Mostefa Souag

Overview

Mostefa Souag [Mustapha Souag] defended the broadcast of terrorist propaganda while serving as the Acting Director-General of the Al Jazeera Media Network (Al Jazeera), a Qatari state-owned multimedia conglomerate.

Souag has also spread hatred of Israel and denied that Al Jazeera was an agent of the Qatari government.

In February 2014, Souag spoke at Northwestern University in Qatar (NU-Q) as a featured guest of NU-Q’s Al Jazeera Speaker Series. Everette E. Dennis, Dean & CEO of NU-Q, introduced [00:00:18] Souag as a “good friend to our school...in fact, such a good friend that he has hired some of our students…”

In 2013, NU-Q signed a Memorandum Of Understanding (MoU) with Al Jazeera “which deepens ties between the two organizations.” The MoU launched an Al Jazeera speakers’ series at NU-Q, along with joint research and special studies projects, internships, training workshops and scholarships.

As of November 2021, Souag’s Al Jazeera profile said he was the acting Director General of Al Jazeera and former Managing Director of Al Jazeera News Channel (Arabic). His Al Jazeera profile also said he was the Director of News of Al Jazeera Arabic and Advisor to His Excellency Sheikh Hamad bin Thamer Al-Thani, Chairman of the Board for Al Jazeera.

As of the same date, Souag’s Al Jazeera profile said he served as Director of Al Jazeera Center for Studies and that he previously worked at the BBC World Service and the Middle East Broadcasting Group.

In a September 2015 interview, Souag said [00:03:43] he was at MBC until 2002 and then joined Al Jazeera. Souag also said [00:04:33] he “moved two years ago” (in 2013) to the position of Al Jazeera’s acting Director General.

Defending the Broadcast of Terrorist Propaganda

Following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Al Jazeera broadcast videos delivered by terrorist groups justifying the attacks, including statements from Osama bin Laden and Al-Qaeda spokesmen Sulaiman Abu Ghaith. This led to significant controversy and accusations by the United States government that Al Jazeera was airing propaganda on behalf of terrorists.

Al Jazeera reportedly broadcast more than 10 audio and video statements of bin Laden, from 2001 to 2011.

On September 8, 2006, days before the fifth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks against the United States, Al Jazeera aired a videotape of bin Laden and other senior al-Qaeda members.

Following Al Jazeera’s release of the videotape, the station was criticized for “fueling anti-American sentiment and giving terrorists a podium.”

The tape reportedly showed bin Laden asking viewers to support the hijackers: “‘I ask you to pray for them and to ask God to make them successful, aim their shots well, set their feet strong and strengthen their hearts.’”

In a September 3, 2015 interview for the Global Journalist (GJ) program produced by the Reynolds Journalism Institute (RJI) in Columbia, Missouri, Souag defended [00:18:18] Al Jazeera’s decision to broadcast audio tapes and video recordings of bin Laden.

In the GJ interview, Souag said [00:18:38] regarding Al Jazeera’s broadcast of Bin Laden: “If you have an event, if you have a figure, if you have an issue that everybody wants to know about, you have no right, I am sorry, but you have no right to judge what is good or not good for people…”

Souag continued [00:20:55]: “You need to tell people what’s going on, you need to let them see for themselves and if they don’t choose the right thing, it is their responsibility. You cannot make the messenger responsible for the decisions made by other people.”

Spreading Hatred of Israel

On June 5, 2021, Souag was quoted in an Al Jazeera article discussing the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF)’s arrest of an Al Jazeera News Channel journalist, Givara Budeiri.

In the article, Souag said: “Today’s violent actions by Israeli occupation forces against Givara Budeiri and Nabil Mazzawi are in total disregard for the fundamental human rights of journalists.”

“Israeli Occupation Forces,” or “IOF,” is a derogatory name for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) used by anti-Israel activists to demonize Israel’s army.

Souag reportedly continued: “The silencing of journalists by terrorising them has become a routine activity for the Israeli authorities as witnessed in recent weeks in Gaza and occupied Jerusalem… Such attempts to prevent journalists from carrying out their professional duty to inform the world and report events on the ground is a crime against the journalistic profession.”

On June 5, 2021, Al Jazeera’s Jerusalem correspondent Givara Budeiri was reportedly arrested in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of Jerusalem during violent protests occurring that day. Israeli police announced that they arrested Budeiri and another man for “assaulting officers after they refused to identify themselves.” Budeiri was released several hours later.

