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Haute Qatar: Sheikha Moza’s Glamour Masks Doha’s Vices
Sheikha Mozah in the 5th Global Forum, 2013. Photo: Wiki Commons.
Sheikha Moza Bint Nasser is revered as a champion of education, sustainability, fashion, and art. The glamorous female face of the Qatar regime — and the mother of its current emir — presents herself as a modern face of a traditional, conservative Gulf state.
Yet behind her polished exterior lies a much darker reality: Sheikha Moza exemplifies Qatar’s strategy of using progressive initiatives to obscure its role in regional instability. Unfortunately, First Lady Jill Biden succumbed to this ruse on Saturday during a trip to Qatar, where she praised Sheikha Moza.
After thanking Qatar for its “leadership” and “vital role” in the world at the Doha Forum, an annual gathering of world leaders in Qatar, Jill Biden said, “I appreciate Her Highness Sheikha Moza’s leadership in an area we both deeply care about: education.”
What Biden may not realize, however, is that Qatar and the United States invest in education for dramatically different reasons.
Sheikha Moza is the co-founder and chairwoman of the Qatar Foundation, a non-profit that the Qatari royal family established in 1995. The foundation’s flagship initiative is Education City, a sprawling academic campus in Doha that houses satellite branches of six American universities. The Qatar Foundation promotes Education City as a hub for learning and innovation. Yet the campus contributes to the foundation’s deeper role in Qatar’s global influence campaign. Often, that influence comes in the form of promoting radical Islamist rhetoric and ideology.
Take the case of Georgetown University. Georgetown opened a campus in Education City (GU-Q) in 2005. Last year, GU-Q launched a conference series to convene “scholars, policymakers, diplomats, and government officials” to ponder “a wide range of global and regional issues.” But the latest installment of the so-called Hiwaraat (“Dialogues”) conference series, which took place in September 2024, featured the likes of Wadah Khanfar, the former managing director of Al Jazeera. In May 2024, Khanfar praised Hamas’ massacre of October 7, 2023, and, according to unverified reports, also served as a local Hamas operative in Africa during the 1990s.
And Qatar isn’t reaping only political influence from its partnerships with American universities. Texas A&M’s contract with the Qatar Foundation states that the foundation “own[s]the entire right, title, and interest in all Technology and Intellectual property developed at TAMUQ,” which includes projects involving cutting-edge scientific research. In February 2024, Texas A&M announced that it will close its Qatar campus by 2028, stating that “the core mission of Texas A&M should be advanced primarily within Texas and the United States.”
For Doha, championing education is not simply an act of altruism. It is a strategic weapon that corrupts American institutions while whitewashing Qatar’s image. Qatar also exercises this strategy outside the realm of education, sinking its wealth into global causes that enhance Doha’s reputation, particularly through Sheikha Moza’s various roles at the United Nations.
Since the late 1990s, Sheikha Moza has held several UN positions, including UNESCO’s special envoy for basic and higher education, and ambassador to the UN’S Alliance of Civilizations. These appointments have helped her bolster Doha’s international reputation while shielding the emirate from critique for its controversial and problematic activities.
For example, Sheikha Moza eulogized Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar — the architect of Hamas’ October 7 slaughter — in a little-noticed tweet days after his death. Under the leadership of her son, Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Tamim Al-Thani, Qatar has pumped more than one-billion dollars into Hamas run-Gaza since 2012, all while sheltering the terror group’s senior leaders.
Meanwhile, Qatar has perpetuated human rights abuses at home. The US State Department’s 2023 Country Report on Human Rights Practices in Qatar noted “credible reports of: enforced disappearance; arbitrary arrest; political prisoners; serious restrictions on free expression,” and “extensive gender-based violence.”
Sheikha Moza’s patronage of the arts and fashion is another facet of her deceptive public persona. She is often seen wearing haute couture — with specific alterations to meet Qatar’s modesty rules, of course. She is also the honorary chair of Fashion Trust Arabia, which describes itself as “a non-profit organization that provides financial support, guidance and mentorships to emerging designers from across the MENA.”
At the royal wedding of Jordan’s Prince Al-Hussein bin Abdullah II in June 2023, Sheikha Moza wore a vintage Valentino evening coat paired with satin Valentino pumps. In September 2023, she donned a sleek, haute couture Valentino gown while meeting with the first lady of Turkey. These outfits elicited adulation in acclaimed fashion magazines. What the glamorous photos don’t show, however, is that Mayhoola, a Qatari investment firm tied to the royal family, is the majority owner of Valentino.
