Top American universities have campuses in Qatar, the nation playing host to Hamas leadership
Qatar, which currently houses Hamas’ former leader, has been the largest Arab donor of American universities for decades.
These leading American universities have campuses in the region.
Qatar, the current residence of Hamas’ former leader, has been the largest Arab donor to American universities for decades. Not only do six leading American universities have campuses in Qatar, but they also receive hundreds of millions from ruling elites.
At least six American universities have campuses in the country of Qatar—which is currently home to former Hamas leader and recent global “Day of Jihad” progenitor Khaled Meshaal.
These institutions are Carnegie Mellon University, Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar, Georgetown University, Northwestern University, Texas A&M University, and Virginia Commonwealth University. Reportedly, these universities struck a bargain with Qatari leaders to allow Qatari residents to receive American degrees without having to travel overseas. The Washington Post reported in 2015 that these institutions receive a total of more than $320 million each year in exchange.
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Carnegie Mellon University Qatar provides Qatari students with degrees in biology, business administration, computer science, and information systems.
In August of 2022, the university launched a new research project with a grant from the Qatar National Research Fund to use artificial intelligence to “coordinate a fleet of mobile robots to autonomously gather visual data of Qatar greenhouse plants.”
Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar is located in Ar-Rayyan and is the first United States medical school to be established outside the country. It was launched in 2001 through a Qatar Foundation-Cornell University partnership.
One student at Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar named Ahmed Al-Qahtani expressed his delight at the idea. “The idea of having an Ivy League education in the comfort of your own home?” The Post records him as saying. “All I can say is, thank you, your Highness, for everything.”
Georgetown University Qatar—which is also located in the city of Ar-Rayyan—held a conference on Islamophobia’s effects on the global Muslim community in early October.
The university’s website states that the conference “began with a resounding message to build solidarity in the global fight against Islamophobia and other forms of discrimination, bigotry, and racism.”
Campus Reform previously reported that Ivy League universities were among the top recipients of $8.5 billion in Arab funding over 35 years. Now, student groups at recipient colleges have come out in support of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
For example, Cornell University received over $1.5 billion in funding from Arab countries. Now, its Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) chapter has repeatedly participated in pro-Hamas student social media campaigns.
“Among other factors, I believe funding by Middle Eastern countries of American colleges and universities has generated support for Hamas, while causing a rise in antisemitism on college campuses,” said Campus Reform higher education attorney and former Brandeis University instructor Ken Tashjy.”
Tashjy also highlighted more connections between pro-Hamas student activity and donations from Arab countries.
“According to a report published in 2020 by the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism & Policy, there is a direct correlation between the funding of universities by Qatar and the Gulf States and the active presence at those universities of groups such as Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), which maintains over 200 chapters throughout U.S. higher education,” he also stated.
