Qatar and Extremism
Qatari citizens fundraise and finance terrorists.
Qatar, Turkey, Iran, and Syria
Qatari maintains alliances with Dangerous Regimes.
Qatar’s U.S. Influence Operation
Qatar conducts major influence operations in the United States.
Reports and Supporting Materials
Qatar’s long track record of supporting extremist organizations is well documented.
Qatar’s Long History of Extremist Support
1992-1996
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, “mastermind” of the September 11 attacks, works for the Qatari government
Nov. 1996
Satellite news channel Al Jazeera begins broadcasting. It is owned by the government of Qatar.
2001
Authorities detain Ahmed Hikmat Shakir, a 9/11 hijacker, who had been working in Doha at the Ministry of Islamic Affairs and Endowments.
2005
Qatar and Al Qaeda reportedly renew financial deal initially reached in 2003 for protection against Al Qaeda attacks.
Jan. 2009
Yusuf al-Qaradawi, broadcast sermons on Al Jazeera urging the killing of Jews and describing the Holocaust as “divine punishment.”2009
US State Department cables describe Qatar as the Middle East's "worst" participant in counterterrorism efforts
2010
Qatari government funds construction of $1.2 million mosque in Yemen for Sheikh Abdel Wahab al-Humayqani. The US government has since designated al-Humayqani as a fundraiser for Al Qaeda.
2012
Al-Nusra Front, Al Qaeda’s arm in Syria, began visiting Doha in 2012 for meetings with senior Qatari military officials and financiers.
June 2012
Qatar’s Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs invited Hajjaj al-Ajmi, a US designated funder of terrorism, to speak at a fundraising event.
Oct. 2012
Qatar pledges $400 million to Hamas during Qatari Emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani’s visit to the Gaza, the first head of state to visit since Hamas took control in 2007.
Dec. 2012
Long time Al Jazeera Berlin correspondent says the network’s reporting is precisely aligned with Qatari foreign policy.
Jan. 2013
Qatar doubles its financial aid to the Egyptian government of President Mohammed Morsi with $2.5 billion.
July 2013
Staff at Al Jazeera in Cairo resign to protest coverage biased towards the Muslim Brotherhood.
Dec. 2013
US Department of Treasury sanctions several Qatari nationals for financing terrorism.
Mar. 2014
Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Bahrain withdraw ambassadors from Qatar due to increasing frustrations over extremist support.
July 2014
Nabil al-Awadhy, a fundraiser for groups close to Al-Nusra Front, was the featured lecturer in Qatar at a Ramadan festival.
Sep. 2014
US Department of Treasury designates 12 foreign terrorist facilitators with links to Qatar.2015
US Department of State releases report, which states “entities and individuals within Qatar continue to serve as a source of financial support” for terrorist groups.Aug. 2015
US Department of Treasury officially designates and sanctions two Qatari nationals as major facilitators of the Al-Nusra Front and Al Qaeda.
2017
Qatar paid up to $1bn in ransom payments to blacklisted forces in the Middle East in a hostage deal.May 2017
Al Jazeera English tweets an anti-Semitic cartoon commenting on climate change.
Featured Articles
DOJ orders Al Jazeera platform to register as foreign agent
September 16, 2020 | CNN
The Justice Department ordered an Al Jazeera online news platform based in the US to register as a foreign agent on Monday, declaring that the outlet is “an agent of the Government of Qatar,” according to a letter from the Justice Department obtained by CNN. Read more at CNN
Report Concerning Qatar’s Al Jazeera Media Network & The Foreign Agents Registration Act
July 8, 2020 | Ileana Ros-Lehtinen
Read the full report here.
U.S. Higher Education Has a Foreign Money Problem
February 19, 2020 | Bloomberg
The federal government is asking Harvard University about money it has received from foreign governments, such as China, Iran, Russia, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. A similar letter went to Yale. The allegation is that these schools may have accepted these donations without reporting them, as is required by law, and the matter is especially sensitive because such […]