Is the Middle East broader than just Islam? Anyone with experience in the region understands its complexity and diversity. University of South Carolina (USC) graduates, however, are instead fed a narrative apparently shaped by Qatar and political partisans who seek to promote regional understanding through an explicitly Islamic lens.
The [curriculum] defines the Middle East solely through Islam and minimizes Jewish and Christian roots in the region.
Consider, for example, USC’s Walker Institute of International and Area Studies: It offers six regional minors addressing African, Asian, European, Latin American, Russian and Eurasian Studies. Rather than also offer Middle Eastern studies, it chooses instead to teach Islamic World Studies, whose curriculum focuses largely on Islam in the Middle East. Core course options include Cultures of Islam, Middle Eastern Cultures, Geography of the Middle East, Introduction to the Civilization of the Islamic Middle East, and Introduction to Islam. Electives suggest broader geographic coverage but remain heavily centered on Islam. Judaism appears only through a course titled “Jews and Muslims,” while Middle Eastern Christianity surfaces in a course on the Crusades. Program rules require special topics courses to focus primarily on Islam or Muslim populations.
This framework defines the Middle East solely through Islam and minimizes Jewish and Christian roots in the region. Israel remains absent from study, as do most ethnic minorities. Any students interested in the region must approach it through the theological lens.
Between 2021 and 2023, Jessica Barnes, a geography professor who supports the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement, chaired Islamic World Studies, despite lacking formal credentials in Middle Eastern or Islamic studies. During her tenure, Israeli professor and Middle East expert Josef (Yossi) Olmert reported feeling excluded from shaping the program, despite his background; he has been pressing for the program to change for years. Barnes maintains ties to USC leadership. This year, Joel Samuels, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, praised her receipt of a teaching prize.
The tendentious approach to the Middle East appears rooted in not only poor judgment but also foreign influence. Samuels directs the Rule of Law Collaborative at USC, which has formal ties to Qatar, a country that funds groups like Hamas. In 2018, Qatar’s minister of Justice met with USC’s president to discuss cooperation under a partnership with the Collaborative. The text of that agreement, along with another agreement between USC and the Qatari government, remains unavailable to the public.
There are also connections between Shaikha Abdulla Al-Misnad, mother of the Emir of Qatar, and William Hubbard, dean of USC’s law school. Al-Misnad sits on the board of Hubbard’s nonprofit, which frequently collaborates with Samuels. Thad H. Westbrook, who has chaired USC’s board of trustees since 2012, is an equity partner at Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, a Columbia, South Carolina-based firm.
Between 2017 and 2021, the Qatari government paid Nelson Mullins over $7.1 million to lobby, bringing him significant profit through his equity membership. His firm has also served as an intermediary between Qatar and other firms, including on matters related to Gaza.
USC’s Section 117 disclosures, which record foreign gifts and contracts exceeding $250,000, show financial ties to Middle Eastern nations.
Such ties raise questions about foreign influence over academic programs. USC’s Section 117 disclosures, which record foreign gifts and contracts exceeding $250,000, show financial ties to Middle Eastern nations. From 2016 through early 2025, USC-Columbia received nearly $17.5 million from the Middle East. Saudi Arabia contributed over $9.8 million, Qatar nearly $4.5 million, and the United Arab Emirates about $1 million. Much of this funding came from foreign governments or institutions like Qatar’s Hamad Bin Khalifa University.
Several USC officials, including Samuels, have told students that renaming Islamic World Studies as Middle Eastern Studies should be straightforward but they then decided to name the program “Middle East and Islamic World Studies” beginning in fall 2026, with no curriculum changes to include Christianity, Judaism, or regional minorities.
Foreign governments leverage donations for influence. Qatar has publicly announced plans to invest billions of dollars in South Carolina and lobbies both state and federal actors, raising concerns about whether ideological, political, or financial interests influence how universities design curricula and hire faculty. Rather than define itself as a university dedicated to academic truth and rigorous study, USC seems more intent on compromising itself and its reputation for Persian Gulf money.
