A bombshell new report has uncovered further evidence that participants in anti-Israel protests on U.S. campuses are receiving financial compensation, and the organization at the center of the funding has historical ties to Canada.
Funding for Campus Agitation
Investigative reporting, including from the New York Post, has previously indicated that hard-left groups have been financing protesters. Organizations like Students for Justice in Palestine and the Campaign for Palestinian Rights, funded by figures such as George Soros, have been implicated. Reports suggest campus organizers, or "fellows," could earn nearly US$4,000 per week for their efforts.
The latest revelation, reported by the Post's Isabel Vincent, focuses on the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). The Muslim nonprofit has been awarding thousands of dollars to students disciplined for their roles in anti-Israel agitation following the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attacks.
Through its "Champions of Justice Fund," CAIR provided financial support to students at universities like Harvard, Columbia, and the University of Pennsylvania who lost scholarships, housing, or other support due to their protest activities. In California alone, over $100,000 was raised for this purpose.
The Canadian Connection
The story takes a significant turn for Canadian readers with the disclosure of CAIR's cross-border links. For more than a decade, the Ottawa-based National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) operated under the name CAIR-CAN.
According to a sworn 2003 affidavit by its former board chair, Sheema Khan, CAIR-CAN was a direct chapter of the U.S.-based CAIR. Khan testified that "CAIR United States had direct control over the charter and quality of the Canadian chapter." Furthermore, David Harris, the former Chief of Strategic Planning for CSIS, testified before a House of Commons committee that CAIR-CAN made payments to the U.S. parent organization from its revenue.
When CAIR-CAN rebranded to the NCCM in 2013, the organization stated, "We remain the same organization." The NCCM is a powerful lobbying group that has received tens of millions in funding from the federal Liberal government over the years.
Scrutiny and Official Response
These revelations have sparked official action and criticism. Texas Governor Greg Abbott has directed a criminal investigation into CAIR to identify and disrupt organizations he alleges are engaged in terrorist activities. CAIR has rejected these claims and launched a lawsuit against the governor.
Adding to the scrutiny, a report from the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy (ISGAP) alleges that the Canadian federal government has provided financial support to entities with ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. The report criticizes the NCCM for promoting "radical ideology," though it does not claim CAIR received direct funding from the Brotherhood.
In response, NCCM spokesman Steven Zhou categorically rejected the ISGAP report's suggestions, calling them "nonsensical and false." Zhou emphasized that the NCCM is an independent Canadian organization and that the narratives are recycled, discredited, and bigoted tropes against Muslim Canadians.