On May 15, 2021, Souag was quoted in an Al Jazeera article titled: “Al Jazeera strongly condemns Israel’s destruction of Gaza offices.”

In May 2021, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terrorists fired over 4,300 rockets from Gaza at major population centers in Israel. Israel responded by launching OGW, carrying out targeted military strikes in Gaza.

On May 15, 2021, Israel carried out a targeted bombing of a high-rise building in Gaza that was used as a base for Hamas operations. The building was also used by the Al Jazeera Media Network and other major news outlets. The Israeli military warned all of the building’s tenants to vacate the premises one hour prior to the attack.

Souag reportedly stated: “We call on the international community to condemn such barbaric actions and targeting of journalists and we demand an immediate international action to hold Israel accountable for its deliberate targeting of journalists and the media institutions.”

Souag continued “The aim of this heinous crime is to silence the media and to hide the untold carnage and suffering of the people of Gaza.”

On July 2, 2015, Souag was quoted in an Al Jazeera article discussing the “Freedom Flotilla III,” saying: “Israel has violated many international laws by hijacking and arresting journalists doing their job on a peaceful and unarmed flotilla while in international waters and heading to Gaza for humanitarian purposes.”

The “Freedom Flotilla III” sailed from Greece in June 2015 in an attempt to breach the Gaza naval blockade and included the Marianne, which was a Swedish boat and the lead ship in the flotilla of four ships.

Israel and Egypt implemented a United Nations-approved [pp. 39–41] joint blockade of the Gaza Strip in 2011 to stop Hamas from acquiring more sophisticated rockets.
The Marianne reportedly carried 20 activists, including Arab-Israeli lawmaker Basel Ghattas and Tunisia's former president, Moncef Marzouki. Following the flotilla’s refusal to heed repeated instructions to change course, Israeli forces peacefully intercepted the Marianne and rerouted the ship to the Ashdod port.

Denying Al Jazeera is a Qatari Agent

On September 16, 2020, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) reportedly announced that Al Jazeera “is an agent of the Government of Qatar” and ordered the organization’s U.S.-based social media division, Al Jazeera+, to register as a foreign agent under The Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).

That same day, U.S. magazine Mother Jones reported a September 14, 2020 statement by Jay Bratt, the DOJ’s Chief of Counterintelligence and Export Control Section (CES), saying: “Despite assertions of editorial independence and freedom of expression, Al Jazeera Media Network and its affiliates are controlled and funded by the Government of Qatar.”

The September 14, 2020 statement reportedly said that U.S. based Al Jazeera+ employees receive salaries which "’are paid by funds originating with the Government of Qatar’ and carry out work ‘at the direction and control’ of Qatari leadership.”

In a January 27, 2020 op-ed for the Washington Examiner, Souag wrote: “Al Jazeera Media Network is a private foundation for public benefit under Qatari law; Qatar does not own it, and its reporting is not directed or controlled by the Qatari government, nor does it reflect any government viewpoint.”

In a January 24, 2020 Middle East Online (MEO) article, Souag was quoted as saying: "Nobody from the government is allowed to communicate with Al Jazeera on any editorial issue…"

On October 2, 2018, Souag spoke at a National Press Club NPC Headliners Luncheon in Washington, D.C and said [00:50:35] “Al Jazeera is completely independent. We have no government control whatsoever, whatsoever...our reporters have no right to contact or to be contacted by anybody from the government...”

Souag also said [00:51:01]: “We are not concerned with FARA [The Foreign Agents Registration Act] because we are not like some other institutions that might be agents of their countries. Al Jazeera is… completely far away from any government pressure, or from any government interference in our job…”

Al Jazeera Media Network

Al Jazeera Media Network (Al Jazeera) is a Qatari-owned multimedia conglomerate broadcasting to 310 million households in more than 100 countries.

The network has been accused of slanting news reports to promote the agenda of the Muslim Brotherhood. A weekly show hosted by Sheikh Yusuf Qaradawi, the spiritual leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, aired from 1996-2013, where Qaradawi expressed [00:00:47] a personal dream of traveling to Israel to carry out Jihad and glorified suicide bombings by children.

The network has also been accused of affiliating with the terror group Hamas, criticized for providing a platform for the Al-Qaeda terror organization and implicated in the promotion of a wide variety of terrorist propaganda.

