How an Iranian front group infiltrated 41 US universities

Posted July 19, 2017 01:14 PM by Jordan Schachtel

URL of the original posting site: https://www.conservativereview.com/articles/how-an-iranian-front-group-infiltrated-41-us-universities/

College lecturer | Lazarev | Getty Images

An Islamic “charity” recently convicted of acting as a front group for the regime in Iran has financed and installed Iran-friendly professors and curriculums at 44 universities across North America – and 41 of those schools are located in the United States.

In late June, a New York jury ruled that the Alavi Foundation is directly linked to the Iranian regime, allowing the feds to seize the Manhattan building that provided revenue for the organization’s nationwide influence operations. Prosecutors called the conviction the “largest terrorism-related civil forfeiture in United States history.”

Alavi used a multi-pronged approach to embed itself into American society. From financing pro-Tehran Shiite cultural centers and mosques to donating heavily to the infamous Clinton Foundation, the regime-connected outfit sought to win over hearts and minds in its clandestine efforts.

A primary focus of the foundation continues to be installing Iran-friendly professors and curriculums into American universities. Over the past few years, the Alavi Foundation has increased its college and university financing efforts by about 50 percent.

Alavi claims that its goal is simply to “offer courses on Persian language, Iranian studies and the Islamic culture with a focus on Shiite studies.” However, analysts continue to note that several programs connected to Alavi involve controversial pro-Tehran professors and a morally obtuse curriculum.

From 2013 to 2016, the Alavi foundation’s academic funding efforts exploded from 30 to 44 colleges and universities in North America. Over 90 percent of recipients are United States schools.

The following institutions receive grants from the Alavi Foundation, according to one of its 2016 fundraising appeals:

Bard College; Boston University; Brandeis University; Columbia University; Drew University; Eastern Mennonite University; George Mason University; Hartford Seminary; Harvard University; Harvard University Law School; Lake Forest University; Sacred Heart University; University of Chicago; Binghamton University; Cal State, Fullerton; Cal State, Los Angeles; Cal State, Northridge; Carleton University (Canada); City College of New York; Concordia University; Georgia State University; CUNY Hunter College; Kutztown University; McGill University (Canada); Ohio State University; Portland State University; Rutgers University; San Diego State University; Temple University; University of Alberta (Canada); University of Arizona; University of California, Berkeley; University of California, Los Angeles; University of Florida; University of Maryland; University of Michigan; University of Southern California; University of Texas, Austin; University of Utah; University of Virginia; University of Wisconsin, Madison; University of Pennsylvania; Utah State University.

Alavi has entered into a cost-sharing agreement with many of these universities, facilitating deals that support the hiring of tenure-track professors. One such report found that these professors are “sympathetic to the Iranian dictatorship.”

It may not come as a shock — given what we now know about the extent of the pro-Tehran group — that many of the professors supported by Alavi-backed programming have pursued a radically pro-Tehran agenda.

Rutgers professor Hooshang Amirahmadi is the leader of the American Iranian Council, a group that has offered support for the Hamas and Hezbollah terrorist organizations, according to the New York Post.

University of Maryland research scholar Ebrahim Mohseni produced a much-disputed poll that showed wide support for Iran’s extremely anti-Semitic former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Over at Harvard University, visiting scholar Ali Akbar Alikhani penned a white paper calling for a world governed by the Quran. He also wrote a book review on “the Jewish threat” to other world religions.

Moreover, the foundation poured $100,000 into Columbia University’s coffers after the NYC school agreed to host former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

During the heated debate over whether the U.S. should sign on to a nuclear agreement with Iran, the National Iranian American Council (which has its own extensive links to the regime) published a pro-Iran-deal letter endorsed by 73 “Middle East and International Relations Scholars.” Coincidentally or not, dozens of professors on the list came from institutions that received Alavi Foundation money.

These are but a handful of the “success” stories on college campuses funded by the Alavi Foundation’s academic grants. Given the group’s alleged connections to Iran’s sophisticated intelligence apparatus, it’s quite possible that its campaigns have had alarming, extensive success in winning over the hearts and minds of college students.

Now that Alavi has been ruled a front for the Iranian regime, it’s unclear what will become of its programming inside dozens of American universities. The seized Manhattan skyscraper acted as the major revenue stream for the foundation’s efforts throughout the nation, and it’s unclear whether the group can sustain its funding while going through serious legal proceedings.

For years, the Alavi Foundation funneled cash through a regime that hosts Friday prayers ending in “Death to America.” Now that Alavi has been exposed, only time will tell whether the 41 U.S. institutions will continue to act in a morally bankrupt manner and continue to accept dirty money from a front group forwarding the agenda of an enemy nation.

Schachtel is the national security correspondent for Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter @JordanSchachtel.