Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at the University of Illinois, Chicago (UIC) has a long history of anti-Semitism.
Canary Mission's 2021 investigation of SJP UIC has revealed disturbing levels of anti-Semitic activity as far back as 2015 in the following three categories:
1. A campaign to attack and malign Chicago’s largest Jewish charity
2. An effort to bully “Zionists”
3. Spreading anti-Semitism, support for terror and hatred of Israel on social media
This report exposes the actions of 32 SJP UIC activists whose individual profile links can be found below.
In February 2021, SJP UIC embarked on a two-month-long campaign to malign and isolate Chicago's largest philanthropic Jewish organization, the Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago (JUF), Chicago’s Jewish Federation.
JUF provides food, refuge, health care, education and emergency assistance to 500,000 Chicago residents of all faiths, funding a network of over 100 agencies, schools and initiatives.
The pretext for SJP UIC’s campaign was the JUF-funded Israeli Visiting Scholars program at the School of Public Health (SPH) that featured professors from Israel's Ben Gurion University. In the course of their attacks, SJP UIC maligned the JUF, branding them as Islamophobic, racist, transphobic and homophobic.
On February 2, the SJP chapter slammed the event scheduled for February 17 featuring Israeli Professor Gabi Bin Nun. Their Instagram post urged followers to email SPH with template text [slide 3] protesting Bin Nun’s talk.
During the following weeks, SJP UIC repeatedly attacked both SPH and JUF, condemning their association and circulating an “Open Letter” demanding the university terminate all ties with Israeli academic institutions.
On March 3, 2021, SJP UIC posted that its activists had attended Professor Bin Nun’s talk and had “persistently asked questions regarding Palestine.”
They subsequently declared, in a March 11, 2021 Instagram post, that they were ramping up their attack with a "social media storm demanding the UIC School of Public Health answer for why they work” with JUF.
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On March 16, 2021, SJP UIC launched their social media campaign on Instagram and Twitter with the hashtag #CutTheTiesUICSPH.
The campaign comprised:
Over 60 tweets, with instructions on how to copy and tweet them out
Downloadable graphics
Testimonies of SJP UIC student activists who had attended Bin-Nun’s lecture
The campaign a) objected to any future JUF-sponsored meetings, suggesting such meetings were an affront to UIC’s Muslim students and b) called on SPH to cut ties with JUF.
On April 7, 2021, SJP UIC declared in a Facebook post that they had succeeded in getting a resolution in the Undergraduate Student Government (USG) passed demanding the SPH cut ties with the JUF "and other Zionist entities."
While not officially binding, the university’s administration has yet to comment on the passing of the divisive resolution.
Shortly before their attack on JUF, SJP UIC began an effort to bully what they call “Zionists,” a word often used as a euphemism for Jews. While the effort did not expressly state its target as Jews on UIC’s campus, they would likely be the initial target of the local SJP chapter.
On December 4, 2020, SJP Board Member Mona Zubi tweeted a photo of a small child hiding his face as others surrounded him, pointing fingers at him. Text on the image stated: “START ZIONIST SHAMING." Zubi further commented on the graphic saying: “and normalize it.”
The image contained additional text as examples of recommended insults to hurl at “Zionists” such as: “ZIONISTS HAVE NO CULTURE,” “racist!” “COLONIZER!” “how are you sunburnt if you’re indigenous?,” “chocolate hummus looking a**,” “steal anyone’s land today?” and “GO BACK TO BROOKLYN.”
Later that month, on December 11, 2020, SJP UIC posted the same photo on their Instagram account. SJP UIC added in a comment: “Here’s some memes to end your finals week :).”
Zubi doubled down three months later, tweeting a graphic on March 1, 2021, headlined: “START ZIONIST SHAMING Part 2,” with the comment “it’s my contribution to liberation!”
The tweet contained a photo of another small child in a playground, hiding her face while a young boy bullied her and two other girls looked on. Text near the boy read: “how are you so dirty when u have access to more water than Palestinians? go shower.” Other text in the meme read: “invade any neighboring countries today?” “UNCULTURED!” and “why are you so scared of rocks?”
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As if bullying and intimidation were not enough, Canary Mission uncovered 470+ hateful social media posts stretching back to 2015. The posts revealed SJP UIC activists (both former and current) spreading a wide variety of hatred, including:
Anti-Semitism
Support for Terrorism
Incitement
Calling for Violent Intifada
Hatred of Israel
Promoting the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) Movement
Here are just a few examples. The rest can be found in the individual profiles, the links to which are below.
Since Canary Mission began investigating and documenting anti-Semitism, we have exposed numerous examples of anti-Semitic individuals and activities in chapters of Students for Justice in Palestine. However, SJP’s UIC chapter was the first to make bullying a Jewish charity a core focus.
SJP UIC’s campaign against Chicago’s Federation, JUF, was a precise attack, designed to malign and isolate a respected Jewish charity. Their effort to shame Chicago’s “Zionists” was nothing more than bullying; and with hundreds of hateful social media posts from their activists, the picture is clear that SJP UIC is a deeply anti-Semitic group whose aim is to make Chicago an unsafe space for Jews.
While SJP UIC seeks the ways of hatred and intimidation, it is incumbent upon all of us to make sure that they are never allowed to succeed.
Mona Zubi [Mona Omar Zubi] has spread hatred of Zionists, Israelis and Israel. Zubi also promoted the “Deadly Exchange” and expressed support for anti-Israel agitators. Zubi pushed for the boycott of Jewish and Israeli Institutions as an activist for Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). Zubi was a board member of SJP UIC during the 2020 academic year.
