How We Got Here: Follow the Money
Decades ago, the Arab world understood that it needed to start funding American colleges and universities in order to gain influence with students and mold young minds. This has been a scary yet successful part of the overall strategy of terrorists. Significantly, they initiated this plan decades ago understanding that over time they could shape students’ perspectives and foster and create all the antisemitism. The universities were unwilling pawns in the plan.
By Larry E. Holtz, Esq.
Decades ago, the Arab world understood that it needed to start funding American colleges and universities in order to gain influence with students and mold young minds. This has been a scary yet successful part of the overall strategy of terrorists. Significantly, they initiated this plan decades ago understanding that over time they could shape students’ perspectives and foster and create all the antisemitism. The universities were unwilling pawns in the plan.
Sources report that American universities have accepted nearly $55 billion in foreign funding; nearly one-fourth came from donors and the governments of Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait.
According to Dr. Mitchell Bard, Ph.D, in his May 2024 article, Arab Funding of American Universities: Donors, Recipients, and Impact: “Nearly three-fourths of the contributions, worth almost $10 billion (76% of the total), do not list their purpose. Most donations with a description of their use are for financial assistance to the 31,000 students from Arab countries (most from Saudi Arabia).”
Arab funding has grown significantly, with nearly one-third of donations made since 2020. In this regard, Cornell is by far the largest beneficiary, with donations worth $2.1 billion. Georgetown follows it with $934 million, Texas A&M with almost $910 million, and Carnegie Mellon with $900 million. Due to lax compliance and enforcement, billions of dollars in contributions were not reported to the Department of Education.
Bard reports that “Qatar is by far the largest source, donating nearly $6 billion. The $13.1 billion total is spread among 288 institutions in every state but Alaska. We know very little
about how the money is spent because of the combined efforts of universities and the U.S. Department of Education under President Joe Biden to conceal the information about the donors and the purpose of their donations.”
Sadly, even tragically, the Arab plan worked. While top tier American colleges and universities soaked up billions in Arab funds, the seeds of antisemitism were being planted and taking root in the minds of their students. The encampments and violence that sprung up in the wake of the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Hamas were as much a part of the terrorists’ plan as were the direct attacks in Israel. While Israelis are reeling from the violence, Americans are drowning in this insidious influence which has fundamentally altered the landscape of academic discourse. The results in Israel and in America underscore the urgent need for educational values that are rooted in equality and critical thinking.
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