Indeed, as with education, luxury fashion is an outlet for Qatari economic largesse. Mayhoola also owns French fashion house Balmain. Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund — the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) — purchased British luxury retailer Harrod’s in 2010 for 1.5 billion pounds, and once owned approximately 10 percent of luxury jeweler Tiffany & Co. QIA sold its Tiffany shares in 2021 to Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy (LVMH) — the French fashion conglomerate in which Qatar holds a 1.03 percent stake.
Sheikha Moza’s curated image is a masterclass in public relations. Through her efforts, Sheikha Moza serves as a Trojan horse for Doha’s adversarial and hostile agenda. The contrast between a nation presenting itself as a beacon of progress and reform while engaging in corruption, perpetuating regressive policies, and embracing terrorism is stark. Washington should regard the Qatari government accordingly.
Natalie Ecanow and Mariam Wahba are research analysts at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Follow them on X @NatalieEcanow and @themariamwahba.
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Surge of Antisemitic Incidents Rocks France Amid Growing Security Concerns
The Paris Holocaust Memorial, three synagogues, and a Jewish restaurant were all vandalized with green paint last weekend. Photo: Screenshot
France has been hit by a wave of antisemitic incidents in recent days, despite increased security at Jewish sites nationwide following last month’s antisemitic shooting in Washington, DC — prompting urgent calls from the country’s Jewish community for stronger government action amid growing fears of escalating violence.
On Friday, a French rabbi was violently assaulted by three drunken individuals in the town of Deauville, located in the Normandy region of northwestern France.
According to local police, Rabbi Eli Lemel — a prominent figure in French Jewry — was attacked around 3:30 pm by three men who approached him, repeatedly punched him in the stomach, and shouted antisemitic slurs.
French authorities have launched an investigation into the assault, but no arrests have been made so far.
After the incident, Lemel called on the Jewish community to draw spiritual strength amid the increasing hostility that Jews are facing across France.
“I’m deeply moved by the outpouring of support following the attack. Thank God, I’m okay,” the Jewish leader wrote in a post on X. “I was struck and verbally abused in a language I didn’t understand.”
In a separate incident, a 21-year-old man was arrested on Saturday after climbing a synagogue in the town of Conflans-Sainte-Honorine in north-central France, removing an Israeli flag from its façade, and attempting to set it on fire.
According to local media, the suspect — who was already known to authorities for prior offenses — confessed to committing the attack and admitted to being intoxicated at the time.
French police confirmed that the man is being charged with trespassing in a place of worship, theft by climbing, and causing damage to property on religious grounds.
The local Jewish community has voiced deep concern following this incident, viewing it as part of a broader surge in hostility targeting Jewish institutions across France.
Sandrine Dos Santos, the city’s mayor, expressed “[her] solidarity, as well as that of the city, toward the Jewish community directly targeted by these unacceptable antisemitic acts.”
“Faced with the increase in violence, our commitment against discrimination remains unwavering and will not waver. We repeat it loud and clear: no form of racism or rejection of others has a place in Poissy,” the French leader said.
In a separate incident on Saturday, three Serbs were arrested near Antibes in southeastern France, suspected of painting several Jewish community buildings green in Paris — an act currently under investigation as possible foreign interference.
Last weekend, the Paris Holocaust Memorial, three synagogues, and a Jewish restaurant were all vandalized with green paint in an incident denounced by the French government.
On Monday, an elementary school in Lyon, east-central France, was set on fire and defaced with antisemitic and pro-Palestinian slogans, as well as swastikas, marking one of the latest antisemitic incidents to impact France in recent days.
As the school had no direct connections to the Jewish community, local police have launched an investigation to determine the motive behind the attack.
French authorities reported that the fire was limited to the outdoor bathrooms, causing no significant damage to the school. They also found antisemitic graffiti and swastikas in three classrooms.
Yonathan Arfi, president of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions of France (CRIF), denounced the attack, saying that “the Palestinian cause is used as justification for burning down a school” and that the “Nazification of Israel serves as fuel for crass antisemitism.”
“When a populist pro-Palestinian narrative is allowed to take hold, it is French Jews who ultimately pay the price,” Arfi wrote in a post on X. “The twisted use of the Palestinian cause is turning into a rallying cry of hatred against both Jews and the Republic itself.”
Voilà où nous en sommes !
La cause palestinienne sert de justification pour incendier une école
Quand on laisse gagner un discours populiste propalestinien, ce sont les Français juifs qui en paient le prix.… https://t.co/dMaQBnbfqi
— Yonathan Arfi (@Yonathan_Arfi) June 1, 2025
Beyond France, other European countries have also experienced a surge in antisemitic incidents in recent weeks.
