Arab media is reporting that the The World Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY) is sponsoring 1,000 Palestinian students at the Islamic University in Gaza, an institution associated with Hamas. According a report in the Arab News:
The office of the World Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY) in Makkah province is sponsoring 1,000 Palestinian students at the Islamic University in Gaza, said Mohammed Al-Ghamdi, head of the committee for providing emergency relief for the people of Gaza.“The sponsorship of a single student costs the organization $1,000,” Al-Ghamdi said, adding that the Palestinian students, receiving WAMY scholarships, are attending courses in engineering, medicine, computer science, business administration, education and sciences. Al-Ghamdi made the statement while attending a ceremony at WAMY headquarters in Jeddah to honor its officials who worked for Gaza relief. Jamal Al-Khodari, head of the Popular Committee to Confront the Israeli Siege, commended the support of Saudi Arabia and its people to the Palestinians. He also praised WAMY’s relief work for the people of Gaza. “All relief assistance provided by this charitable organization has reached the hands of deserving people in Palestine,” Al-Khodari told the gathering. “About 50 percent of university students in Palestine, especially those at the Islamic University in Gaza, are unable to pay their fees,” he said.
According to a recent report, The Islamic University of Gaza (IUG) was founded by Sheikh Ahmed Yassine, the founder of Hamas and, has reportedly served as a training ground for the political and spiritual leadership of Hamas. Many leaders of Hamas have also taught at IUG. In 2007, the New York Times reported that IUG was “one of the prime means for Hamas to convert Palestinians to its Islamist cause.”
WAMY is a Saudi religious organization that U.S. government agencies and officials have argued has helped spread Islamic extremism around the world as well as sponsoring terrorism in places such as Bosnia, Israel, and India.