The Department of Education has given $2.9 million to university-affiliated Middle East Studies Centers, which have morphed into staunch promoters of leftwing ideologies over the years, just as their parent-U.S. colleges have.
Eleven total organizations were recipients of the funds, according to the National Association of Scholars (NAS). The hosting institutions include Columbia University, George Washington University, Georgetown University, Indiana University, New York University, University of Arizona, UCLA, and others.
Education Department funding Middle East Studies Centers pushing ‘anti-West ideologies’: new report | Just The News https://t.co/rucQ8pj3v4
— John Solomon (@jsolomonReports) November 13, 2022
The MESCs have “veered from their purpose, now pushing overtly anti-West ideologies focusing on social issues such as Islamophobia and immigration at the university level, and even pushing critical race theory to K–12 educators,” said the NAS.
Although there are 50 MESCs nationwide, the 11 in question are designated as “National Resource Centers,” meaning they receive federal money. The Department of Education (DOE) writes each of the 11 MESCs an annual check worth $260,000 in Title VI funding.
The MESCs were initially created to study Middle Eastern politics, culture, and language, but a recent NAS report paints a contrasting picture.
“Our analyses and case studies demonstrate that Middle East centers have since shifted their focus to promoting left-wing ideologies,” reads the report.
NAS senior research associate Neetu Arnold offered prepared remarks on the matter, accusing the centers of focusing on activism instead of history.
“Middle East Studies Centers today play fast and loose with objective truth,” said Arnold. “They instead focus on activism promoting anti-Western narratives and even push critical theory to K–12 educators.”
The DOE has yet to comment on why they’re funneling millions of dollars to these anti-American organizations.
