Adnan Perwez

Overview

Adnan Perwez has chanted in support of intifada and expressed support for terrorists as an activist with Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at the University of California, Davis (UC Davis).

He is also the president of the Muslim Students Association (MSA) at UC Davis and has served as the secretary of MSA West’s board of directors in 2017.

In 2016, Perwez interned as a Government Relations Intern at the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) in the San Francisco Bay Area.

He served on the Associated Students of the University of California, Davis (ASUCD) Ethnic and Cultural Affairs Commission in 2016.

As of April 11, 2018, Perwez’s Facebook page said he began studying at UC Davis in 2015, majoring in History and Political Science. His LinkedIn page indicated that he was scheduled to graduate in 2019.

Chanting for Intifada

On March 7, 2016, Perwez joined [00:05:43] a group of around 30 activists who disrupted a talk that was organized by a pro-Israel UC Davis student group. The event was titled “The Art of Middle East Diplomacy” and featured Arab-Israeli diplomat George Deek.

The disruption was recorded by at least two attendees. Perwez was filmed [00:00:09] as he chanted for intifada and demonized Israel [00:00:14] while disrupting the event.

As the protesters disrupted Deek’s talk, they obscured [00:00:33] Deek from the audience’s view with an enormous banner across the front of the room that read “1948=1492.” The demonstrators repeatedly chanted [00:00:05, 00:00:31 and 00:02:17] “long live the intifada!” and [00:00:10, 00:00:38 and 00:01:17] “intifada, intifada!”

As the protesters shouted, Deek wrote [00:01:39] on a chalkboard behind them that he had come to have a conversation. The activists then exited the room, yelling [00:02:32] “Allahu Akbar!”

Supporting Terrorists

On May 10, 2017, Perwez participated in SJP UC Davis’s Saltwater Challenge.

The “Saltwater Challenge” was held in solidarity with hunger-striking Palestinian prison inmates convicted of terrorism. The strike was initiated by Marwan Barghouti, who was serving five consecutive life sentences for his role in suicide bombings that killed five Israelis during the second intifada. Aarab Barghouti, the son of Marwan Barghouti, launched the "Saltwater Challenge."

SJP Activism

Perwez is a member of SJP UC Davis’s closed Facebook group.

On March 16, 2017, he authored an article promoting SJP UC Davis’s mock apartheid wall and subsequent protest - which was part of the group’s Palestine Awareness Week (PAW).

PAW is a re-branding for American audiences of Israel Apartheid Week (IAW), originally presented as “an international series of events that seek to raise awareness of Israel’s settler-colonial project and apartheid system over the Palestinian people” and build support for the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.

On March 7, 2017, Perwez featured in an SJP UC Davis photo at the mock apartheid wall, wearing a keffiyeh and holding a Palestinian flag.

On March, 6, 2018, Perwez indicated on Facebook that he “went” to SJP UC Davis’s event during Palestine Awareness Week called “Borders are Obsolete: Relations Beyond ‘Borderlands’ of Palestine and US-Mexico.” Sponsors of the event included MSA and PYM-Bay Area and featured SJP member Jennifer Mogannam, who has encouraged violence, defended terrorism and spread anti-Israel propaganda.

On November 16, 2017, Perwez indicated on Facebook that he “went” to an SJP event called “Jerusalem Inside and Out: Multimedia Activism Under Occupation,” featuring the “the Community Mobilisation and Networking director” of GrassrootsAlquds.

GrassrootsAlquds promotes the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.

On February 2, 2016, Perwez indicated that he “went” to an MSA event sponsored by SJP UC Davis and American Muslims for Palestine (AMP), featuring anti-Israel activist Taher Herzallah.

SJP UC Davis - Supporting Terrorists

On May 23, 2017, SJP UC Davis held a hunger strike in solidarity with Palestinian inmates hunger-striking in Israeli prisons. Activists taped their mouths and sat in the middle of the campus quad, in “solidarity with 1600 Palestinian political prisoners.”

On May 10, 2017, SJP at UC Davis posted a Facebook video of its activists participating in the “#SaltWaterChallenge.”

The “Saltwater Challenge” was held in solidarity with Palestinian inmates hunger-striking in Israeli prisons.

