Steven A. Cohen is a Boston-area academic and activist specializing in Middle Eastern politics and Islamist movements. He co-founded Citizens for Peace and Tolerance (CPT) in 2004 alongside Charles Jacobs, Dennis Hale, and Ahmed Subhy Mansour, which later evolved into Americans for Peace and Tolerance (APT), where he continues to serve as executive producer of investigative documentaries examining Islamist networks, campus antisemitism, and related issues. As a long-time adjunct instructor in the Department of Political Science at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts, Cohen teaches courses on the history, ideology, and impact of Islamist movements on Western societies, often incorporating his own research. Through CPT and APT, he has led efforts to monitor and expose alleged radical Islamist influences in American civic institutions, blending academic instruction with investigative activism. Key campaigns include opposition to the construction of the Islamic Society of Boston's (ISB) Roxbury cultural center, alleging ties between its leadership and extremist organizations as well as potential Wahhabi funding sources; internal strategy emails from Cohen, released during discovery, outlined plans to publicize these connections through media and legal challenges. Cohen was named a defendant in the 2006 defamation and conspiracy lawsuit filed by the ISB against critics and media outlets, which concluded in 2007 when both sides agreed to drop claims following the dismissal of related challenges as without merit. He has produced investigative documentaries such as 'Jihad in America: A Wake Up Call' (2012) and reports scrutinizing New England Islamic centers' founders' backgrounds and funding sources. Cohen's activism targets public funding of radical mosques, campus antisemitism, and the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement, while advocating for Jewish students at institutions like Northeastern University. He has contributed to media outlets, testified on related issues, and utilized film to highlight extremist networks. His work has sparked controversies, with critics—including outlets such as Mondoweiss—labeling it anti-Muslim and part of broader pro-Israel advocacy using guilt-by-association tactics and media amplification, while supporters praise it for exposing genuine security and tolerance concerns in American civic and educational institutions, positioning him as a key figure in Boston's counter-jihad scene.