Columbia University: The Bir Zeit on the Hudson
The New York Sun reports that Saudi Arabia has funneled tens of thousands of dollars into Columbia University's Middle East Institute, which, until Columbia President Lee Bollinger's decision this week to cancel them, ran outreach traning programs to train the city's public-school teachers in how to teach students about Middle East politics. A Columbia spokeswoman denies that the donations from Saudi-owned Aramco were used to finance the outreach program, but she refuses to explain how the funds were used.
Bollinger made his decision to discontinue the programs with NYC schools after Rashid Khalidi, the head of Columbia's Middle East Institute, was dropped due to controversy. Khalidi sparked controversy last month when the Sun reported that he was a one of the lecturers for city teachers. Khalidi, a hardline anti-Israel scholar, has previously blamed Israel for its "racist" policies and legitimized armed "resistance" against Israeli soldiers in the West Bank. Khalidi also thought the Oslo Peace Process was a "sellout" by Palestinians.
Middle East financing of these programs is one reason that Middle East historian Martin Kramer has called Columbia "the Bir Zeit-on-the-Hudson." Bir Zeit is a university built for the Palestinians by Israel in the West Bank, which has become a breeding ground for terrorists. Columbia is not alone as recipient of Saudi funds however. According to Front Page magazine last year,
The American Thinker has more on this.
Bollinger made his decision to discontinue the programs with NYC schools after Rashid Khalidi, the head of Columbia's Middle East Institute, was dropped due to controversy. Khalidi sparked controversy last month when the Sun reported that he was a one of the lecturers for city teachers. Khalidi, a hardline anti-Israel scholar, has previously blamed Israel for its "racist" policies and legitimized armed "resistance" against Israeli soldiers in the West Bank. Khalidi also thought the Oslo Peace Process was a "sellout" by Palestinians.
Middle East financing of these programs is one reason that Middle East historian Martin Kramer has called Columbia "the Bir Zeit-on-the-Hudson." Bir Zeit is a university built for the Palestinians by Israel in the West Bank, which has become a breeding ground for terrorists. Columbia is not alone as recipient of Saudi funds however. According to Front Page magazine last year,
King Fahd donated $20 million dollars to set up a Middle East Studies Center at the University of Arkansas; $5 million was donated to UC Berkeley’s Center For Middle East Studies from two Saudi sheiks linked to funding al-Qaeda; $2.5 million dollars to Harvard; $8.1 million dollars to Georgetown; $11 million dollars to Cornell; $1.5 million dollars to Texas A&M; $5 million dollars to MIT; $1 million dollars to Princeton. Rutgers received $5 million.The time has come for universities to take a hard look at where their financing is coming from.
The American Thinker has more on this.
posted by Richie Rich | 9:03 AM
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