Ahmad Murrar

Overview

Ahmad Murrar was an activist with Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and he authored a Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement resolution while serving in his student government. In 2014, Murrar was an activist with the SJP chapter at Marquette University (SJP Marquette).

In 2018, Murrar served as a treasurer of the Muslim Law Students Association (MSLA) at Georgetown University Law Center (Georgetown Law), known as Georgetown MSLA.

As of May 2024, Murrar was listed as a litigation associate and member of the Business Litigation and Dispute Resolution Practice, as well as the International Trade and National Security sector at Foley & Lardner LLP. As of the same date, Murrar’s LinkedIn profile said he had been working there since October 2018.

Murrar reportedly passed the Wisconsin State bar exam in 2018.

As of May 2024, Murrar’s LinkedIn said he graduated from Georgetown Law with a JD in 2018. Murrar also graduated from Marquette with a bachelor’s degree in “Criminology & Law Studies / Political Science” in 2015.

As of the same date, Murrar’s LinkedIn said he served as a board member of the Diversity, Inclusion and Social Justice committee of the Marquette University Student Government (MUSG) in 2015 and as a “Commuter Senator” for the MUSG during the 2014-2015 academic year.

Murrar’s LinkedIn also said he served on MUSG’s Student Organization Funding (SOF) committee and was “Responsible for allocating approximately $120,000 of student tuition fees to student organizations to have approved events on campus.”

As of May 2024, Murrar’s LinkedIn said he was located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Authoring a BDS Resolution

In April 2015, Murrar authored a BDS resolution originally titled: “Socially Responsible Investments and Divestments,” which was co-sponsored by SJP Marquette. The resolution was part of the “#MUDivest” campaign launched in March 2015.

On March 23, 2015, SJP Marquette launched a divest campaign titled: “#MUDivest.” The campaign called on the university to “...‘DIVEST’ OR PULL THEIR MONEY OUT OF COMPANIES FOUND TO BE IN VIOLATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS AGAINST PALESTINIANS & OTHERS.”

The campaign called for a boycott of five companies with contracts in Israel: Caterpillar, Hewlett-Packard, United Technologies, Raytheon and Cement Roadstone Holdings.

During the campaign, SJP activists reportedly “started referring to all Jewish students and even non-Jewish students against divestment as ‘Zios’...in a degrading and demeaning manner.”

The term "Zio" is a common derogatory reference to Zionists, as well as an often-used anti-Semitic slur among white supremacists.

On April 20, 2015, the resolution was presented to MUSG.

In the minutes from the meeting, Murrar said about the resolution: “Wanted to keep it more Marquette focused not about the [Israeli-Palestinian] conflict. Focusing on human right violations over-all not just the conflicts in Israel and Palestine.”

A student senator then asked Murrar: “Why did you chose [sic] companies, and then links that regard that companies [sic] role in Israel? Instead of list of companies committing atrocities world wide [sic]?”

Murrar responded: “I was working with students for justice in Palestine [sic], so these are companies called out in those resolutions.”

During the MUSG meeting, one student reportedly said: “This campaign has made Israel and students who support Israel as ‘the other,’ through intimidation, mistruth and alienation.”

On April 27, 2015, MUSG held a meeting where they decided to have an “executive session” and “all non-MUSG members were asked to leave the room for the discussion and debate” of the resolution. The executive session was called because a document containing “personal information about MUSG senators,” such as “religious and political beliefs,” had been circulating on campus. The document also included “assignments and plans of action to solicit…support” for the resolution.

Murrar attended the MUSG meeting, sitting at a table with other senators.

Following the executive session, MUSG passed an edited version of the resolution re-titled: “Socially Responsible Investments.” The senators removed “all language regarding divestment,” by cutting out “several defining clauses that mention divesting or screening out companies.” In addition, “The changes remove any reference to companies…and the organizations that cite them.”

On April 28, 2015, MU Divest posted on Facebook: “The bill was passed only after significantly watering it down by removing the word ‘divestment’ in its entirety from the legislation and its title. In addition, all references to companies in violation of Palestinian human rights were also removed. While the #MUDivest coalition is disappointed in the ultimate outcome of the bill…We are confident that this bill will serve as a good stepping stone towards divestment and future divestment campaigns…”

On the same date, SJP Marquette tweeted: “The word ‘divestment’ was deleted from the title and half of the legislation was taken out…”

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.

BDS

The Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement was founded by Omar Barghouti in 2005 to challenge “international support for Israeli apartheid and settler-colonialism.” BDS is an allegedly “Palestinian-led movement,” although leading BDS activists have admitted [00:01:01] this is not true. 

One of the demands of BDS includes [point 3] what is generally known as the “right of return,” a demand discredited as a way to eliminate Israel. Barghouti said the “right of return” is a means to “end Israel’s existence as a Jewish state.”  

Barghouti has said that BDS “aims to turn Israel into a pariah state, as South Africa once was.”

In his activism, Barghouti has also said [00:05:55] regarding Israel: “Definitely, most definitely, we oppose a Jewish state in any part of Palestine. No…rational Palestinian, not a sellout Palestinian, will ever accept a Jewish state in Palestine.”

The movement has been linked to numerous terrorist organizations and received a public endorsement from Hamas in 2017.

BDS initiatives include calling on institutions and individuals to divest from Israeli-affiliated companies, promoting academic and cultural boycotts of Israel, and organizing anti-Israel rallies, protests and campaigns.

The movement’s most notable achievement has been the infiltration of university campuses through lobbying for “BDS resolutions.” In these cases, student governments and student groups, backed by their own anti-Israel members and affiliates, have proposed resolutions on some form of boycott of, or divestment from, Israel and Israeli-affiliated entities.

Boycott resolutions, although non-binding, have been passed by student governments on numerous North American campuses.

BDS activity is often aggressive and disruptive. It has been noted that universities that pass BDS resolutions see a marked increase in anti-Semitic incidents on campus. On one campus, when the student government debated a BDS resolution, reports emerged of violent threats against those opposing it.

Social Media and Weblinks

Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/ahmad.elfy.murrar

Twitter:https://twitter.com/ahmad__murrar [Private]

Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/ahmad_murrar/ [Private]

LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/ahmadmurrar