Ahmed Hamad

Overview

Ahmed Hamad reportedly threatened to kill a Palestinian activist in 2016, promoted violence as an Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) activist and led an American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) rally where he called for “intifada.”

Hamad has also expressed support for terrorists, demonized Israel, supported the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement and worked for the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR).

Hamad is a performer and instructor of “dabke,” a Middle Eastern dance, and travels nationally to speak and perform at SJP events.

As of December 2018, Hamad’s Facebook page said he lived in Chicago and was a freelance cinematographer at Pillars Fund, Race Forward and Heartland Alliance.

As of December 2018, Hamad’s LinkedIn page said he graduated from Columbia College Chicago (Colum Chi) in 2014, with a master’s degree in Interdisciplinary Arts and Media. He received a bachelor’s degree in Information Technology from Al-Azhar University (Al-Azhar) in Gaza in 2009.

Threatening to Kill a Palestinian Activist

On February 19, 2016, Hamad reportedly publicly threatened to kill Bassem Eid, head of the anti-BDS Palestinian Human Rights Monitoring Group.

After Eid criticized Palestinian groups for their human rights abuses in a talk at the University of Chicago (UofC), Hamad reportedly shouted in Arabic: “I’m going to kill this motherf**ker!” and “I’m going to destroy this place!” Hamad also reportedly yelled at Eid: “Wait until you go to your car!”

During the question and answer session following Eid’s talk, Hamad was filmed heckling [00:01:18] Eid. At one point, Hamad stopped to point at someone filming the encounter and commanded [00:01:46]: “Take your camera down!”

Hamad’s disruption eventually forced campus police to intervene. As Hamad was being led out, he continued shouting at Eid and threatened him, stating [00:012:48]: “And by the way, Saturday at Depaul [University], we’re going to be there. Get ready for it.”

Promoting Violence

On October 18, 2015, Hamad led [00:00:11] hundreds of people at an AMP-Chicago demonstration in anti-Israel chants, including: “Intifada! Intifada! Intifada! Intifada! We Support the intifada!”

Since the early 2000s, the term “intifada,” which translates from Arabic as “uprising” or “insurrection,” has carried the connotation of violence.

In October 2015, there was an upsurge in violence across Israel incited by Palestinian political and religious leaders. The wave of stabbings, known as the “Knife Intifada,” was characterized by young Palestinians throughout the country stabbing and attempting to stab Israeli civilians. The attacks were incited by Palestinian leaders propagating the libel that Israel intended to desecrate the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.

On June 10, 2016, Hamad wrote on Facebook: “When I stomp, I imagine zionists faces under my feet.”

On October 27, 2017, Hamad was featured in a video [00:05:48] from the 2017 National SJP conference where he repeatedly threatened and insulted someone filming outside of the conference room. Hamad concluded [00:06:36]: “I give you the message. Don’t f**kin’ piss me.”

Supporting Terrorists

On April 3, 2018, Hamad posted a graphic on Facebook that showed thousands tires laid up next to the security fence in preparation for burning, accompanied by Arabic text that said: “Friday of Tires - Gather and transport the tires - The wind is from West to East and upon the Zionists is the stench.”

On March 30, 2018, some 30,000 Palestinians in Gaza approached Israel’s border to take part in “Land Day Protests” or the “March of Return.” The March of Return was organized and funded by Hamas as a campaign of violent protests along Israel’s border to spotlight the demand of Palestinians to “return” to Israel.

The “right of return” is a Palestinian demand discredited as a means to eliminate Israel.

March participants sent scores of kites bearing explosive devices across Israel’s border to burn Israeli crops and homes. Participants also attempted to breach the border fence, which caused the Israeli Defense Forces to respond with live fire.

Agitators threw Molotov cocktails, firebombs, shot firearms and threw rocks under the cover of smoke from burning tires.

On May 16, 2018, a Hamas senior official stated that 50 out of 62 protesters killed during a May 14 protest were Hamas operatives. Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) also claimed that three of its members were killed at the same protest.

On April 7, 2018, Hamad posted a graphic on Facebook memorializing 10 people who died during the previous day’s rioting on the Israeli-Gaza border fence. Among them were reported Hamas members Majdi Shabat, Osama Qadih and Yaser Murtaja.

Yasser Murtaja, a photojournalist, was reportedly a Hamas spy who used drones to film Israeli military positions. Murtaja was shot and killed on April 6, 2018, as he filmed the 2018 Hamas-led “March of Return” protest in Gaza.

On April 15, 2018, Hamad shared a Facebook video honoring terrorist Hazem Ahmad Rayhan Qabha, who was an officer [00:00:08] in the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade during the second intifada.

On May 15, 2018, Hamad wrote on Facebook about the March of Return riots, claiming Israel’s response amounted to “blood thirst and lust.” Hamad wrote: “Call it killing, call it murdering, call it massacring, call it israeling, nothing will bring them back.”

