Washington opens inquiry into Qatar's "suspicious donations"

English - Saturday 13 July 2019 الساعة 09:36 am
Aden – NewsYemen.net

The Ministry of Education has opened an investigation into "suspicious" country donations to US universities, US sources said on Thursday.

The Associated Press quoted the sources as saying that "this investigation, which coincides with the visit of the Emir of Qatar to Washington began with the leaders of four universities including GeorgeTown, Texas A & M, Cornell and Rutgers,, Regulatory bodies that they received funding from Qatar in ways that are contrary to the law. "

The department alleges the schools failed to tell federal officials about certain gifts and contracts from foreign sources, as federal law requires, according to letters obtained by The Associated Press.

Investigators have asked universities to provide information on their foreign income over several years, with specific countries contributing to each university, but all letters include China and Qatar. Academic relations with China have become a source of tension in the midst of its trade war with America, while Qatar is linked to accusations of financing terrorism.

"Despite its size, Qatar has funneled more money to U.S. schools than any other nation, according to an AP analysis of federal education data. Over the past decade, it gave more than $1.4 billion to 28 schools, while the No. 2 contributor, England, gave around $900 million."

"Nearly 98% of Qatar’s support has gone to just six U.S. schools: Texas A&M, Georgetown, Cornell, Carnegie Mellon, Northwestern and Virginia Commonwealth. Each school has a campus in Qatar, with operating costs covered by the Qatar Foundation, a nonprofit group led by the country’s royal family."
The Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a Washington think tank, called Tuesday for Trump to make the emir “come clean” about Qatar’s gifts to U.S. schools. The group said the Qatar Foundation is “renowned for hosting virulently extremist preachers at its flashy mosque in Qatar’s Education City, located near the satellite campuses of American universities.”

Qatar Foundation is well known for hosting "radical advocates in its elegant mosque in the Education City of Qatar, where events, speeches and lectures are transferred directly to the campus of the American universities," the statement said on Thursday.

“President Trump should tell the emir that America welcomes genuine investments in our education system, but not influence peddling,” the group wrote, and"" Washington  rejects any attempts to influence through funding (suspicious of purposes).