The strike was initiated by Marwan Barghouti, who was serving five consecutive life sentences for his role in suicide bombings and shooting attacks that killed five Israelis during the second intifada. Barghouti led the the Palestinian Authority (PA) terrorist Tanzim force and founded the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades.

Barghouti also financed the guitar-case bomb used in the Sbarro Cafe massacre, where 15 civilians were killed and 130 injured. More than 1,000 other Palestinian prisoners participated in the hunger strike — most of whom were also convicted for acts of terrorism.

According to CNN, the “Saltwater Challenge” appears to have been started by Aarab Barghouti, son of Marwan Barghouti.

On March 6, 2017, SJP UC Davis posted a Facebook post in support of Basel Al Araj — referring to him as “Another innocent Palestinian extrajudicially executed by the Israeli state.”

Basel Al Araj was killed in a shoot-out with Israeli troops during an arrest raid. He had been suspected of belonging to a terror cell planning to carry out attacks on Israeli targets. Two M-16 assault rifles and an improvised Carlo-style submachine gun were found inside his home.

On January, 7, 2017, SJP UC Davis directed members to visit Addameer’s website, referring to Addameer as a “great prison activist group in occupied Palestine.”

Addameer advocates on behalf of Palestinians held in Israeli prisons, including many terrorists such as Mohammad Allan — a recruiter for Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ). Addammer is reportedly an “affiliate” of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) terrorist organization.

SJP UC Davis hosted Addameer’s director, Sahar Francis, in November 2014 at the final event of the group’s “Palestine Solidarity Week.” In February 2015, Francis addressed the opening plenary of Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW) at the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies and alleged that Israel harvests organs from Palestinians.

SJP UC Davis - Promoting Incitement

On July 25, 2017, SJP UC Davis promoted on Facebook an event called: “Emergency Protest Against Israel’s Aggression on Jerusalem.” SJP UC Davis claimed Israel imposed security measures on Palestinians entering the Al Aqsa compound as part of “plans to seize control of the mosque.”

Terrorists murdered two Israeli police officers on July 14, 2017, outside the entrance to the Al Aqsa mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Israel responded by installing metal detectors and security checks at the entrance to the holy site.

The terrorists reportedly feared that “Al Aqsa is in danger,” which has long been a pretext for Arab attacks on Jews long before the State of Israel’s existence. Following rioting and further violence, the Israeli government removed the metal detectors on July 25, 2017.

SJP UC Davis - Hosting Anti-Israel Events

On February 15, 2018, SJP and MSA co-hosted SJP founder Hatem Bazian at an event called “Discussing Post-Colonialism with Dr. Hatem Bazian.” During the event, Bazian denied [01:09:28] the national-historical connection of the Jewish people to Israel, alleged [00:49:55] that Jesus of Nazareth was “Palestinian” and claimed [01:25:02] that “investing in peace” with Israel is “supporting apartheid.”

SJP UC Davis has co-hosted events with the Palestinian Youth Movement, Bay Area (PYM) .

SJP UC Davis also promoted an event that was organized by American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) . The event’s Facebook description said it was open to “all who seek justice in Palestine and agree to the following principles: 1) Israel's occupation must end 2) The right of return for Palestinian refugees 3) Equal Rights for all Palestinians 4) Supporting the Call for Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions.”

SJP UC Davis - Demonizing Israel

On March 5, 2018, SJP at UC Davis erected a mock-apartheid wall, a representation of Israel’s security barrier, on the campus quad.

Text on one red panel on the wall implied that Israel deliberately targeted United Nations buildings in Gaza and misleadingly cited the terrorist group Hamas’ propaganda figures concerning the number of Gazan children killed during Israel’s Operation Protective Edge (OPE).

Israel commenced Operation Protective Edge (OPE) in July 2014, to stop rocket fire targeting Israeli civilians and to destroy Hamas attack tunnels.

Following OPE, it was reported that Hamas had used UNRWA schools and other densely populated civilian areas to fire rockets from and had threatened UNRWA workers at gunpoint to hide weapons in the schools. Hamas rocket attacks were often based in civilian areas.

Another panel on the mock-apartheid wall depicted an Israeli flag with bloody handprints and the words “Stop US Aid to Israel.”