In May 2018, terror organization Hamas instigated the “March of Return.” Thousands of violent rioters attempted numerous breaches of Israel’s border fence with Gaza, seeking to harm Jews across the border. Media reports confirmed [00:00:20] protesters’ breaches and attempted breaches of the fence, some by armed Palestinians. On May 15, 2018, senior Hamas official Mahmoud Al-Zahhar said the Gaza protests were only a pretext of “peaceful resistance.”

On April 27, 2017, Hamad published a Facebook video promoting the “#dignitystrike” where he quoting Palestinian terrorists, Marwan Barghouti [00:00:21] and [00:01:02] Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) member Hana Shalabi.

“Dignity Strike” refers to a hunger strike initiated by Marwan Barghouti on April 16, 2017. More than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners participated in the strike – most them also convicted for acts of terrorism. Barghouti headed the Palestinian Authority (PA) terrorist Tanzim force and founded the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades. He was sentenced to five consecutive life terms by an Israeli civilian court for some of his crimes, including his role in the Sbarro Cafe bombing.

On April 23 and 26, 2016, Hamad posted on Facebook in support for Dima al-Wawi, and declared his desire that “all Palestinian prisoners get their freedom soon.”

12-year-old Al-Wawi was imprisoned for attempting to stab a security guard at the Israeli community Karmei Tzur. Al-Wawi later claimed she intended to kill the guard and hoped she would be killed in the process. “I was dreaming that I was going to be martyred,” she said.

On November 10 and 25, 2015, Hamad expressed support for 13-year-old terrorist Ahmed Manasra in Facebook posts.

Ahmed Manasra (sometimes spelled Mansara) and his 15-year-old cousin Hassan went on a stabbing spree in Jerusalem on October 12, 2015, during the Knife Intifada. They critically wounded a 13-year-old boy and moderately wounded a 25-year-old man. The spree ended when police shot Hassan and a passing motorist hit Ahmed. Ahmed was taken to an Israeli hospital. He admitted to investigators: “I went there to stab Jews.” He was later tried and convicted on two counts of attempted murder.

On February 3, 2015, Hamad emceed an SJP fundraiser for terrorist Rasmea Odeh at DePaul.

Odeh was a key military operative with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) terrorist organization. In 1969, she masterminded a PFLP supermarket bombing that killed two college students. She also attempted to bomb the British consulate in Jerusalem. Odeh later moved to the United States but was deported to Jordan in 2017 for immigration fraud.

Demonizing Israel

On November 16, 2012, Hamad posted photos on his blog of an anti-Israel rally featuring signs that read “GAZA is the REAL HOLOCAUST” and another that read “CONDEMN GAZA GENOCIDE.”

On October 17, 2014, Hamad edited an AMP propaganda film that portrayed Israel as intentionally killing civilians and children during Operation Protective Edge (OPE).

Throughout the summer of 2014 — during Operation Protective Edge (OPE) — Hamas's deployment of human shields was extensively documented and publicized. Hamas encouraged Gazans to act as human shields to frustrate Israeli efforts to avoid civilian casualties in Gaza.

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

The AMP video downplayed the impact of the nearly decade of rocket attacks, stating [00:02:46]: “Palestinians don’t have a military, just a hodgepodge of small, inaccurate rockets. What exactly is Israel defending itself from?”

Hamas fired over 4,564 missiles and rockets at Israeli population centers during Operation Protective Edge (OPE) in July 2014.

On April 24, 2016, Hamad posted a Facebook post from disgraced professor Steven Salaita who said that “violence against children” was a central part of Israeli “nationality.”

On May 15, 2018, Hamad shared a Facebook post calling Israelis “foreign settlers to indigenous land” and accusing Israel of “land theft, expulsion, and ethnic cleansing.”

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.

AMP

American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) was founded by UC Berkeley Professor Hatem Bazian as a vehicle to generate mainstream support in the United States for the Palestinian national cause.

On its website, the organization lists Bazian as the chairman of its national board and describes itself as “a national education and grassroots-based organization, dedicated to educating the American public about Palestine and its rich cultural, historical and religious heritage.”

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has accused AMP of promoting “extreme anti-Israel views and has at times provided a platform for anti-Semitism under the guise of educating Americans” about Palestinians. The ADL further stated that AMP is directly involved in campus-based anti-Israel activity through Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP).

Prior to founding the AMP in 2006, Dr. Bazian created SJP together with fellow UC Berkeley Professor Snehal Shingavi in 2001. The close working relationship between AMP and SJP has been documented several times over the years by several organizations, including NGO Monitor and StandWithUs.

In addition to providing financial, public relations and legal assistance to SJP, AMP has also been accused of having connections to Hamas. The AMP national board includes former members of both the Islamic Association of Palestine (IAP) and Holy Land Foundation (HLF), both of which were found liable for aiding and abetting Hamas. The IAP was founded by Mousa Mohammed Abu Marzook, a senior member of Hamas.

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.

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.