Academic Funding Tainted by Terror Links, Letter Claims

A letter sent by 26 faculty, alumni and friends of the University of Western Ontario demands the administration refuse money for a new chair in Islamic studies because, they allege, the funding comes from two groups with ties to radical Muslim movements and that these violent philosophies will influence what the school teaches.

The university, located in London, Ont., has countered that the money is in no way tainted, comes with no strings attached and allegations against two Muslim groups are false.

"[We want] to express our alarm over the disclosure that two Islamist organizations — the Muslim Association of Canada and the [Virginia-based] International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT) — will provide most of the $2-million in funding for a new Chair in Islamic Studies in the Faculty of Theology at Huron University College,” says the letter sent to Trish Fulton, interim principal at Huron University College, a University of Western Ontario affiliate. “While we commend the College for undertaking to ‘make a substantive contribution to understanding of Islamic thought and Muslim identity in pluralistic societies’ through the establishment of this Chair, we think it is extremely ill-advised of the College to accept funding from any organization implicated in violent jihad.”

Rory Leishman, a signatory and spokesman for the group, said they fear the association with the two groups will eventually “blow up in the face of the university and cause it major embarrassment.” Among the signatories are John Palmer, an associate professor of economics at the school, five former academic staff, as well as alumni and local residents.

The group also notes that the Muslim Association of Canada draws its inspiration from the late Imam Hassan al-Banna, the founder of the radical Muslim Brotherhood who was assassinated in 1948.

It highlights that in 2003, David Kane, a senior special agent with the United States Custom Service, filed a sworn affidavit on behalf of the FBI with a United States District Court in Virginia, alleging ties between the International Institute of Islamic Thought and jihadists.

It adds that the International Institute offered money in 2008 for a similar chair at Temple University in Pennsylvania and that the money was rejected.

“We think that it is reckless for Huron University College to accept up to $1-million in funding from a tainted organization like the IIIT. Would the College have accepted funding from the IRA for a chair in Irish studies? We think not.”

However, Prof. Fulton said this week that the International Institute of Islamic Thought will be providing $1-million in matching funds only when the university can raise $1-million on its own. The Muslim Association of Canada will help fund raise but will not be giving the school direct funding, she said.

Dr. Wael Haddara, the president of the Muslim Association of Canada, as well as the director of intensive care at London’s St. Joseph’s Hospital and a professor of medicine at the University of Western Ontario, confirmed that his group will not give money to fund the new chair. He said the group’s interest in Hassan al-Banna is only in terms of his theology, not his political views, and nor does it have any ties with the Muslim Brotherhood (see sidebar).

Prof. Fulton also pointed to U.S. court documents that show that allegations of terrorist links against the International Institute and a number of other Muslim groups culminated in a lawsuit that were dismissed by a U.S. court in 2005.

Meantime, Rebecca Alpert, a professor who was the chair of the religion department at Temple in 2008, said she was thrilled to get the IIIT offer, but some board members at the school were concerned because of the group’s brushes with the law.

“We tried not to take outside money if there are strings attached and the IIIT would have had zero opportunity to decide who would make decisions about the chair in Islamic studies,” she said in an interview. “Our whole department was satisfied with the agreement and Temple went so far to make them sign a legal statement that they had no relations with terrorists.”

Prof. Alpert, who is also a rabbi, spent four months investigating the group and found nothing wrong. “But they were going to be considered evil no matter what.”

However, a 2002 New York Times story said the International Institute of Islamic Thought was being investigated for money laundering by the U.S. Treasury Department.

Calls to the International Institute were not returned.

The money from the International Institute intended for Temple went to George Mason University in Washington in that same year without incident, a school spokesman said.

Still, letter signatory Rory Leishman said he is not convinced the money the school will receive is clean.

He said the lack of the lack of a criminal conviction is not sufficient to establish the bona fides of the International Institute and its principal officers. And he is still convinced that the school will come under the influence of those who raise the money.

“Regardless of the formalities, those who pay the piper usually call the tune.”

National Post
clewis@nationalpost.com

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