Palestine ambassador rejects Asian University for Women scholarships to its students citing Israeli links

Palestine's Ambassador to Bangladesh Yousef Ramadan has defended the embassy's decision to oppose the enrollment of Palestinian students at the Asian University for Women (AUW) in Chattogram, citing concerns over the institution's alleged links to Israel and its alignment with interests that run counter to Palestinian national objectives.

At a press briefing today (14 August) at the embassy, Ambassador Ramadan clarified the embassy's position following a recent media report, that he said misrepresented facts regarding scholarship opportunities for Palestinian female students, especially those from war-torn Gaza.

According to a Prothom Alo report published on 13 August, about 200 students from the occupied Gaza Strip received scholarships from AUW around one and a half years ago. 

The Bangladesh Ministry of Home Affairs granted visa-on-arrival permission to 189 of these students last October. 

Students were expected to travel via Jordan to Chattogram by mid-2025. But in June, Chattogram police informed AUW authorities that the visa-on-arrival approval had been canceled.

However, university authorities denied the allegations.

Security and political concerns over AUW

The ambassador cited several reasons for refusing to endorse AUW placements for Palestinian students, including security concerns and political affiliations. Past unexplained student deaths at AUW, involving one Afghan and one Lao student, have raised red flags for the embassy, especially regarding the safety of female students.

The ambassador also highlighted AUW's affiliations with individuals and organisations supporting Israel as undermining the Palestinian cause.

Tony Blair, the former UK Prime Minister and husband of the AUW's founding chancellor, Cherie Blair, has been directly linked to intiatives perceived as undermining Palestinian sovereignty, including support for the controversial Gaza Riviera ethnic cleansing project.

Cherie Blair has also taken initiatives in line with these policies by pressuring the Palestinian government to allow female students to come to AUW, even if it is through the Israeli agency COGAT.

"The situation in Gaza remains dire, with over 2.2 million residents under siege and facing ongoing bombings, forced migration, and starvation. Bangladesh has consistently supported Palestine's cause and will not aid institutions working in alignment with Israeli government objectives, particularly their efforts to ethnically cleanse Palestinians from Gaza to create a Riviera of the Middle East," said Ambassador Ramadan.

AUW's board and donors, including global entities such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Bayer AG, and Direct Relief, were also criticised for associations with Israeli causes. 

The ambassador said financial support from nations like Qatar is welcome, but donations from organisations with Israeli affiliations are not. The ambassador added that Palestinian intelligence has been aware of AUW's ties with Israel for the past two years.

When contacted, AUW Vice-Chancellor Rubana Huq told TBS that the university would share a press statement later regarding the allegations.

International Pressure Rejected

Ambassador Ramadan said five Western governments, including the United States, had lobbied the embassy to approve AUW placements on humanitarian grounds. 

The ambassador rejected this pressure, noting that these countries neither recognise the State of Palestine nor have ceased military support for Israel. 

"Palestinian students are not for sale," he emphasised, adding that educational opportunities should not come at the cost of national principles or student safety.

No objection to other Institutions

The ambassador clarified that the embassy does not object to Palestinian students, including women from Gaza, pursuing higher education in Bangladesh at institutions other than AUW. All students originally selected for AUW are reportedly willing to join other Bangladeshi universities offering scholarships.

Currently, more than 70 Palestinian students study across various institutions in Bangladesh. The embassy is working to expand these numbers through secure channels. At least 70 Bangladeshi universities registered with the education ministry are approved for Palestinian students, he said. 

Ambassador Ramadan also noted that visa-on-arrival facilities were extended to nearly 200 students and over 280 full scholarships have been arranged across more than 20 institutions.

The Prothom Alo report says that after delays in the process of bringing Palestinian female students to Bangladesh, at least 30 scholarship recipients were unaccounted for. It is suspected that the students may have been killed in Israeli attacks or have relocated elsewhere.

However, the ambassador said, "Allegations implying that delays by the Embassy resulted in the deaths of 30 students are entirely without basis. The 30 students referenced had voluntarily withdrawn from AUW and accepted alternative scholarships arranged by the Embassy."

The AUW was conceived by Kamal Ahmad while he was an undergraduate at Harvard College in the mid-1980s. 

In 2006, the Bangladesh Parliament ratified the AUW Charter, guaranteeing the university's international, non-sectarian, and fully independent status, including institutional autonomy, academic freedom, and tax exemption, according to AUW's website.

"It is to be noted that Kamal Ahmed has not put out a public statement in support of the Palestinian cause," reads the Palestine ambassador's statement.
    
"AUW's partnerships include cooperation with COGAT, a unit under the Israeli Ministry of Defense responsible for the displacement of Palestinians, which is considered forced migration under international law," reads the ambassador's note.  

He mentioned that former education minister and chair of the Board of Trustees of the AUW Dipu Moni requested the government of Qatar to provide millions ($15,000 per student per annum, which goes up to $3 million for 200 Palestinian students per annum, which is a total of $15 million for five years). 

"This is acceptable. However, taking donations from organisations affiliated with Israel is not."

"Our position is unequivocal: Palestinian students, especially female students, are not commodities and 'are not for sale' in political or institutional agendas. The embassy remains committed to expanding educational opportunities for Palestinians in Bangladesh while safeguarding the dignity, rights, and security of every Palestinian student," said the envoy.

In 2011, Cherie Blair was appointed as AUW's inaugural chancellor. The government of Bangladesh has granted over 140 acres for the university's campus.

What AUW authorities say

Contacted, AUW Vice-Chancellor Rubana Huq shared a written statement on behalf of University Chancellor Kamal Ahmad.

"The AUW draws its trustees from across the world from Bangladesh to India to Pakistan to South Korea to the United States, Hong Kong, Australia and so on.  We select trustees on the basis of their eminence and commitment to the cause of women's education. At no point has AUW solicited or received funds from any Israeli organisation," reads the statement.  

"AUW has no link with former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair and has no knowledge of his activities in the region.  Our affiliation and engagement is strictly with Mrs. Cherie Blair.  AUW Chancellor.  AUW's Board of Trustees chose Cherie Blair for her prominence as an international human rights lawyer and the fact she, like most AUW students, is the first one in her family to enter university," it added.

"AUW has no partnership or even any contact with any Israeli organisation ever.  AUW has not received a single poisha from anyone, from within Bangladesh or outside, to fund the Palestinian students.  Yes, a request was sent to the Qataris but no funds were provided by the Qataris to this end.  It is from our own resources that we have organised a special dorm facility for the incoming students as well as other support services such as health care and mental health support for them," according to the statement.