Qatar spreads a lot of money around, and it clearly buys influence.
Among the largest recipients of that cash are America's prestigious universities, such as Northwestern, and in exchange for that cash and access to the country's wealthy, these universities apparently sign contracts that forbid students, faculty, and family members from criticizing the country.
@NorthwesternU's contract Qatar, where the school operates a satellite campus, includes a clause that effectively forbids students and faculty - and even their family member - from criticizing the Qatari regime -- pic.twitter.com/WLh5O2BzgP
— Eliana Johnson (@elianayjohnson) September 5, 2025
Pay to play, man. Pay to play.
Northwestern University's contract with Hamas-allied Qatar, where the school operates a satellite campus, includes a clause that effectively forbids students and faculty from criticizing the Qatari regime, a House Committee on Education and Workforce interview with soon-to-be-former Northwestern University president Michael Schill revealed.
The interview, which includes an extensive discussion of Northwestern's contract with the regime-controlled Qatar Foundation, reveals the speech limitations to which universities submit when they operate in the Gulf state.
In the August 5 interview, committee staffers introduced "a portion from Northwestern's agreement with the Qatar Foundation," the nonprofit organization chaired by the emir of Qatar's mother. The foundation bankrolls the presence of Northwestern and other American universities in the Gulf state. The agreement includes a clause stipulating that "NU, NU-Q, and their respective employees, students, faculty, families, contractors and agents, shall be subject to the applicable laws and regulations of the State of Qatar, and shall respect the cultural, religious and social customs of the State of Qatar."
Qatar's penal code criminalizes criticism of its government and flag and bans the posting of online content that the Qatari regime deems harmful. A Jordanian media manager for Qatar's 2022 World Cup was sentenced to five years in prison after voicing concern over the regime's treatment of migrant workers. A Northwestern Qatar student, meanwhile, was "arrested over a tweet," according to the House interview.
Asked during that interview whether Northwestern Qatar operates "in accordance with all Qatari laws," Schill responded, "I believe it has to." Asked whether that "includes Qatari censorship laws," Schill said, "I don't know the answer to that as a legal matter." He also said he had "no idea" whether Qatar "would allow a Northwestern faculty member or student to publicly criticize the regime."
Qatar's influence is rarely exercised in a coercive manner, of course. They are using their financial resources as a means of gaining "soft power"--they provide a lot of dollars for the schools, so when they talk, the administration listens.
House investigators also pressed Schill about emails sent by Qatar Foundation staffers to the dean of Northwestern Qatar. One message, sent two weeks after Hamas's Oct. 7 massacre, provides talking points on "diplomatic role and mediation efforts in Palestine/Gaza and Afghanistan – along with reactions from international politicians."
A second email sent on Oct. 12 from a Qatar Foundation staffer named "Francisco"—an apparent reference to Francisco Marmolejo, the foundation's president of higher education—includes a statement from the foundation's CEO. "Finally, let there be no doubt about this – QF always has and always will stand with Palestine," the statement concludes. It was sent not just to Northwestern but to the deans of all U.S. universities in Doha. Georgetown University, Carnegie Mellon University, and Weill Cornell Medicine all operate campuses there.
Northwestern opened its Qatar campus in 2008. Since then, Schill testified, Qatar has provided the school with $737 million. "Basically 90 percent" of that money "covers direct costs of the Qatar campus," he said. The rest benefits Northwestern's U.S. campus, funding things like "indirect costs and overhead" and a "quasi-endowment" at the School of Communications. Schill called that financial benefit "meager."
Prestigious universities compete fiercely to secure large donations from Qatar, and many of them have established satellite campuses in the country. In exchange, these institutions have become lapdogs of the Qatari regime.
At least six American universities have campuses in the country of Qatar—which is currently home to former Hamas leader and recent global “Day of Jihad” progenitor Khaled Meshaal.
These institutions are Carnegie Mellon University, Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar, Georgetown University, Northwestern University, Texas A&M University, and Virginia Commonwealth University. Reportedly, these universities struck a bargain with Qatari leaders to allow Qatari residents to receive American degrees without having to travel overseas. The Washington Post reported in 2015 that these institutions receive a total of more than $320 million each year in exchange.
No doubt that figure has grown substantially in the subsequent 10 years.
The US relationship with Qatar is complicated. It has been designated a significant non-NATO ally and hosts our largest naval base in the region. It is also where Western powers go to meet our adversaries, such as Hamas and Iran--providing a back channel where no other means of communication exists.
Doha, for instance, is where the US met with the Taliban during negotiations.
It is a modern-day Casablanca, where nothing is as it seems. As such, it is probably not the place you want your prestigious institutions to rely upon for funding.
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