Saudi gift to promote faith relations 'hypocrisy'

Prince al-Walid bin Talal

A group that monitors persecution of Christians says Saudi Arabian Prince al-Walid bin Talal's $20 million donation to Harvard and Georgetown for Islamic studies and to promote Islamic-Christian understanding is an "act of supreme hypocrisy and duplicity."

"Perhaps the only thing more shameful than the prince offering these gifts with a straight face is Harvard and Georgetown's gracious acceptance of them," said a statement by Washington, D.C.-based International Christian Concern.

ICC points out that at home, Saudi Arabia has a zero-tolerance policy towards any religion except Islam and a long record of arresting, imprisoning and torturing Christians who practice their faith.

"In Saudi Arabia, children are indoctrinated throughout their educational journey in the hatred of Jews, Christians and the United States," ICC says. "At the same time, Saudis spend hundreds of millions of dollars annually in the United States for positive press and for influence in the United States Congress. Their message is that they are America's constant friends."

As WorldNetDaily reported, the prince, who owns shares of the Fox News Channel, claims he persuaded network chief Rupert Murdoch to change a screen banner during a broadcast that identified the recent unrest in France as "Muslim riots."

Speaking on a panel at the Arab and World Media Conference in Dubai earlier this month, the billionaire prince criticized U.S. media for being generally "pro-Israel" and said Arabs are not doing enough to counter that, according to Middle East Online.

Al-Walid drew international attention when his $10 million gift for 9-11 relief was rejected by New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani in 2001.

Al-Walid called the terrorist attack "a tremendous crime," but in a written statement issued by his publicist during the visit, the prince declared:

"At times like this one, we must address some of the issues that led to such a criminal attack. I believe the government of the United States of America should re-examine its policies in the Middle East and adopt a more balanced stance toward the Palestinian cause."

An angered Giuliani returned the donation. A few days later, the prince blamed the mayor's decision on "Jewish pressures."

In its statement, ICC said Georgetown and Harvard would be wise to follow Giuliani's lead "if they wish to take a stand in keeping with their name and status."

"As far as the prince is concerned, we would suggest that if he truly wishes to make a difference in Islamic-Christian relations that he should start at home with the cessation of arrests and beatings of Christians," the group said. "If he wants Americans to learn more about Islam in a positive light, he should revise the educational materials that Saudis are raised on that teach them to hate the Jew, the Christian, and the American."

As WorldNetDaily reported, the Senate Judiciary Committee held hearings in October in response to a yearlong study by a Washington human-rights group asserting the government of Saudi Arabia is disseminating propaganda through American mosques that teaches hatred of Jews and Christians and instructs Muslims that they are on a mission behind enemy lines in a land of unbelievers.

In March, 15 senators, including Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., responded to the report by the Center for Religious Freedom at Freedom House with a letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice demanding the Bush administration take stronger action against Riyadh.

An estimated 80 percent of U.S. mosques are supported largely with funds and imams from Saudi Arabia, where the strict Wahhibist interpretation of Islam dominates the kingdom.

"Anywhere Islamic radicalism and violence are present – from Nigeria to Sudan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Indonesia – the hand of the Saudis is evident," ICC says. "They have spent billions for mosques, Islamic boarding schools, and Imams in these countries and elsewhere, including in the United States. Their money is an inroad for their hatred and philosophical control. Their aim is to spread their hatred, period."

The prince reportedly gave half a million dollars to the controversial U.S. Muslim lobby group Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, in 2002 for a campaign to defend Islam in U.S. society, according to ArabicNews.com.

The donation, given to Executive Director Nihad Awad during a visit to Saudi Arabia, helped buy a collection of Islamic books for 3,000 public libraries in the U.S. The contribution also financed a media campaign in the U.S. for CAIR, which was founded as a spin-off of the Islamic Association for Palestine, identified by two former FBI counterterrorism chiefs as a "front group" for Hamas.

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