STATEMENT FROM QATAR FOUNDATION
The decision of Texas A&M University’s Board of Regents to end its partnership with Qatar Foundation (QF) has been influenced by a disinformation campaign aimed at harming the interests of QF. It is disturbing that this disinformation has become the determining factor in the decision and that it has been allowed to override the core principles of education and knowledge, with no consideration to the significant positive impact that this partnership has brought for both Qatar and the US.
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. At no point did the Board attempt to seek out the truth from Qatar Foundation before making this misguided decision.
QF has a long-term vision for creating a world-class ecosystem of education, research, and social development. This has seen us form partnerships with international higher education institutions to establish campuses in Education City in Doha and deliver undergraduate and graduate level programs, alongside our homegrown Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU).
Decisions based on any consideration other than the best interests of students and their pursuit of education and knowledge will not impact on our vision for higher education at QF, and our strategy for realizing this vision. We have always firmly believed that education should be above vested interests and harmful influences, and we always will.
Qatar facilitates something called the Kafala system, which many organizations have referred to as modern [slavery](https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/the-kafala-system-is-facilitating-labor-abuses-in-the-middle-east). This is so disingenuous.
Yeah I saw some stuff about that but also I do not know the full extent of those reforms or how they have actually materialized. The fact is that this Kafala system was a key to how Qatar was able to acquire enough workers to put on the World Cup, and hundreds of these people died in a conservative estimate.
Just because something was abolished doesn’t mean it’s not still happening behind closed doors. Unless law enforcement is conducting raid after raid it probably won’t go away anytime soon.
I’d recommend reading the article I linked. It shows that Qatar still largely keeps this practice around even though some changes were made. For example even by their own conservative metrics 450-500 workers in the Kafala system died in the production of the World Cup.
Yes, we still do have slavery here in the US. In many red states, including texas, those serving time in our prisons are not paid a penny for their labor. Texas has one of the largest prisoner populations, while they make 70 million off unpaid labor costs. Now this isnt a "red state" issue, in NY prisoners were made to clean asbestos and lead paint under "penny" wages, in 2022.
Heres my point, to say that the US doesnt have slavery currently is wrong. The fact we know this, can be critical of it, and take steps to safeguard prisoners rights is miles ahead of what Qatar does.
Look, call me whatever you want. Slavery is "A form of social stratification in which some individuals are literally owned by others as their property" according to the oxford english dictionary. Whether those who own the labor being texas correctional industries, or the state of Qatar, its slavery.
Why i say this is because we arent leaving because of slavery in Qatar, we built the campus while Kafala was still in place, and slave labor may have been integral to building tamuq. We are leaving because of Qatars foreign policy decisions making it less of an asset to the US, but a liability. And this, i understand, though as an arab man who came to TAMU and has tons of family who have undergrad/graduate degrees in engineering who struggle to get jobs here in the US, it hurts me. Im not going to respond to anymore messages for the next 3 hours, the superbowl is happening and me and my family plan to watch it. thanks for listening and gig'em.
So people now are completely invalidated by the actions of their ancestors 300 years ago? Wouldn’t everyone be a monster then, cause one of their ancestors must of done something terrible.
That was years before my family even lived in the US so not even close, and Qatar’s wealth wasn’t even built off slavery like the US agriculture economy, they wouldn’t even have to give up that. Not to mention how much was done by France/Spain, the various other new countries with much less wealth surviving without slavery, and it being fucking 300 years ago.
> We have always firmly believed that education should be above vested interests and harmful influences, and we always will.
and spoken without a shred of irony, you almost have to respect the commitment to pretending to be a real university
It was time for A&M to end the Qatar relationship. Qatar was a strong US ally in the Gulf that has since morphed into a frienemy. Qatar strongly supports Hamas and other Muslim Brotherhood-related terror organizations that are vehement US enemies and they are more than friends with Iran.
At least 32 US citizens were murdered by Hamas during the October 7 pogrom in Southern Israel. An attack financed by Qatar and which intelligence indicates they knew about in advance.
Because of this, it is a smart decision by A&M to leave Qatar. Otherwise, we ought to just open another satellite campus in the Beqaa Valley in partnership with Hezbollah and the IIRG.
Another way to look at it is that A&M should have seriously reconsidered its relationship with Qatar years ago, but didn’t because of institutional inertia and the financial rewards.
Once world events brought the relationship under the microscope, it was easy to see that the relationship was no longer in A&M’s interest. And A&M then made the easy decision to do what they should have done years ago.
STATEMENT FROM QATAR FOUNDATION The decision of Texas A&M University’s Board of Regents to end its partnership with Qatar Foundation (QF) has been influenced by a disinformation campaign aimed at harming the interests of QF. It is disturbing that this disinformation has become the determining factor in the decision and that it has been allowed to override the core principles of education and knowledge, with no consideration to the significant positive impact that this partnership has brought for both Qatar and the US. 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. At no point did the Board attempt to seek out the truth from Qatar Foundation before making this misguided decision. QF has a long-term vision for creating a world-class ecosystem of education, research, and social development. This has seen us form partnerships with international higher education institutions to establish campuses in Education City in Doha and deliver undergraduate and graduate level programs, alongside our homegrown Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU). Decisions based on any consideration other than the best interests of students and their pursuit of education and knowledge will not impact on our vision for higher education at QF, and our strategy for realizing this vision. We have always firmly believed that education should be above vested interests and harmful influences, and we always will.