Invited guests and speakers have labeled Jews “devils” and “grave-dwellers who...suck the blood of others.” One Al Jazeera children’s program featured a Saudi cleric who labeled Jews “treacherous, disloyal, deceitful” and congratulated a child for hating and cursing Jews.

In September 2020, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) reportedly ordered AJ+, Al Jazeera’s online news platform based in the U.S., to register as a foreign agent under the Foreign Agent Registration Act (FARA).

Qatar - Terrorism

Qatar is one of the primary state backers of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) and has provided funding for Hamas in the past. Qatar facilitates funding to advance extremism around the world, including the West.

Founded in Egypt 1928, the Muslim Brotherhood is a transnational Islamist organization, listed as a terrorist organization in at least six countries, including Egypt, Russia and Saudi Arabia. Hamas, a terrorist group dedicated to Israel’s destruction, is listed as one of the Brotherhood’s offshoots.

Hamas has been designated a terrorist organization by the European Union, Canada, Australia, the United States and Israel.

The Hamas founding charter has called for the murder of Jews, and Hamas has hosted “summer camps,” that taught children how to wage war.

Qatar Foundation

In 1995, the then-Emir of Qatar and his wife, Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, created the Qatar Foundation (QF) to “advance education, science, and cultural development.”

In 1995, QF was given two billion dollars in resources by the Qatari Government “to address knowledge and capacity deficits” and transform into a “knowledge-based economy.”

QF launched Education City (EC) in 1997, with the stated goal of providing “world-class education to the people of Qatar.”

In 2003, the campus was officially inaugurated.

Qatar Foundation - Yusuf al-Qaradawi and the Muslim Brotherhood

In 2007, Yusuf al-Qaradawi announced QF’s establishment of the Qatar Faculty of Islamic Studies (QFIS) in EC. The QFIS structure was to be created by an advisory committee, chaired by al-Qaradawi.

Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi [Yousef Al-Qaradhawi] was the founder and, as of April 2020, remained head of the European Council for Fatwa and Research. In 2005, The Wall Street Journal reported the council used the anti-Semitic fabricated text, the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, as a basis for some of its deliberations.

al-Qaradawi said in a statement that aired on Al-Jazeera TV on January 30, 2009: "Throughout history, Allah has imposed upon the Jews...The last punishment was carried out by Hitler...Allah Willing, the next time will be at the hand of the Believers."

al-Qaradawi has also called for the murder of American civilians, as well as American troops in Iraq, homosexuals and Jews and expressed support for domestic violence against women.

In 2008, Moza bint Nasser and QF established within QFIS, the al-Qaradawi Centre for Research in Moderate Thought, also known as the “Al-Qaradawi Center for Islamic Moderation and Renewal,” in honor of “His Eminence” Dr. Yusuf al-Qaradawi.

QFIS described al-Qaradawi as “a pioneer of Islamic moderate thought” and the research center’s “main theorist.”

In January 2012, QF opened the Research Center for Islamic Legislation and Ethics (CILE), “under the guidance of Director Dr. Tariq Ramadan.” In October 2015, Ramadan was listed as the CILE Director.

Tariq Ramadan is the grandson of Muslim Brotherhood (MB) founder Hassan al-Banna and son of senior Brotherhood operative Said Ramadan. Tariq Ramadanis also alleged to be a serial-rapist, as well as a terrorist supporter.

In 2015, Ramadan gave a “Principles of Leadership in Islam” seminar series, open to all EC students.As of May 2020, CILE listed Ramadan as part of “Our Team” on their website.

NU-Q - Qatar Foundation

In 2008, QF invited Northwestern University (NU) in Evanston, Illinois to set up a Qatari satellite campus in EC, Northwestern University in Qatar (NU-Q), focusing on journalism and communications.

The degree that NU-Q awards students upon graduation would be identical to that earned at NU’s Evanston, IL campus.

On July 10, 2009, the Chronicle of Higher Education released an article critical of the academic standards of EC, noting that: "Administrators at several branch campuses of American universities in Qatar acknowledge that they accept students with admissions standards that fall below those expected on their home campuses…"

On April 5, 2014, Everett Dennis, NU-Q’s then-Dean and CEO said [00:12:25] in an interview with Richard Heffner, a former professor of Communications and Public policy at Rutgers University (Rutgers), that QF was “paying the bill” for NU-Q’s building, faculty, research and housing.