On Monday, several headstones were vandalized at a Jewish cemetery in a suburb of Belgrade, located in north-central Serbia, marking the second such incident in the country in recent weeks.
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US Vetoes UN Security Council Demand for Gaza Ceasefire
Smoke rises from Gaza after an explosion, as seen from Israel, June 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Amir Cohen
The United States vetoed a UN Security Council demand on Wednesday for an “immediate, unconditional, and permanent ceasefire” between Israel and Palestinian terrorist group Hamas in Gaza and unhindered aid access across the enclave.
“The United States has been clear we would not support any measure that fails to condemn Hamas and does not call for Hamas to disarm and leave Gaza,” Acting US Ambassador to the UN Dorothy Shea told the council before the vote.
“This resolution would undermine diplomatic efforts to reach a ceasefire that reflects the realities on the ground, and embolden Hamas,” she said of the text that was put forward by 10 countries on the 15-member council.
The remaining 14 council members voted in favor of the draft resolution.
Israel has rejected calls for an unconditional or permanent ceasefire, saying Hamas cannot stay in Gaza. It has renewed its military offensive in Gaza – also seeking to free hostages held by Hamas – since ending a two-month ceasefire in March.
The war in Gaza has raged since 2023 after Hamas terrorists killed 1,200 people in Israel in an Oct. 7 attack and took some 250 hostages back to the enclave.
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Trump Picks Lawyer Who Called Oct. 7 Attack a ‘Psyop’ to Lead Federal Watchdog Agency
Paul Ingrassia. Photo: Screenshot
Paul Ingrassia, a 29-year-old lawyer who was recently nominated by US President Donald Trump to lead a federal agency dedicated to combating corruption and protecting whistleblowers, seemingly dismissed the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2o23, invasion of and massacre across southern Israel as a “psyop,” or “psychological operation, in resurfaced social media posts.
“This ‘war’ is yet another psyop to distract Americans from celebrating Columbus Day,” Ingrassia wrote on X/Twitter on Oct. 8, 2023.
“I think we could all admit at this stage that Israel/Palestine, much like Ukraine before it, and BLM before that, and covid/vaccine before that, was another psyop,” he posted a week later. “But sadly, people fell for it. And they’ll fall for the next one too.”
On the actual day of the Oct. 7 massacre, Ingrassia compared illegal immigration into the US to the Hamas-led onslaught.
“The amount of energy everyone has put into condemning Hamas (and prior to that, the Ukraine conflict) over the past 24 hours should be the same amount of energy we put into condemning our wide open border, which is a war comparable to the attack on Israel in terms of bloodshed — but made worse by the fact that it’s occurring in our very own backyard,” he posted. “We shouldn’t be beating the war drum, however tragic the events may be overseas, until we resolve our domestic problems first.”
Trump announced last week that he picked Ingrassia to serve as head of the US Office of Special Counsel, a position that requires confirmation by the Senate.
The Office of Special Counsel is an independent federal ethics agency that works to ensure fairness and accountability within the government. Ingrassia’s role, if he is confirmed, would involve investigating claims of wrongdoing, such as retaliation against whistleblowers or improper political activity in the workplace. The official can recommend disciplinary action and reports serious findings to Congress, helping to protect federal employees and uphold the integrity of the civil service system.
Ingrassia also maintains a relationship with and defends alleged sex trafficker Andrew Tate, who has promoted antisemitic conspiracy theories on social media. Tate wrote on X/Twitter that he refuses to “listen to women, Mexicans, or Jews” and that Jewish people are “subverting Western populations into mass genetic suicide” by advancing what he described as misguided immigration policy. Tate has also accused Israel of committing a “genocide” in Gaza against Palestinians and engaged in Holocaust denialism.
The furor surrounding Ingrassia is the latest dustup the Trump administration has had regarding controversial personnel and antisemitism.
The Trump administration’s appointment of Kingsley Wilson as deputy press secretary at the Department of Defense also sparked widespread criticism due to her history of promoting antisemitic conspiracy theories and extremist views. Wilson, formerly associated with the Center for Renewing America, has a documented history of social media posts endorsing white supremacist ideologies, including claims about the 1915 lynching of Leo Frank — a Jewish man whose wrongful conviction and subsequent murder galvanized the founding of the Anti-Defamation League. In 2023, she tweeted that Frank “raped & murdered a 13-year-old girl,” a statement aligning with neo-Nazi narratives.
Late last month, the Pentagon announced that Wilson will be promoted and serve as the department’s new press secretary.
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