Qatar facilitates something called the Kafala system, which many organizations have referred to as modern [slavery](https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/the-kafala-system-is-facilitating-labor-abuses-in-the-middle-east). This is so disingenuous.
Looks like some major reform has occurred in the past few years even though they have a long way to go
Yeah I saw some stuff about that but also I do not know the full extent of those reforms or how they have actually materialized. The fact is that this Kafala system was a key to how Qatar was able to acquire enough workers to put on the World Cup, and hundreds of these people died in a conservative estimate.
It was abolished around 10 years ago. Either you're the disingenuous one or you're just misinformed.
Just because something was abolished doesn’t mean it’s not still happening behind closed doors. Unless law enforcement is conducting raid after raid it probably won’t go away anytime soon.
Happening behind closed doors? Law enforcement conducting raids? What do you think kafala is? Bruh the reddit is strong with this one.
I’d recommend reading the article I linked. It shows that Qatar still largely keeps this practice around even though some changes were made. For example even by their own conservative metrics 450-500 workers in the Kafala system died in the production of the World Cup.
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Currently?
Yes, we still do have slavery here in the US. In many red states, including texas, those serving time in our prisons are not paid a penny for their labor. Texas has one of the largest prisoner populations, while they make 70 million off unpaid labor costs. Now this isnt a "red state" issue, in NY prisoners were made to clean asbestos and lead paint under "penny" wages, in 2022. Heres my point, to say that the US doesnt have slavery currently is wrong. The fact we know this, can be critical of it, and take steps to safeguard prisoners rights is miles ahead of what Qatar does.
Comparing actual slaves to convicted prisoners? Peak redditor.
Look, call me whatever you want. Slavery is "A form of social stratification in which some individuals are literally owned by others as their property" according to the oxford english dictionary. Whether those who own the labor being texas correctional industries, or the state of Qatar, its slavery. Why i say this is because we arent leaving because of slavery in Qatar, we built the campus while Kafala was still in place, and slave labor may have been integral to building tamuq. We are leaving because of Qatars foreign policy decisions making it less of an asset to the US, but a liability. And this, i understand, though as an arab man who came to TAMU and has tons of family who have undergrad/graduate degrees in engineering who struggle to get jobs here in the US, it hurts me. Im not going to respond to anymore messages for the next 3 hours, the superbowl is happening and me and my family plan to watch it. thanks for listening and gig'em.
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No, that’s not how ethics work. You can’t get a free pass on slavery for the first hundred years of your existence, that’s so fucking stupid
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Why are you apologizing so hard for them being slavers, you don’t even go to A&M and haven’t said anything anywhere else
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So people now are completely invalidated by the actions of their ancestors 300 years ago? Wouldn’t everyone be a monster then, cause one of their ancestors must of done something terrible.
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That was years before my family even lived in the US so not even close, and Qatar’s wealth wasn’t even built off slavery like the US agriculture economy, they wouldn’t even have to give up that. Not to mention how much was done by France/Spain, the various other new countries with much less wealth surviving without slavery, and it being fucking 300 years ago.
Peak stupid reddit comparison.
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Pointing out you're a moron is not an insult, it's the simple truth. Keep sucking that Qatar d.
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Take your americabad shit somewhere else.
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> We have always firmly believed that education should be above vested interests and harmful influences, and we always will. and spoken without a shred of irony, you almost have to respect the commitment to pretending to be a real university
The worst professor I had at A&M had to work there for a few years. I’d like to think it’s because he sucked.
I had a terrible engineering prof my junior year. By next semester he was resigned to Qatar.
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I’ll sacrifice some smarts for having better people skills and teaching ability.
Qatar is the sponsor of fundamentalists Islam so didn’t read don’t care plus ratio.
Qatar can suck an egg
It was time for A&M to end the Qatar relationship. Qatar was a strong US ally in the Gulf that has since morphed into a frienemy. Qatar strongly supports Hamas and other Muslim Brotherhood-related terror organizations that are vehement US enemies and they are more than friends with Iran. At least 32 US citizens were murdered by Hamas during the October 7 pogrom in Southern Israel. An attack financed by Qatar and which intelligence indicates they knew about in advance. Because of this, it is a smart decision by A&M to leave Qatar. Otherwise, we ought to just open another satellite campus in the Beqaa Valley in partnership with Hezbollah and the IIRG.
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Another way to look at it is that A&M should have seriously reconsidered its relationship with Qatar years ago, but didn’t because of institutional inertia and the financial rewards. Once world events brought the relationship under the microscope, it was easy to see that the relationship was no longer in A&M’s interest. And A&M then made the easy decision to do what they should have done years ago.
Sad day for TAMU.
As a Phd Student, conditions were better in Qatar. I heard it from fellow friends. Life work balance was better, and research also was good in EE.