Youssef Ibrahim on the Saudi Lobby

From the New York Sun (ht Melanie Phillips):

Take the famed case of Alwaleed bin Talal, the Saudi prince whose $10 million check for the Twin Towers Fund was returned by Mayor Giuliani when the prince linked the September 11 attacks to changing American policies in the Middle East. A couple of years ago, the prince sneaked his bucks back into America by giving $20 million to Harvard University.

What's the money for? To study Saudi traditions, Bedouin society, or desert communities? No. As stipulated in the gift, it was uniquely given for the study of Islam, Islamic jurisprudence, and Islamic history.

Forget about cross-cultural dialogue or the study of Saudi traditions, society, or just getting to know each other. It is Islam, specifically the Saudi brand of Wahhabi Islam, that is being funded. Harvard officials are far too smart to miss the point but, hey, even with an endowment of $33 billion, another $20 million might come in handy.

However, the Saudi lobby's agenda, unlike those of the Israeli, Greek, or Armenian lobbies, represents a real and present danger to America's national interest, particularly when we recall that it was Saudi Arabia that produced, nurtured, and promoted 15 of the 19 Muslim fundamentalist hijackers who attacked this country on September 11. Saudi schools still teach the same basic stuff — "Hate thy neighbor" — and their lobby seeks to spread the word.

There is nothing wrong with taking the money, in my view. But it is not a gift from American Muslims or American Arabs, and the expected quid pro quo could be the sale of America's soul.