabbed in a post on X and urged people to read "this extremist movement."
"Christian Identity is a virulently antisemitic and loosely organized movement that has nothing to do with mainstream Christianity," it said in a post on X on Monday. "The screenshot being shared by some is completely and purposely misleading. The FBI and other experts have all been tracking this movement for years because it has inspired people to violence."
A 1989 FBI report on "Christian Identity" describes it as a "religious doctrine that is a major factor within the ultra right movement in the United States."
"The proponents of Identity often quote and provide explanations for biblical passages; however, these explanations have a racist slant, and they differ significantly from the interpretations of more mainstream religions and religious organizations," the FBI says. "The advocates of Identity often cite the Bible to support or legitimize their antiblack and antisemitic beliefs."
Newsweek has broken down the "Christian Identity" controversy in detail here.
Numerous other accounts posted about the ADL’s labels for TPUSA of "extremism, hate or terrorism."
The ADL posted again on Tuesday, saying "those ‘gotcha’ screenshots are purposely misleading people by cropping out the details."
In its backgrounder on TPUSA, the ADL says: "Kirk promoted Christian nationalism: the idea that Christians should dominate the government and other areas of life in the US."
"Individuals associated with TPUSA have a history of bigoted statements about the Black community, the LGBTQ community and specifically transgender people, and other minority groups," it says.
"While TPUSA repeatedly has stated that it rejects white supremacist ideology, white nationalists openly have attended their events," the page continues. "Moreover, extremists and far-right conspiracy theorists have been featured at the AmericaFest conference and other TPUSA events."
"However, it should be noted that Kirk himself publicly condemned such groups, insisting that they did not represent TPUSA and their beliefs," the ADL adds.
This all comes amid multiple feuds between the ADL and several Christian conservatives, including podcasters Candace Owens and Tucker Carlson, and concerns over the rise in antisemitism and whether free speech is being stifled in the name of combating it.
What People Are Saying
The ADL said in a post on X: "With over 1,000 entries written over many years, the ADL Glossary of Extremism has served as a source of high-level information on a wide range of topics for years. At the same time, an increasing number of entries in the Glossary were outdated. We also saw a number of entries intentionally misrepresented and misused. Moreover, our experts have continued to develop more comprehensive resources and innovative ways to provide information about antisemitism, extremism and hate.
"At ADL, we always are looking for how we can and should do things better. That's why we are moving to retire the Glossary effectively immediately. This will allow ADL to explore new strategies and creative approaches to deliver our data and present our research more effectively. It will keep us focused on ensuring we do what we do best: fighting antisemitism and hate in the most impactful ways possible."
Florida’s Republican Representative Anna Paulina Luna posted a screengrab of the "Christian Identity" classification with the message: "This is wrong, ADL. You are intentionally creating a targeted hate campaign against Christians."
What Happens Next
The ADL’s retirement of its glossary signals a reassessment of its public education and anti-hate initiatives at a time when polarization over definitions of extremism is intensifying in American discourse.
The organization has stated it will develop new resources to share research and combat hate more effectively.
Meanwhile ongoing debate regarding which groups should be classified as extremist, the impact of such classifications on public safety and free speech, and the broader implications for religious and political divides in the U.S will continue.
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