Last week, former Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal called Muslims all over the world to protest in support of Palestine as recognition of a global “Day of Jihad” on Oct. 13, and for Muslims in neighboring countries to join the war against Israel.
“Tribes of Jordan, sons of Jordan, brothers and sisters of Jordan... This is a moment of truth and the borders are close to you, you all know your responsibility,” said Meshall. The statement was issued from Qatar—which turns out to be the largest Arab nation investor in American universities.
Qatar has given American universities $4.3 billion over 35 years, according to a 2021 report by Executive Director of the American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise Dr. Mitchell Bard.
“Between 1986 and 2021, colleges and universities received nearly $8.5 billion from Arab sources,” the report states.
“In recent years, Qatar have been the largest investor in universities,” Dr. Bard’s report reads. “It, too, has an image problem as a funder and supporter of terrorist groups – Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood – and the home of the rabidly anti-Israel anti-American Al Jazeera television network.”
Dr. Brad also notes that since 1976, Arab governments and individuals have been providing American universities with hundreds of grants to create chairs and centers in Middle Eastern and Islamic studies.
Student groups at major gift recipients have come out against Israel in droves since the start of the latest Israel-Palestine conflict—beginning with the Hamas terrorist attack on Israeli civilians on Oct. 7.
According to Dr. Brad’s report, Cornell is the single largest recipient of Arab funding with over $1.5 billion gifted between 127 gifts or contracts. Qatar also signed contracts with Cornell for six years prior to 2020 for the strange amount of $99,999,999.
Cornell University’s Students for Justice in Palestine (Cornell SJP) chapter has vigorously participated in nationwide students’ pro-Hamas social media campaigns—posting Instagram announcements and/or statements every single day since Oct. 10. The organization is hosting a rally on Oct. 18 to “protest the occupation in Palestine.”
Cornell SJP also criticized the university administration for its plans to partner with the Israeli Institute of Technology (Technion) to erect a campus in New York City’s Roosevelt Island.
Harvard University was revealed to be the 8th largest recipient of Arab funding, having received $187,133,626 over 102 gifts. The Ivy League university recently made headlines when multiple student leaders signed a statement blaming Israel for the early October terrorist attacks perpetrated by Hamas, and characterizing the massacre as inevitable Palestinian resistance.
New York University was revealed to be the 11th largest benefactor of Arab funding, having received $162,316,365 over 75 gifts. The elite college also found itself in the news following the Hamas attacks, when Ryna Workman lost her job at Winston & Strawn LLP due to her pro-Hamas statement, made in her capacity as NYU Law Student Bar Association President in the wake of the Oct. 7 terrorist attack in Israel.
NYU students can also be seen on video tearing down posters honoring missing women and children taken hostage by Hamas.
Other similar relationships between Arab funding of American universities and student support for Palestine can also be found elsewhere around the country. Dr. Brad’s report states that American University received a $5 million grant—this one formerly unreported—from Saudi Arabia. In the wake of the Hamas attacks a statement published by the American University SJP chapter, which was co-signed by more than 15 other campus-wide organizations, supported the “Palestinian resistance struggle.”
“What we are witnessing is the results of the leftist takeover of higher education over the last two decades, Campus Reform Higher Education Fellow and Suffolk Community College professor Nicholas Giordano said. “If there was an organized influence campaign on the part of Arab governments, that would be relatively easy to fix through legislation.”
“However, when we look at anti-American and anti-Israeli sentiment, many of the professors and students who spew these dangerous narratives do so on their own freewill, and do not need any Arab funding as a motivation to push their hate,” he continued. “To me, that is much more concerning.”
Campus Reform reached out to Dr. Bard, the Anti-Defamation League, and J Street for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