Anwaar Saadeh celebrated the death of Jews, spread anti-Semitism and promoted incitement. He has also shown support for Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terrorism and called for Israel’s destruction.
Noor Jarad-Qureshi spread anti-Semitism, whitewashed terrorism and demonized Israel on social media. She was a 2016 board member with SJP Students For Justice in Palestine at the University of Illinois (UIC).
Hyatt Hasanieh has spread anti-Semitism and hatred of Israel on Twitter. In 2016, Hassanieh indicated on Twitter that she was affiliated with Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at the University of Illinois, Chicago (UIC). Hasanieh also demonized Israel online as a high school student. In 2017, Hasanieh indicated on Twitter that she was affiliated with the Muslim Student Association (MSA). In 2016, Hasanieh indicated that she was affiliated with the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA).
Feda Taha expressed support for terrorists, promoted violent protesters and spread hatred of Israel. She is a supporter of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement and an activist with Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at the University of Illinois, Chicago (UIC).
Laila Zayed has whitewashed Hamas and glorified a terrorist, compared Israel to Nazi Germany and promoted violence online. She has also demonized Israel, spread hatred of Zionism as well as anti-Israel propaganda, promoted anti-Israel agitators and pushed the boycott of Jewish and Israeli institutions. Zayed was a board member [slide 2] of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) in 2020. Zayed was also an SJP UIC activist in 2019. As of February 2021, Zayed was listed as the ‘Primary Contact" on the UIC SJP Roster webpage.
Manar Daghash expressed support for terrorists and spread hatred of the United States and Israel. She was a 2016 board member of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at the University of Illinois, Chicago (UIC).
Salaam Khater glorified a family member who was detained for her alleged involvement with the Hamas terror organization.
Ma’lak Zatar has whitewashed terrorism, demonized and promoted hatred of Israel. She has also demonized Zionists and defended the public harassment of a Holocaust survivor.
Danyal Saeed Mirza whitewashed Hamas and spread hatred of Israel. He was a member of Students For Justice in Palestine (SJP) at the University of Illinois (UIC).
Roaa Hussien has demonized Israel, promoted hatred of Zionists and supported anti-Israel agitators. She was a 2019-2020 activist with SJP Chicago.
Noor Jibrin spread anti-Semitism, promoted hatred of Israel and was an activist with Students For Justice in Palestine (SJP) at the University of Illinois (UIC) in 2018.
Bayan Atieh Hammad sponsored a resolution calling to boycott the Jewish United Fund of Chicago (JUF), on behalf of Students For Justice in Palestine (SJP) at the University of Illinois (UIC). Hammad has also promoted hatred of Israel.
Asha Johaan Binbek co-sponsored a 2016 Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement initiative at the University of Illinois (UIC) in cooperation with Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP).
Hana Rafee [Nurul Hana Mohammed Rafee] has spread hatred of Israel and expressed support for boycotting Jewish and Israeli institutions as a 2020-2021 activist with Students For Justice in Palestine (SJP) at the University of Illinois (UIC).
Ali Mohamed has demonized Zionists and Israelis, spread hatred of Israel, and was an activist with Students For Justice in Palestine (SJP) at the University of Illinois (UIC) .
Malak Kanan demonized Israel and opposed an Arab-Israeli peace agreement while she was a board member with Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at the University of Illinois, Chicago (UIC) in 2020 and 2021.
Yasmeen Elagha has spread hatred of Israel and was a 2016 board member of Students For Justice in Palestine (SJP) at the University of Illinois (UIC).
Deena Elboghdady spread hatred of Israel and was a 2016 and 2017 board member of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at the University of Illinois, Chicago (UIC).
Rama Izar spread hatred of Israel and was an activist with Students For Justice in Palestine (SJP) at the University of Illinois (UIC). In 2021, Izar promoted an SJP UIC campaign to boycott Jewish and Israeli institutions.
Ahmad Albanna co-sponsored a Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement initiative as an activist with Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at the University of Illinois, Chicago (UIC) in 2016.
Omar Awadh has spread hatred of Israel as an activist with Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2018, 2019 and 2020.
Nabeel Qureshi demonized Israel and was a 2016 board member of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at the University of Illinois (UIC).
Sief Aldine Salameh spread hatred of Israel as an activist with Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He was president of SJP UIC during the 2019-2020 academic year.
Alia Haneen Alaraj whitewashed terrorists and demonized Israel. Alaraj was a 2016 board member of Students For Justice in Palestine (SJP) at the University of Illinois (UIC).
Ahmed Khan demonized Israel as a 2019 member and the 2020 outreach chair of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at the University of Illinois, Chicago (UIC).
Mohammad Akhras [Mohammad K Akhras] was a board member of Students For Justice in Palestine (SJP) at the University of Illinois (UIC), in 2020. As of April 2021, Akhras was licensed as an Emergency Medical Technician [EMT], EMS ID 4873-1110-8667, Registry number E***0164, expiring March 31, 2023.As of March 2021, Akhras’ LinkedIn stated that he was an EMT at ATI Ambulance Services since February 2021, and an undergraduate Research Assistant at UIC’s College of Medicine since February 2020.Akhras’s LinkedIn also indicated that he was an undergraduate Biological Sciences st
Meriam Khalifeh was a 2020-2021 member of Students For Justice in Palestine (SJP) at the University of Illinois (UIC).
Amira Abu Qaoud was an activist with Students For Justice in Palestine (SJP) at the University of Illinois (UIC) in 2020.
Nizar Quafisheh was a 2019-2020 board member with Students For Justice in Palestine (SJP) at the University of Illinois (UIC) and was an activist with SJP Chicago in 2020.