COLLEGE STATION, Texas — On Friday, the Texas A&M Board of Regents announced that they would be beginning a process to close the university's branch campus in Qatar over a four-year period.
Since that announcement, the Qatar Foundation has released their own statement pushing back on the decision, claiming that the decision was rooted in a "disinformation campaign" and politics.
"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," said a spokesperson for the foundation. "At no point did the Board attempt to seek out the truth from (the Qatar Foundation) before making this misguided decision."
A spokesperson for the Qatar Foundation also called the decision "disturbing" and rooted in a "disinformation campaign aimed at harming the interests of (the Qatar Foundation)."
On Jan. 4, the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy (ISGAP) published a letter that claimed Qatar had backed many significant projects and the campus in return of full control over the projects. Another 17-page document claimed that there was a "disturbing" relationship between Qatar and Texas A&M, which later prompted a response from University President General (Ret.) Mark A. Welsh III.
In his response, he refuted the claims and called the insinuation from the group that the university was involved in matters that could compromise things related to national security research "false and irresponsible."
The ISGAP's response to Welsh re-affirmed their stance and claims was firm, with the group even pressing for further conversation between them and the Texas A&M University President. The ISGAP also added that they have sent letters to senior U.S. officials on the matter.
In an article on the Qatar Foundation website, the timeline and process to sunset the partnership between Texas A&M and the organization is being discussed. According to an announcement from the Texas A&M University System, a team will be assembled to help the students, faculty and staff that are at the campus to allow degrees to be finished and research obligations to be fulfilled.
Click here to read about the organization's response on the Qatar Foundation website.
Texas A&M's Qatar campus is also one of six U.S. universities in Doha, with Virginia Commonwealth University, Cornell, Carnegie Mellon, Georgetown, and Northwestern also having campuses in the country.
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