Georgetown University's Wahhabi Front

In December 2005, Georgetown University announced a $20 million gift from Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal to endow its Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, subsequently renamed in his honor. The Center’s director, John Esposito, is known for his defense of Islamic extremism, having authored several books prior to the endowment that downplay the global reach of such ideologies.

Under Esposito’s leadership, the Center has forged ties with individuals and groups linked to Islamic terrorism. For instance, in July 2000, it co-hosted a conference with the United Association for Studies and Research (UASR), identified by that time as a key political arm of HAMAS in the U.S. Esposito’s co-chair was Ahmed Yousef, then UASR’s executive director, who later fled in 2005 to evade prosecution and now serves as a HAMAS spokesperson in Gaza.

Given this Saudi funding and these connections, Rep. Frank Wolf, a Georgetown alumnus, wrote to university president John DeGioia last week, voicing concerns about the Center’s activities and its silence on Saudi human rights issues and religious freedom restrictions. Steven Emerson of the Investigative Project reported on Wolf’s letter, noting Esposito’s history of supporting radical Islam and his praise for convicted Palestinian Islamic Jihad leader Sami Al-Arian, whom he calls a "good friend."

Concerns Deepen with New Staff

Beyond the endowment, the Center has become a hub for scholars tied to the Muslim Brotherhood and Saudi Wahhabi interests since Prince Alwaleed’s gift. Two key appointees, Susan Douglass and Hadia Mubarak, have held leadership roles in organizations identified by the Department of Justice as Muslim Brotherhood fronts. Douglass, listed as the Center’s educational consultant, and Mubarak, its senior researcher, bring additional scrutiny. A third staff member, Abdullah Al-Arian, son and spokesman for Sami Al-Arian, is a researcher at the Center.

Susan Douglass and Saudi Ties

Susan Douglass’s presence at the Center raises particular questions. As Paul Sperry reported in 2004, she was a longtime instructor at the Islamic Saudi Academy in Alexandria, VA, a Saudi-funded school some have dubbed "Terror High." Its graduates include Ahmed Omar Abu Ali, convicted in 2005 of joining Al-Qaeda and plotting to assassinate President Bush, alongside others linked to terrorist plans. Senator Chuck Schumer, in a 2005 letter to then-Saudi Ambassador Prince Bandar, highlighted the school’s troubling record, noting its former comptroller, Ismail Elbarasse, was a known HAMAS operative tied to leader Mousa Abu Marzook.

More recently, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom urged the State Department to close the school for promoting intolerance through its Saudi curriculum, as covered by the Washington Post. A 2004 Post article detailed how its textbooks teach that the Day of Judgment awaits Jesus converting all to Islam and Muslims confronting Jews.

While at the academy, Douglass authored textbooks published by the International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT), raided in Operation Greenquest for terror financing ties. The Washington Post linked IIIT’s founding to Muslim Brotherhood and Saudi funding. Notably, Sami Al-Arian faces contempt charges for refusing to testify about IIIT, claiming it endangers his life—despite earlier denying any connection.

Douglass also served as principal researcher and textbook reviewer for the Council on Islamic Education (CIE), influencing U.S. publishers like Houghton Mifflin to alter curricula, promoting Islam and requiring students to engage in Islamic practices. Critics like Gilbert Sewall and William Bennett have flagged these changes for bias.

Her role as "educational consultant" at Georgetown aligns with Saudi efforts to shape U.S. education via Title VI funding for Middle East Studies centers. Stanley Kurtz notes this allows Saudi influence over K-12 curricula, with taxpayers unwittingly supporting it due to lax oversight.

Hadia Mubarak’s Background

Hadia Mubarak, the Center’s senior researcher, was president of the Muslim Student Association (MSA) and a national board member of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)—both named unindicted co-conspirators and Muslim Brotherhood fronts in the Holy Land Foundation trial. Her views emerge in her criticism of Stephen Schwartz, a moderate Muslim leader, whom she accused of "deep hatred of Islam" despite his Islamic advocacy. Schwartz countered that Mubarak’s stance reflects a rigid Wahhabi perspective, intolerant of diverse Islamic interpretations.

Abdullah Al-Arian’s Role

Abdullah Al-Arian, researcher at the Center, is the eldest son of Sami Al-Arian and has defended his father’s innocence despite Sami’s guilty plea to supporting a terrorist group. During Sami’s trial, Abdullah testified as a character witness, claiming ignorance of his father’s Islamic Jihad ties—contradicted by videos of Sami fundraising and cursing the U.S. Abdullah faced questions about his own views on Hezbollah and Iran, a key Islamic Jihad backer.

In 2001, he was removed from a White House meeting by the Secret Service, as reported by the New York Times. More recently, he’s promoted the documentary "USA vs. Al-Arian," portraying his father as a victim of unjust prosecution, a narrative echoed at a CAIR-sponsored screening.

Conclusion

The Center’s staff—Douglass, Mubarak, and Al-Arian—reflect an extremist slant under Esposito’s leadership, amplified by Prince Alwaleed’s funding. This suggests a platform for Muslim Brotherhood and Saudi Wahhabi agendas, leveraging Georgetown’s prestige. Rep. Wolf and President DeGioia need only examine the Center’s personnel to see its direction.

Patrick Poole is an author and public policy researcher who blogs at "Existential Space" on cultural, political, and religious topics. This appeared February 22, 2008, in Front Page Magazine.