In March 2015, Stephen F. Eisenman, President of the Northwestern Faculty Senate, reported to the NU Faculty Senate that Qatari students receive full scholarships from the QF, while non-Qatari students, with some exceptions, must pay full costs. Eisenman also reported that “that five new endowed professorships at NU were recently funded out of QF money.”

In 2016, NU signed a 10-year extension to its agreement with QF, enabling NU-Q to operate through the 2027-2028 school year.

As of November 2019, the United States Department of Education (DoE) reported that Qatar gave NU $323.4 million in contract revenue since January 2013, averaging $49.6 million per year.

As of April 2020, Qatar Foundation’s contract with NU-Q was not available to the public.

As of May 2020, EC hosted six American university satellite campuses, in addition to NU-Q, including Carnegie Mellon University, Georgetown University, Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), the Joan & Sanford I. Weill Medical College of Cornell University and Texas A&M University.

QF lawyers, according to a January 2016 Washington Post article, petitioned the Texas attorney general in an attempt to keep the operational and financial details confidential.

However, the Washington Post was able to publish the 2012 10-year contract between VCU and QF because it was “disclosed as a matter of public record.” The projected budget included a VCU management fee of $3.6 million dollars for 2013, to rise to $4.1 in 2015.

The Washington Post article added: “The other four U.S. schools involved are private: Cornell, Carnegie Mellon, Northwestern and Georgetown universities. They all declined Post requests for their Qatar contracts.”

The Washington Post later published the 2014 contract between Texas A&M and QF in a March 2016 article. The contract stated: “Texas A&M is eligible for a management fee for running the branch — an amount set at $8.2 million in fiscal 2014.”

In 2019, the U.S. DoE was reportedly “quietly investigating Georgetown and three other universities — Texas A&M, Cornell and Rutgers — over their funding from Qatar.”

Qatar Foundation - Anti-Israel Campaign

In 2009, the Qatar Foundation hired the U.S. public relations firm, Fenton Communications, to develop “a communications action plan for an 18-month campaign,” using Al Fakhoora, a Qatari-based pro-Palestine initiative.

The Fenton plan aimed to delegitimize Israel and generate international support for the Hamas-run Gaza strip, with a reported budget of $120,000.

Al Fakhoora was reportedly launched in 2009, following “the Israeli aggression on Gaza,” in support of promoting and facilitating access to higher education.

Israel commenced Operation Cast Lead (OCL)in 2008-09 in order to stop Hamas rocket fire from Gaza targeting Israeli civilians. In 2010, Hamas admitted that nearly 700 of the Palestinian casualties in OCL were combatants.

In May 2010, Farook Burney, director of Al Fakhoora, reportedly participated in the Mavi Marmara attempt to “break the siege in Gaza.”

The Mavi Marmara was the lead ship in a “Freedom Flotilla” of six ships that attempted to sail to Gaza in May 2010 to “break the siege.” A 2011 United Nations’ report found that the flotilla activists initiated a violent confrontation with Israeli forces. Following the incident there was no humanitarian aid found onboard the ship, only crude weaponry.

In June 2010, Burney reportedly told students at QFIS that "Al Fakhoora has launched an advocacy campaign to file legal charges against Israel and change the public perception in the West about its actions."

As of 2020, Fakhoora was located in Education City (EC), Qatar.

Qatar Foundation -EC Mosque Hosting Anti-Semitic Preachers

In April 2015, QF opened the Education City (EC) Mosque, located in Qatar Faculty of Islamic Studies (QFIS) campus, adjacent to NU-Q.

Since the opening of the mosque, QF’s newspaper has encouraged readers to “join the QF community for prayer” at the EC Mosque, which has hosted 18 preachers and clerics who have variously spread anti-Semitism, expressed support for terror, spread [00:00:20] a conspiracy theory that radicalized Muslims played no part in 9/11 or the Charlie Hebdo attacks and declared that the Jews use pornographic movies to “destroy the world and control it.”

One preacher, Salman al-Audah, claimed [00:02:48] in a sermon broadcast on a major Gulf media channel in August 2012, that Jews use “human blood” for Passover matzah.

A cleric, Tareq al-Hawas, stated [00:04:11] about Jews "If only Hitler had finished them off, thus relieving humanity of them." Hawas was reportedly a member of Yusuf al-Qaradawi's International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS) in 2013.

