Qatari influence on American education system

The Lawfare Project has been examining the nature and extent of Qatar’s involvement in the American education system. Qatar’s involvement through its agent, Qatar Foundation International (QFI), is substantial and significant. Students are learning about the Middle East in a biased way that emphasizes only the positive aspects of Islam while omitting a balanced discussion of other religions or belief systems, most notably Judaism.

The Lawfare Project’s research suggests that the Foreign Agents Registration Act, 22 USC 611-621 (FARA), applies to Qatar’s activities, and requires that the institutions and individuals benefiting from its funding register as agents of Qatar. The Lawfare Project has submitted a memorandum on this issue to the Department of State, and is advocating that the government require these pernicious foreign influences to register as foreign agents.

Further, The Lawfare Project recently commissioned HarrisX, one of the most well-respected market research and analytics companies, to conduct a groundbreaking survey on public perception of foreign funding in education. This survey shows that once Americans are aware of the issue of foreign funding in education, they are concerned that Qatar is influencing what is taught in our classrooms and on campus.

Some of the survey’s key findings:

  • 84% of American adults believe that parents have the right to know if Qatar is funding their child’s education

  • 81% of American voters support more stringent legislation requiring universities to account for every dollar received and what it is spent on

  • 70% of American adults are concerned about foreign funding influencing what is taught in the classroom and on campus.

These findings strongly support The Lawfare Project’s work to compel Qatar’s agents to register under FARA and to reform Section 117 of the Higher Education Act to improve foreign funding disclosure requirements. This is crucial to providing what the American public demands: greater transparency of funding sources and accountability as to what that funding is used for.

The Lawfare Project