The noisy and false allegations about the alleged power of the ‘Israel lobby’, aka the ‘world Jewish conspiracy’, does not merely libel the Jewish people and vilify Israel — which in any event constitute the founders and defenders of western civilisation, so on that basis alone it’s a mighty peculiar complaint. It also masks the fact that western institutions are progressively being bought – in every sense – by Islamists, who are committed to the destruction of western civilisation. Yussef Ibrahim points out in today’s New York Sun:
The mighty Saudi lobby is made up of concentric circles that emanate from a Saudi Embassy in Washington that acts as a checking account. The dollars flow to Saudi-funded mosques and theological enterprises, to America’s academic institutions, which are panting for Saudi dollars, to the American oil and arms industries, and to Arab-Americans in need. Whether those communities of interest have any familial, social, or immigrant ties to Saudi Arabia is totally beside the point. This is how a lobby is built from the top down.
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.
Qatar has upped its share in London’s Stock Exchange to nearly 24 per cent, giving the gulf state and neighbour Dubai a controlling stake of nearly 52 per cent.
