The Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law urged the United States Department of Justice to look into a Georgetown University initiative’s alleged ties to Qatar, which it says violates the Foreign Agents Registration Act.
The Washington Free Beacon, a conservative-leaning newspaper, reported on May 5 that a contract between an “Islamophobia initiative” at Georgetown and Qatar — where Georgetown operates a satellite campus — includes a clause that requires the university to consult with a Qatari government group when selecting speakers and themes for events in Washington, D.C.
The contract details a $630,000 grant from Qatar’s foreign ministry to Georgetown’s Bridge Initiative, a multiyear research project on Islamophobia housed in Georgetown University.
Signed in June 2024, the contract stipulates that Qatar will make three payments of $210,000 to the Bridge Initiative from 2024 to 2026. In order to receive the money, Georgetown agreed to “consult with” a Qatari group, the Islam and Muslims Initiative, when choosing themes and speakers for Islamophobia-related conferences and events.
“When we read the contract … we felt that under the definition of the FARA statute, there was concern by the Brandeis Center, and we [were] concern[ed] that they had not registered the contract with the Department of Justice under FARA,” Rachel Balaban, senior litigation counsel at the Brandeis Center, told Washington Jewish Week.
FARA is a United States law that mandates public disclosure requirements on those representing foreign interests — they must register with the DOJ.
The Brandeis Center team sent a letter on May 7 to Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and the DOJ’s FARA Unit, making them aware of the contract in question, explaining why the Brandeis Center staff believe this could constitute a relationship between a foreign principal and a foreign agent under the definitions of FARA, and calling for “more thorough investigation” of Georgetown, according to Balaban.
“What’s the relationship between the two, and is there foreign influence over information that’s being disseminated to the general public, to the American public?” Balaban asked.
The Bridge Initiative’s stated purpose is research and content addressing Islamophobia. Balaban wonders if there’s more.
“Under FARA, it’s important to look at whether what they’re doing is solely an activity for scholastic or academic pursuit, or is there something more there?” she said. “Is there foreign influence to promote and advance a public or political interest of a foreign country such as Qatar?”
She added that the American public has the right to know if there is foreign influence shaping an event on American soil. “The core issue is that there needs to be transparency and visibility about the fact that there is that foreign influence,” Balaban said. “That’s what FARA is there for, so it’s not a secret relationship.”
With proper transparency, the American public can attend a foreign-influenced conference or event with the awareness of foreign influence, and “they have the ability to evaluate, decide for their own what they’re hearing and make a decision as to how they want to take that information in,” Balaban said.
That transparency is key to ensuring that Americans are informed, she added. Balaban said everyone should be concerned about this issue, particularly the Jewish community.
“From the Brandeis Center’s [perspective], we believe that it is a concern to have foreign influence being used in a way that could further antisemitism, both on Georgetown’s campus and in the U.S. as a whole,” Balaban said.
Georgetown’s Bridge Initiative has hosted, promoted or defended several individuals who have stirred controversy due to their anti-Israel views, the Free Beacon reported. Imam Omar Suleiman was named by Israel as one of the “top 10 prominent antisemitic influencers” in 2025 for “disseminating anti-Israel narratives.”
In October 2025, Bridge Initiative advisory board member Dalia Mogahed posted an Instagram reel by content creator Lucas Febraro with the caption, “Israel cannot fight the world. You are the world. Keep up the good work …”
Brooklyn Imam Siraj Wahhaj was named an unindicted co-conspirator in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, but was never charged in the case and has denied any wrongdoing.
“Based on what we’ve seen, we have a real concern there,” Balaban said of the contract between the Bridge Initiative and Qatar. “We think that that needs to be looked at more closely. Because if there is messaging from speakers who have antisemitic viewpoints that they are espousing, that could lead to antisemitic conduct on campus.”
Georgetown’s Bridge Initiative did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“We filed our letter and … we’re leaving it in the hands of the Department of Justice to scrutinize more carefully the relationship between Qatar and the Bridge Initiative and what’s really happening there behind the scenes,” Balaban said.