SJP UC Davis held a protest in front of the barrier in which 40 to 50 students participated. One protester held a sign that said: “Resistance is justified when people are occupied.”

Protesters also promoted BDS with a sign that read “Divest, Resist, Liberate.”

On November 2, 2017, SJP UC Davis members tabled on campus to promote itself and to “teach more about the Balfour Declaration.”

SJP UC Davis posted on Facebook, urging readers to visit its tableand implied that the Balfour Declaration “led to the expulsion, killing and dispossession of Palestinians.” The post went on to accuse Israel of apartheid and called Gaza an “open prison.”

On March 20, 2017, SJP UC Davis shared to Facebook an AJ+ video called: “UN Removes Report Accusing Israel of ‘Apartheid’”

In March 2017, a UN commission composed of 18 Arab states produced a report claiming Israel established an “apartheid regime.” Anti-Israel professor Richard Falk co-authored the report. Soon after the report’s release, UN Secretary General Antonió Guterres ordered it withdrawn, claiming the report was published without consultation with Guterres’s office and it did not reflect the UN secretariat’s views.

SJP UC Davis - Supporting Anti-Israel Agitators

On March 17, 2017, SJP UC Davis posted a photo of Rachel Corrie writing “Rest in Power Rachel Corrie.”

International Solidarity Movement (ISM) activist Rachel Corrie was accidentally killed while interfering with an Israeli military operation in 2003. A wrongful death suit brought by Corrie’s family in Israel was dismissed when the judge ruled that Corrie had unreasonably chosen to put her own life in danger.

ISM has been accused of supporting terrorism and has encouraged its foreign volunteers to act “as human shields in cities, towns and refugee camps.” ISM has also encouraged activists to break curfew and disregard Israeli directives prohibiting access to closed military zones.

On March 19, 2017, SJP UC Davis promoted a petition on Facebook in support of Issa Amro.

SJP UC Davis’ post claimed Amro was “undergoing a military trial for his non-violent activism” and called on “the Isreali [sic] government to drop the politically motivated charges against him.”

SJP UC Davis’s post also reported that the group hosted Amro in the fall of 2016.

Anti-Israel agitator Issa Amro is known for vandalism and attacks on Israeli soldiers and civilians. Amro heads the Youth Against Settlements (YAS) movement, an anti-Israel organization based in Hebron that promotes anti-Semitism, rock-throwing and violence against Israelis.

On February 15, 2018, SJP UC Davis shared an AJ+ video claiming Ahed Tamimi is Wonder Woman. SJP UC Davis has supported Tamimi since December 19, 2017, when the group shared an article to Facebook claiming Israeli soldiers “snatched” her.

Ahed Tamimi has a long history of physically attacking Israeli soldiers. Tamimi is the daughter of Bassem Tamimi, who is known for exploiting young children as political props in staged confrontations with Israeli soldiers.

On March 5, 2018, anti-Israel activists at UC Davis held a sign in solidarity with Tamimi at a protest during Palestine Awareness Week. The sign said: “Solidarity with our Detained Youth” and also appeared in SJP photos at its mock apartheid wall.

SJP UC Davis - Promoting BDS

On March 31, 2018, SJP UC Davis promoted BDS on Facebook by sharing an Al Jazeera English video titled “How is BDS affecting Israel?” SJP UC Davis commented: “Why BDS is important.”

On March 14, 2018, the day renowned theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking died, SJP UC Davis shared a post on Facebook applauding him for boycotting a conference held in Israel. The post featured a graphic of Hawking knocking down a concrete segment of Israel’s security barrier while wearing a shirt that said “BDS.”

On the same day, SJP activists arrived at a UC Regents Board meeting in Los Angeles uninvited to announce their new statewide #UCDivest campaign and deliver their demands directly to the UC Regents. SJP Activists marched and held signs that said “UC Divest from Apartheid #UCDivest” and a banner with the #UCDivest. They chanted “The people united will never be divided.”

On March 13, 2018, SJP UC Davis promoted UC Divest’s Facebook page. UC Divest is a California, statewide Divestment campaign launched in March, 2014, by SJP West, a coalition of West Coast SJP chapters.

