Georgetown University Awards Medal to Qatari Royal Who Praised October 7 Mastermind

According to an analysis published by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) on 18 April 2025, Georgetown University awarded a medal to Sheikha Moza bint Nasser — the mother of Qatar's Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani — despite her reported praise of Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas leader described as the mastermind of the October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel. FDD criticizes Georgetown for honoring a figure who, according to the report, eulogized Sinwar with the words 'They thought him dead but he lives… they will be gone.' The analysis argues that by bestowing such an honor on Sheikha Moza, a prominent academic institution lent legitimacy to a figure linked to extremist rhetoric and Hamas-aligned narratives. According to FDD, the award reflects the broader influence of Qatari funding on Western academic institutions, and illustrates how Qatari soft power is used to rehabilitate the image of figures with documented extremist associations. The report calls on universities to scrutinize the records of those they honor and to weigh the implications of accepting funding from states accused of supporting extremist movements. The allegations are as reported by the source and reflect FDD's editorial analysis.