My story on the growing influence of Saudi dollars at American universities airs on today's 700 Club (watch it here). The principal mover and shaker in this Saudi PR offensive is Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, one of the world's richest men. He's using a chunk of his vast fortune to promote a positive (aka uncritical) view of Saudi Arabia and Islam in the West--and it's working. Here's an excerpt from my story:
In 2005, he donated $20 million to both Harvard and Georgetown, a pair of America's most prestigious universities. The prince says this will promote peace and help bridge the gap between East and West...
Prince Alwaleed's millions have helped revamp Georgetown's Islamic Studies Center. It has been renamed the Prince Alwaleed Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding..."Georgetown is close to where the embassies are located," (Wnfield) Myers explained. "It is the center of power in America. It's where all of the lobbyists have to congregate because of the sheer size of the government. So people must go there and try to feed from the troff."
As for Harvard, it wasn't location, but reputation that made the difference.
"He's not going to put it someplace where it's not going to have a real chance to influence the image of the Saudi kingdom in American eyes," Myers said.
Add this financial windfall to the ongoing arrival of thousands of Saudi students on American college campuses, and you have to wonder--as Saudi dissident Ali al-Ahmed pondered with me--why Saudi Arabia won't:
"...allow American organizations and American funding of, let's say, the Martin Luther King Center or the Abraham Lincoln Center or a Susan B Anthony Center, or allowing Freedom House or Human Rights Watch or even CBN to have offices in Saudi Arabia."
Indeed.