This webinar was held October 20, 2022 and led by Neetu Arnold, Senior Research Associate at the National Association of Scholars (NAS).

Middle East Studies Centers (MESC) have strayed from their mission to objectively study the Middle East and Islam, a new report from the National Association of Scholars (NAS) concludes. MESCs, which have received funds from the U.S. federal government, foreign nations, and donors, are overrun by activist faculty.

“Hijacked: The Capture of America’s Middle East Studies Centers” documents the history of MESCs and the financial arrangements that allow foreign donations to flow to American universities. America’s MESCs were originally founded to study the politics, culture, and language of Middle Eastern nations. But NAS analyses and case studies demonstrate that Middle East centers have since shifted their focus to promoting left-wing ideologies.

Neetu Arnold is a Senior Research Associate at the National Association of Scholars. Her work has focused on university finances. She is a graduate of Cornell University.