Another cleric, Mohammed al-Arifi, proclaimed in 2012, that “one’s devotion to jihad for the sake of Allah and one’s will to shed blood, smash skulls, and chop off body parts...constitute an honor.”

On March 18, 2016, preacher Mudassir Ahmed spoke at the EC mosque, urging attendees to [00:37:47]: “Kill the infidels... Count them in number and do not spare one.”

On April 1, 2016, preacher Khalid Al-Bakr, who has expressed support for Hamas, spoke at EC’s Mosque, calling [00:36:47] for Allah to “render victorious our brothers the mujahideen...in every place” and to “guide their shooting.”

On October 30, 2015, during the “Knife Intifada,” al-Hawas used his pulpit at the EC mosque to condemn [00:30:18] “the aggressor Zionists,” adding: “Allah, Help out Islam and Muslims, humiliate the heathens; destroy the foes of the religion.” al Hawas also said: "Protect your house, Al-Aqsa mosque from the hands of the Zionist aggressors."

October 2015 saw a wave of stabbings, known as the “Knife Intifada,” where young Palestinians throughout Israel were stabbing and attempting to stab Israeli civilians. The upsurge in violence across Israel was incited by Palestinian political and religious leaders. The attacks were sparked and fueled by Palestinian leaders propagating the libel that Israel intended to desecrate the Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.

NU-Q - Al Jazeera

Since 2008, NU-Q has worked closely with the Al Jazeera Media Network (Al Jazeera). In 2013, NU-Q signed a Memorandum Of Understanding (MoU) with Al Jazeera “which deepens ties between the two organizations.”

Al Jazeera is a multinational multimedia conglomerate and parent company of the Qatari state-funded Al Jazeera. AJMN comprises an entirely state-owned network, chaired by Sheikh Hamad bin Thamer Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar.

AJMN has been repeatedly accused of slanting news reports to promote and advance the agenda of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB), as well as MB’s offshoot, the Hamas terrorist organization.

On March 13, 2013, Qatari-based news site Marhaba reported that NU-Q’s MoU with Al Jazeera aimed to “further facilitate collaboration and knowledge transfer between the two media organisations.” NU-Q’s announcement of the MoU referred to itself and Al Jazeera as “two of Qatar’s foremost media organisations.”

The MoU was created, in part, so NU faculty would provide consultations to launch Al Jazeera America (AJAM), based on NU’s “expertise in the American Media Industry.”Al Jazeera, for its part, expressed “willingness to support NU-Q students with scholarships as well as training opportunities.”

Al Jazeera launched AJAM, an American news channel, 2013. However, the channel closed in April 2016 due to low viewership and following a crisis in 2015 when CEO Ehab Al Shihabi reportedly stepped down after accusations of sexism and anti-Semitism.

NU-Q’s MoU with Al Jazeera was signed by Ahmed bin Jassim bin Mohamed Al-Thani, Qatari Minister of Economy and Commerce and Director General of Al Jazeera, as well as Everette Dennis, the Dean and CEO of NU-Q.

Since the MoU, Al Jazeera has maintained a close partnership with NU-Q, including funding NU-Q’s professorial research.

NU-Q Joint Advisory Board

Since NU-Q and Al Jazeera signed their initial MoU in 2013, NU-Q has a Joint Advisory Board (JAB), which consists of ten to eleven people; five or six positions filled by Qatari-connected members and five positions filled by Western members.

All eleven of the current or previous Qatari-connected JAB members were directly affiliated with QF, Al Jazeera or the Qatari government.

There is little information available about the role of NU-Q’s JAB. The role of the Texas A&M University, Qatar (TAMUQ) JAB was exposed by the Washington Post in a 2016 article, to include general oversight and close monitoring and review of every aspect of TAMUQ, with QF paying the JAB TAMUQ expenses.

Multiple people associated with the NU-Q’s JAB have whitewashed al-Qaradawi, including the QF CEO and JAB Co-Chair from 2008-2019, Hind bint Hamad Al-Thani, JAB 2019-2020 member and president of Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) Ahmad Hasnah, as well as JAB 2012 - 2014 member and QF Vice President of education Abdulla bin Ali Al-Thani.

