(New York, N.Y.) — Today Counter Extremism Project (CEP) Chief Executive Officer Ambassador Mark D. Wallace called on the Presidents of every U.S. university with a Qatari satellite campus to demand that the Al-Thani Royal Family remand Hamas leadership into U.S. or Israeli custody and ensure the safe return of all remaining hostages.
Ambassador Wallace stated:
“American institutions of higher education are running campuses in one of the world’s leading state sponsors of terrorism. While otherwise espousing the values of tolerance and free inquiry, these bastions of liberal education are operating a stone’s throw from the Doha luxury hotels that host the extremist perpetrators of the greatest mass murder of Jews since the Holocaust.
It is unacceptable that flagship American universities—many of whom have exhibited a despicable lack of moral clarity in the wake of October 7—should sit quietly by and allow the Al Thani Royal Family’s whitewashing of its bloody and authoritarian reputation. The storied legacy of academic freedom that has historically characterized these universities is severely tarnished by their relationship to a state that funds and promotes violent extremism.
If U.S. universities are not willing to do the right thing and stand up to their Al-Thani paymasters, they should end their associations and exit Qatar.”
Qatar hosts and accredits several American university satellites at “Education City” located outside of Doha. Carnegie Mellon, Cornell, Georgetown, Northwestern, Texas A&M, and Virginia Commonwealth, among others, enjoy Qatar’s hospitality alongside senior echelons of Hamas.
Having donated at least $4.7 billion to U.S. colleges since 2001, Qatar is the top foreign financier of American universities, disbursing hundreds of millions of dollars to schools inside the U.S. annually while sending similar amounts – at least $360 to $480 million annually – to Hamas inside Gaza.
It is unacceptable that American universities should accept funding from the state of Qatar, even as they admitted long ago that such associations compromised academic freedom. In the wake of October 7, Israel’s “Black Sabbath,” these ties are a dark blot on the heart of these universities’ values.
Supposedly a U.S. ally, Qatar is home to Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who celebrated the October 7 massacre from his Doha office along with his predecessor, Khaled Meshaal. Even as the blood of the 1,200 victims was still flowing, the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that it held Israel “solely responsible for the ongoing escalation due to its ongoing violations.” Since the attacks, Qatar has hosted at least three meetings between Hamas leadership and its main terror sponsor, the Islamic Republic of Iran, and continued its full-court propaganda press against Israel.
With critical support from Qatar, Hamas has weaponized the innocents of Gaza to be the cannon fodder of extremism and Iran’s hegemonic ambitions. Qatar’s support of Hamas does not distinguish in its violence and harm to Jews or Muslims.
U.S. universities must be held accountable for their present silence and ultimate complicity. CEP calls on the following universities to use every available resource and channel, both in private and public fora, to demand that their Qatari hosts immediately ensure the release of all remaining hostages and remand the agents of October 7 into custody.
- Arkansas State University
- Carnegie Mellon University
- Cornell University
- Georgetown University
- Northwestern University
- Texas A&M University
- Virginia Commonwealth University
To read The Times’ report on CEP’s call to boycott Qatar’s London hotels, click here.
To read The Wall Street Journal’s report on UANI and CEP’s previous call to action, please click here.
To read The Telegraph’s report citing CEP’s Chief Executive Officer Mark Wallace’s call for a Qatari asset freeze until it surrenders Hamas leadership to the U.S. and/or Israel, please click here.
To read The Washington Post’s report citing CEP CEO Mark Wallace on Qatar’s role in harboring Hamas, please click here.
To read CEP’s report, Qatar: Extremism and Terrorism, please click here.
To read CEP’s HARBORS Campaign Report on Qatar, please click here.