The Qatar Foundation has expressed disappointment over a decision by Texas A&M University to close its campus in Doha’s Education City by the year 2028.
On Thursday, February 8, the university’s system board of regents voted 7-1 in favor of ending the contract with the foundation due to increased Middle East instability.
In a statement, on Friday, February 9, the foundation said the decision had been “influenced by a disinformation campaign aimed at harming the interests of QF”.
“It is disturbing that this disinformation has become the determining factor in the decision and that it has been allowed to override the core principles of education and knowledge, with no consideration to the significant positive impact that this partnership has brought for both Qatar and the US.”
“It is deeply disappointing that a globally respected academic institution like Texas A&M University has fallen victim to such a campaign and allowed politics to infiltrate its decision-making processes.
“At no point did the board attempt to seek out the truth from Qatar Foundation before making this misguided decision.”
In October 2023, concerns about the university’s presence in Doha began to arise due to Israel’s war in Gaza.
Texas Tribune reported that the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy, a Washington DC think tank, has launched a lobbying campaign and sent a letter to US officials in January alleging that Qatar had “substantial ownership” of weapons development rights and nuclear engineering research being developed at the Texas A&M campus, which they claim is a threat to national security.
Last month, the university’s president, Mark Welch, denied the claims of falsehood and irresponsibility in a letter.
“Contrary to what these articles have implied, no nuclear technology, weapons/defense, or national security research is conducted at this campus,” he said.
“Nor does the Qatar campus have any connection to nuclear reactor research done in Texas or the Los Alamos National Lab.
“The insinuation that we are somehow leaking or compromising national security research data to anyone is both false and irresponsible.”
