Abdulrahman Alwattar

Overview

Abdulrahman Alwattar was the president of the Muslim Student’s Association (MSA) at Ohio State University (OSU) in 2013 - 2014.

Alwattar graduated from OSU in 2015, majoring in Public Affairs-Non Profit Management. Alwattar is a second year law school student at the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn).

Demonizing Israel

On July 13, 2015, Alwattar tweeted: "Do yourselves a favor and add "glimpseofgaza" on snapchat. Easiest way to see first hand how life is for the Palestinians encaged there"

On July 31, 2015, Alwattar tweeted: “Israeli govt oppresses, annexes, instills apartheid, kills = best nation in ME”

On the same day, Alwattar tweeted: "How many innocent lives must be lostbefore th [sic] West finally sees Israel for what it is: a violent, truculent usurper"

On July 24, 2014, Alwattar retweeted the tweet: "Israel tells ppl to flee and then drop bombs on their shelters. #terrorism"

On July 18, 2014, Alwattar retweeted the tweet: "They've made #Gaza into one big concentration camp."

Promoting Intimidation of Students

On December 10, 2013, Alwattar tweeted: "The #UMMockEviction is an awesome idea, really drives home the suffering of our peers in Palestine. @CJPOSU we should do this next semester!"

The following semester, on March 30, 2014, Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) activists taped mock eviction notices on the front doors of approximately 2,000 students living in off-campus residences. Near the top of the notices, headlined "EVICTION NOTICE," bold text stated: “This building is scheduled for demolition in three days… We cannot be held liable for persons or property remaining inside the building. Charges for the labor and costs of the demolition will be applied to your student account.”

The notices went on to claim that “Eviction notices are routinely given to Palestinian families living under the oppressive Israeli occupation for no reason other than their ethnic background; the goal is to make life so miserable for Palestinians that they leave. Forced evictions are arbitrary, racist, humiliating (and) violent.”

Promoting Israel Apartheid week

On Feb 28, 2014, Alwattar retweeted the MSA tweet: "Examining Palestine Through the Colonial Lens at tonight's collaborative GBM with @cjposu! #IsraeliApartheidWeek"

MSA

The MSA was established by members of the Muslim Brotherhood in January 1963 at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, with the goal of "spreading Islam as students in North America." A 2004 FBI investigation uncovered an internal Muslim Brotherhood document in which a brotherhood leader identified the MSA as "one of our organizations."

The MSA reportedly has “nearly 600 chapters” located in the United States and Canada, and is “the most visible and influential Islamic student organization in North America,” boasting conferences, special events, publications, websites and other activities.

The organization includes a number of previous chapter presidents with explicit links to terrorist groups. Included are al-Qaeda cleric Anwar al-Awlaki (Colorado State University), Somali al-Shabaab militant leader Omar Shafik Hammami (University of South Alabama) and Pakistani Taliban recruiter Ramy Zamzam of the MSA's Washington, D.C. council.