Qatari State Minister, NU-Q JAB 2019-2020 member and AJ Vice Chairman Hamad Bin Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari, reportedly recommended a book that spread anti-semitism and authored an introduction praising the book. Yaser Bishr, 2017-2020 JAB member and Executive Director of digital media at Al Jazeera has demonized Israel.

Professor Rami Khouri was a Western NU-Q JAB member from 2012-2020 and a senior fellow at American University of Beirut (AUB). As of January 2020, Khouri was also an Al Jazeera contributor.

Khouri has legitimized terrorism, defended the “Knife Intifada,” has glorified violent protesters and spread anti-Israel conspiracy theories.

NU-Q - Hosting Annual Al Jazeera Speaker Series

Since the signing of the MoU in 2013, NU-Q has hosted an annual Al Jazeera Speakers Series. Thirteen of the 17 speakers who participated in the series at NU-Q from 2013-2019 have whitewashed terrorism, demonized Israel or expressed supportfor the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.

Dima Khatib, managing director of AJ+, spoke at NU-Q as part of the series on November 8, 2016. Khatib has spread anti-Semitic conspiracy theories, defended Hamas terror and whitewashed Hezbollah. She has also glorified a terrorist, demonized Israel and is a supporter of the BDS movement.

Elia Ghorbiah, a journalist at AJ’s immersive storytelling studio Contrast VR [Virtual Reality], spoke at NU-Q on November 8, 2018, as part of the series, helping to launch the NU-Q’s new Media Innovations Lab (MIL).

Ghorbiah has compared Israel to Nazi Germany, exressed support for terrorists, as well as the terrorist organization Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and urged the kidnapping of Israeli soldiers. She is also a supporter of the BDS movement.

NU-Q - Anti-Israel Middle East Studies Minor

In 2017, NU-Q launched a Middle East Studies minor in their Liberal Arts program. From 2017-2019, four of the seven members of the NU-Q’s Middle East Studies committee included anti-Israel NU-Q professors Justin Martin, Ibraham Abusharif, Khaled Hroub and Sami Hermez.

Khaled Hroub, a Professor at NU-Q who taught the 2018 and 2019 course “Islamism & Politics in the Middle East,” has reportedly whitewashed the terror group Hamas.

Sami Hermez, an NU-Q Professor who taught the 2018-2019 NU-Q courses “Anthropology of Palestine” and “Advanced Topics: Violence/Power/Resistance,” has promoted a terrorist and demonized Israel.

All of the required reading for Hermez’s “Anthropology of Palestine” course was authored by anti-Israel professors, eight of whom were activists in or supporters of the BDS movement. One of the authors, Edward Said, has advocated for the “right of return,” a Palestinian demand discredited as a means to eliminate Israel.

Justin Martin, an Associate Professor at NU-Q, has mocked America’s suffering following the 9-11 terror bombings and demonized Israel. Martin has also broadcast his desire for Qatari funding to boost the BDS movement on U.S college campuses.

Ibrahim Abusharif was an editor and Treasurer of the Quranic Literacy Institute (QLI) from 1990 to 1998. The QLI “was allegedly part of a large web of organizations and individuals that were funding terrorist groups.”

QLI, along with the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development (HLF), and the Islamic Association of Palestine, was found to have funded Hamas militant activities and therefore liable for the death of David Boim, an American citizen killed by Hamas in the West Bank. This was later reversed as it could not be proven the funds were intended to be used to kill Boim.

The minor also required students to attend two guest lectures a year, chosen by the Middle East Studies Committee.

NU-Q - Student Internships in International Media

As of January 2020, third-year NU-Q Journalism and Strategic Communication students were required to intern for ten weeks at media or public relations firms, off-campus.

In 2019, students reportedly interned at international communication firms and news outlets in Washington D.C., New York City, London, Berlin, Stockholm and Doha.

As of February 2020, news outlets where NU-Q students have interned included: BBC News, TIME Magazine, Forbes, the Washington Post, National Geographic, the Guardian, National Public Radio (NPR), the Boston Globe, USA Today, Vox, the Financial Times, the Huffington Post and VICE

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Students also interned at sports outlets, including: Sports Illustrated and ESPN, as well as fashion outlets Vogue, Cosmopolitan and Marie Claire.

NU-Q reported in 2012 that they were able to offer students residencies at prestigious media organizations “because of the high-level contacts that NU-Q faculty and staff have in the international media.”