On March 7, 2018, SJP UC Davis encouraged its members to attend the UC Regents Board Meeting.

On September 28, 2017, SJP scheduled “a phone banking session” to urge California Governor Jerry Brown to veto anti-BDS bill AB2844.

SJP called on “ALL SJPS, ALLIES AND PEOPLE OF CONSCIENCE TO JOIN US!” and claimed that the bill “violates our 1st Amendment right to free speech.”

However, the bill passed before the scheduled phone banking session. Upon learning that the bill had passed prior to their telethon, SJP changed the purpose of its session — asking people to voice disappointment at Brown’s decision to sign the bill.

In 2015, the UC Davis student senate passed anti-Israel divestment resolutions in January and in May. The 2015 resolutions were introduced after a student senate divestment resolution at UC Davis failed in May 2014.

On May 28, 2015, SJP introduced a revised resolution, that alleged "enabling Israel’s occupation of Palestine compromises the integrity of students’ education." The resolution also claimed divesting funds from companies described as “furthering human rights violations and systematic discrimination” would “create a climate of tolerance and open channels of dialogue between different campus communities.”

The UC Davis student senate passed the resolution 10-0-2.

On January 29, 2015, the UC Davis senate passed an anti-Israel divestment resolution. However, the university’s Court of Associated Students overturned the resolution as unconstitutional because it was "primarily a political document" and did not include explicit language describing how it tangibly impacted student welfare.

Anti-Semitism at UC Davis

On January 31, 2015, less than 48 hours after a divestment resolution passed at UC Davis, unidentified vandals spray-painted two large swastikas on the wall and entrance of the UC Davis Alpha Epsilon Pi (AEPi) Jewish fraternity house.

On January 22, 2015, a week before the scheduled divestment resolution vote, the words “grout out the Jews” were etched into the wall of a bathroom stall at the UC Davis Hillel House.

On March 25, 2016, an anti-semitic flier was distributed to networked printers and fax machines on campus. The flier included swastikas and said “White Man are you Sick and Tired of the Jews Destroying Your Country through Mass Immigration and Degeneracy? Join Us in the Struggle for Global White Supremacy at the Daily Stormer.”

On October 10, 2015, vandals carved swastikas and “F**k Jews” into two cars and slashed the tires of eight cars parked on the UC Davis campus.

SJP

SJP is a student organization engaged in anti-Israel activity on North American college and university campuses.

The first chapter of SJP was founded in 2001 at the University of California at Berkeley by Professor Hatem Bazian. Bazian has spread classic anti-Semitism, reportedly promoted religious anti-Semitism and defended the Hamas terror group. In 2004, Bazian called for “intifada” in America.

SJP organizes anti-Israel campaigns, including running annual Israel Apartheid Weeks, often in collaboration with Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) and Muslim Students Association (MSA) campus chapters.

SJP has been a major force in pushing the anti-Semitic Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement on campuses. Chapters have initiated dozens of BDS resolutions in student governments, which have been proposed on or around Jewish holidays, a time when many Jewish students are off-campus.

SJP activists have reportedly physically assaulted, intimidated and harassed Jewish students, disrupted pro-Israel campus events and demonized pro-Israel campus organizations.

Chapters have often endorsed and campaigned for numerous terrorists and whitewashed terrorism.

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.

CAIR

CAIR describes itself as a “grassroots civil rights and advocacy group” and “America's largest Muslim civil liberties organization, with regional offices nationwide.” Its official mission is “enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.”

CAIR reportedly has “significant ties” to the Muslim Brotherhood, as well as Hamas. A number of former CAIR employees have been convicted on fraud and terrorism-related charges that resulted monetary fines, jail terms and, sometimes, deportation.

CAIR was founded in 1994 and opened its first office in Washington, DC, with the help of a $5,000 donation from the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development (HLF), a charity founded by Mousa Abu Marzook.

Marzook, who was listed as a "Specially Designated Terrorist" by the U.S. Treasury Department in 1995, is reportedly a senior member of Hamas.

In May 2007, CAIR was listed as an “unindicted co-conspirator” in a U.S.-filed action against the HLF for providing funds to Hamas.

CAIR was also listed as a terrorist entity by the United Arab Emirates, in 2014.