Mouaz Moustafa
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Mouaz Moustafa is a Palestinian-Syrian-American activist and executive director of the Syrian Emergency Task Force (SETF), advocating for democracy and human rights in Syria. Born in a Palestinian refugee camp near Damascus, he moved to the United States at age nine and later worked on Capitol Hill before founding SETF in 2011. Moustafa has coordinated humanitarian efforts, facilitated high-profile delegations, and provided media commentary on Syria. His work has sparked both praise and criticism for its approach and affiliations.
Born a Palestinian refugee in a refugee camp near Damascus, Syria, he is the son of Mona and Kamal Moustafa.[1] He moved to the United States at the age of nine in 1995.[2][3] He earned a degree in international relations from the University of Central Arkansas and subsequently worked on Capitol Hill as a staffer for U.S. Congressman Vic Snyder and U.S. Senator Blanche Lincoln.[4]
Syrian Emergency Task Force
In 2011, Moustafa became the executive director of the Syrian Emergency Task Force (SETF), an organization that supports the pro-democracy movement in Syria. In this role, he has coordinated advocacy efforts, led delegations to the Syrian border for journalists and lawmakers, and overseen humanitarian projects within Syria.[5][6]
Notably, he facilitated U.S. Senator John McCain's visit with the Northern Storm Brigade inside Syria in 2013.[7][8] He coordinated humanitarian assistance after the 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes.[5] In December 2024, after fall of the Assad regime, Moustafa reported the discovery of a mass grave near Damascus containing at least 100,000 bodies, believed to be victims of Bashar al-Assad's Ba'athist regime. He emphasized the need to secure these sites to preserve evidence for future investigations.[9]
In 2023, he received the James W. Foley Freedom Award (humanitarian award).[10]