Northwestern president dodges question on Middle East funding: ‘Not going to engage’

WASHINGTON (TND) — Northwestern University President Michael Schill appeared to dodge a question from Rep. Burgess Owens, R-Utah, Thursday about his school’s connection to funding originating with Middle Eastern countries.

The question came as Schill and the presidents of the University of California, Los Angeles and Rutgers University testified to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce on recent pro-Palestine campus protests. Northwestern was one of several school across the country where students rallied in support of Palestine.

“Yes or no,” Rep. Owens asked. “Are you aware that Qatar has given the terrorists $1.8 billion, to Hamas?”

“This is not my area of expertise,” Schill countered.

“Are you aware that the Iranian officials traveled in and out of Qatar to meet with Hamas?” the representative asked.

“This is not in my area of expertise,” Schill said again.

Rep. Owens then asked the Northwestern president whether it would be a “good idea” for his school to “partner with a government that harbors terrorist Hamas and Iranian operatives who fund terrorists.”

“I’m not going to engage in yes or no,” Schill said.

“So obviously you don’t have a problem with that,” the representative concluded.

READ MORE | California college president on leave after siding with anti-Israel protesters: ‘Painful’

As Rep. Owens began to deliver another question, Schill interrupted by saying he was “offended you are telling me what my views are.”

“I’m sorry,” the representative interjected. “My time. My time.”

The House Education Committee has been working to analyze universities in the wake of anti-Israel demonstrations. Harvard University did not implement recommendations made by its Antisemitism Advisory Group to combat prejudice against Jewish students, according to a report released by the committee last week.

“The Committee’s report proves that former President Gay and Harvard’s leadership propped up the university’s Antisemitism Advisory Group all for show,” Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., said. “Not only did the AAG find that antisemitism was a major issue on campus, it offered several recommendations on how to combat the problem—none of which were ever implemented with any real vigor.”

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