Qatar pumping tens of billions into universities to help Muslim Brotherhood weaken US, ‘destroy democracy’
Qatar has reportedly shuffled more than $20 billion into U.S. colleges and other elite institutions, a new study says. The money, which the report links to the ruling Al‑Thani family and their ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, could be even higher, experts warn.
The Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy (ISGAP) released data that shows Qatar Foundation—the Qatari nonprofit funded by the royal family—has poured tens of billions into American academia.
Dr. Charles Asher Small, ISGAP’s executive director, told reporters that the family’s “Bay’ah” or spiritual oath to the Brotherhood drives these investments. He says the funds help the group land footholds in U.S. classrooms, libraries, and cultural centers, providing a soft‑power channel for its ideology.
Cornell University tops the list of recipients, receiving roughly $10 billion over the years. Smaller but still sizable sums went to Georgetown, Texas A&M, and Brown. Small estimates that the total could reach at least $100 billion, adding that the report examined only a handful of schools.
Weill Cornell’s medical campus in Qatar, for instance, has attracted $2.2 billion in funding since 2012. The university says the money stays in Qatar to support its Weill Cornell Medicine‑Qatar program, which trains doctors from 50 countries. Georgetown claims to have received over $1 billion, channeling it into social‑science and Middle‑East studies and a diplomatic training program that the university says is highly influential.
Texas A&M’s Qatar campus received $1.3 billion in a contract that grants Qatar Foundation ownership of all intellectual property earned there. ISGAP highlighted that more than 50 research projects on the campus may have “dual‑use” military or nuclear applications, and the university’s own statement notes that no sensitive or classified research is conducted overseas.
The report also points to student groups as a key vehicle for spreading influence. The Muslim Students Association (MSA) boasts chapters on over 600 college campuses, including Columbia and NYU. ISGAP claims the MSA works with Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) to push Brotherhood‑aligned agendas, especially around the Israel‑Hamas conflict.
When asked about probing MSA chapters, Columbia said it “has zero tolerance for promoting terror or violence.” The same caution was echoed by other universities and by the U.S. Department of Justice, which recently designated the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization.
Governors and legislators have responded to the findings. Texas Governor Greg Abbott named the Brotherhood a terrorist group earlier this week, a move that was praised by Republican Representative Elise Stefanik for protecting U.S. higher education and national security.
ISGAP calls for tight scrutiny of foreign funding in U.S. universities. Dr. Small urges lawmakers and scholars to demand greater transparency, arguing that money from entities with “opposed ideals” should not be accepted if it can shape campus culture or policy.
He highlights the surge of students at top universities who now endorse Hamas or other extremist causes, warning that the Brotherhood seeks to erode democratic norms, subjugate women, and target minorities.
“American voters, decision makers and scholars need to pay more attention to the importance of ideology,” Small said. “We must guard against foreign influence that threatens our democracy, our universities, and our fundamental values.”
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