Georgetown University’s Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding (ACMCU) has come under scrutiny following a Washington Free Beacon report accusing it of having a “long history of terror-supporting leaders” and advancing Islamist causes.
Critics, including Middle East experts, argue that the center shields Islam from criticism while targeting Western and Israeli interests. Andrew Harrod of the Middle East Forum said faculty and funding sources have compromised its scholarship, reducing it to “one-sided diatribes against the West and Israel.”
He also accused the center of whitewashing Islam, pointing to incidents such as Professor Jonathan AC Brown’s removal from his post after a controversial pro-Iran, anti-American statement.
Founding director John Esposito, however, defends the center’s mission, saying it was created in 1993 to combat anti-Islam sentiment after the Gulf War. He explained that supporters feared Islam would be viewed as a new global threat and wanted to counter negative perceptions.
