Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Va., questioned the integrity of Saudi Arabian Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal's $20 million donation for the Prince Alwaleed Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at Georgetown University in a publicly released letter to Georgetown Feb. 14, according to The Washington Post.
Alwaleed, a member of the Saudi royal family, is an entrepreneur and investor who owns major portions of stock in Apple, Citigroup, Motorola, News Corp and other U.S. companies. Forbes magazine ranked him as the 13th richest person in the world in 2007.
Wolf had been wary of Saudi Arabia as a supporter of Muslim extremists, according to the letter. He requested information from Georgetown about how the donation would affect the center's teaching and scholarship, according to Georgetown's student newspaper The Hoya.
Alwaleed is a moderate voice within Saudi Arabia, said AU Muslim Student Association President Sarah Swick.
"I fear that this congressman is really out of place because we really need a moderate voice in the Muslim world," she said. "He's criticizing this moderate voice, and I think it's ignorant on his part."
The Muslim Student Association does not receive a great deal of funding from overseas or nearby religious organizations, Swick said.
"If Prince Alwaleed - this prince - wanted to donate money [to AU], I would say 'Yes, please do,'" she said. "In fact, I have encouraged [the Kay Spiritual Life Center] to look into his funding a new spiritual center."
School of International Service professor Leila Piran said she hoped no one would question the motives of a research and study center.
"In this case, the Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding has a clear mandate and proven track record for inter-religious dialogue and peace in such a crucial time in our history where war reigns supreme," she said. "Diplomacy as an option is not taken very seriously."
Wolf is displaying and promoting Islamophobia, said Julia Moon, a freshman in the Kogod School of Business.
"We don't criticize Jewish people for giving donations to synagogues, so why are we criticizing a prince of Saudi Arabia, who is Muslim, for donating money to his own faith?" she said. "If someone is willing to support their people - people who are promoting their own faith - it's a good deed, especially since they are guaranteed by the First Amendment."
Wolf's actions are clearly an example of Islamophobia, said Emily Prince, a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences.
"[Wolf] associated all Saudi Arabians with one group that were allegedly funding extremists," she said.
