Harvard's Dirty Money & "Jewish Complaints"

With word that the United Arab Emirates' unelected leader, Sheik Zayed bin Sultan Nahayan, has asked Harvard to return his gift of $2.5 million, there's much to celebrate. The gift was to fund a chair in Islamic studies at the Divinity School, which has long been one of the most politically correct divisions of the University. Sheik Zayed's money was clearly tainted, as a think tank named after him in the UAE hosted anti-Semitic speakers and spewed anti-American propaganda. Although the think tank was closed last year, Zayed never condemned those speakers.

Many news agencies and newspapers covered the story, since Harvard's actions spark interest abroad and at home and the return of a gift is rare in academe. But several elements of this story caught my attention.

First, while the New York Times, Washington Post, and other papers led with fairly straightforward headlines, Reuters -- the agency that refuses to call the 9/11 hijackers terrorists -- leads with this: "UAE Withdraws Harvard Gift after Jewish Complaints." It says that an official of the UAE "said the university's divinity school had not used the money because of pressure from Jewish lobby groups to reject it in protest at the UAE's role in hosting the Zayed International Center for Coordination and Follow-Up."

It then quotes that official: "'This is a clear Zionist campaign,' he added. 'They have exploited two lectures given at Zayed Center.'"

Reuters simply reports this verbatim without exploring or explaining anything. The Chronicle of Higher Education ($) files a more thorough and honest report on one of the troubling speakers: "Thierry Meyssan, a French author who contends that the U.S. military was behind the September 11 attacks." And it also notes that the executive director of the Zayed Center "has called Jews 'the enemies of all nations.'" The Times adds that another speaker charged that Jews use human blood to make pastries.

Golly, you mean they got that upset over nothing more than that?

Not that honorable people would need anything else, but there's more. Also noteworthy is the Washington Post's story, which adds to the impression of moral squalor at both the Divinity School and the now-closed Zayed Center.

"Seven of the divinity school's 39 faculty members and hundreds of students and alumni had signed petitions urging Harvard to reject the gift. The petitions cited the activities of the Abu Dhabi-based Zayed International Center for Coordination and Follow-Up, which sponsored lectures and publications claiming that Zionists -- rather than Nazis -- were responsible for the Holocaust and that the U.S. military staged the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. "

Given all that's known about the Sheik, including the deplorable human rights record in the UAE under his rule (which began in 1971), that only seven of 39 faculty members bothered to speak out against his attempt to buy them off is damning. Is $2.5 million really all it takes to corrupt a seemingly mainstream organization by making it blind to the anti-Semitism of the donor? Considering the Sheik's wealth (the Times says it's $23 billion), a mere $2.5 million whitewashing job must seem like quite a deal.

My cynical side assumed that he might want to keep looking for other recipients, since Harvard isn't likely to be unique among American institutions. In fact, a little more reading reveals that he's done his homework. Both Georgetown and Columbia have already used Zayed's money to fund Middle Eastern studies. In fact, the Sheik's money went toward funding Columbia's Edward Said Chair, named for the late professor remembered for his creative memory and highly politicized scholarship. The Chronicle reports that Georgetown's spokesman says it's "grateful for the meaningful contributions that the UAE has made to our academic mission." That would be $1.2 million. Columbia didn't respond to requests for comment.

You can read the comments of Rachel Fish, a former Harvard Divinity student who helped launch the petition drive to rid the University of the Sheik's money, in her press release. Today she works at the David Project, a human rights organization that bills itself as promoting "a fair and honest understanding of the Middle East conflict." Clearly, she and her colleagues have their work cut out for them.

Here is a link to stories on Ms. Fish and her efforts at Harvard.