Asmahan Qarjouli
Overview
Asmahan Qarjouli [Asmahan Ibrahim Qarjouli] has shown support for terrorists, spread incitement, demonized Israel and promoted the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.
As of November 2021 Qarjouli’s LinkedIn page said she was a journalist at Doha News in Qatar, since September 2020.
Qarjouli’s LinkedIn page also said that she was an “Audience Development Intern” at Al Jazeera Media Network (Al Jazeera) in Doha from May - July 2020 and an “Intern” at Al Jazeera, from April - May 2020 and October 2019 - January 2020.
Qarjouli’s Linkedin page also said that she was an “Intern” at AJ+ in Washington, D.C. from February - April 2019. AJ+ is a Qatari-funded propaganda media channel, known for spreading misinformation and lies about Israel. During her time at AJ+, Qarjouli reportedly produced videos, pitched stories, helped produce Facebook video content and assisted with “script writing and fact-checking.”
Qarjouli’s LinkedIn page also listed her as a “Staff Reporter” at NU-Q’s student newspaper, The Daily Q, from January 2017 - January 2018.
Also as of November 2021, Qarjouli’s LinkedIn page indicated she graduated from Northwestern University in Qatar (NU-Q) in 2019, with a bachelor’s degree in Journalism.
As of November 2021, Qarjouli used the handle “OhDear_Han_” and the screen name Asmahan on Twitter. In June 2021 Qarjouli was using the handle “OhDearHan_” and screen name “Asma mesh Han.”
Supporting Terrorists
On August 18, 2020, Qarjouli tweeted an image of a drawing of Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) terrorist Leila Khaled holding a rifle and wrote: “My Palestinian jeddo [grandfather] used to draw all the time and hide his drawings, because I****li [Israeli] forces used to raid houses (still do) and attempt to destroy every piece that would show a sign of resistance. He managed to save this one though.”Leila Khaled is a leading member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and participated in the hijacking of TWA Flight 840 in 1969 and El Al Flight 219 in 1970. As of 2017, Khaled was a member of PFLP's Political Bureau. Khaled has said that the second intifada failed because it was not violent enough, advocated [00:36:07] for the use of children in terror activities and compared Zionists to Nazis.
Qarjouli retweeted a June 23, 2020 tweet about Ahmad Erakat by his cousin, anti-Israel activist Noura Erakat, that said: “...Israeli cowards shot him multiple times, left him to bleed for 1.5 hours and blamed him for his death...”
Ahmad Erekat [Ahmad Moustafa Erekat; Ahmed Erakat] was killed by Israeli security forces after he accelerated and rammed his car into soldiers at a checkpoint. One female soldier was injured. The incident was captured on video.
On June 23, 2020, Qarjouli also retweeted a tweet by Reuters that said Erakat had attempted a car-ramming and commented: “Attempted????????? On his way to pick his sister for her wedding????”
Qarjouli retweeted a May 15, 2020 tweet with a video by the media outlet “redfish,” of Ghassan Kanafani in an interview explaining [00:01:06] why he would choose to fight instead [00:00:31] of engaging in peace talks.
Kanafani was a leading member and spokesperson for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) during the terrorist organization’s early years. Kanafani announced the PFLP’s responsibility for the Lod Airport Massacre of May 1972 and was linked to the airport attackers. The attack killed 26 people and wounded 80 others.
Incitement
Qarjouli retweeted a September 28, 2021 tweet that said: “Today marks 21 years since the start of the Second Intifada. Glory to those who resisted and sacrificed. Glory to the martyrs…”The second intifada (2000-2005) was characterized by more than 120 suicide bombings targeting Israeli civilians on buses and in cafes.
On May 23, 2021, Qarjouli wrote a report in Doha News in which she claimed “occupying Israeli forces stormed the Al-Aqsa mosque, firing rubber-coated steel bullets at worshippers who were performing Friday prayers as well as unarmed people celebrating the ceasefire.”
Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire agreement on May 21, 2021 after fighting since May 10, 2021. Palestinian rioters at Al Aqsa threw stones and Molotov cocktails at Israeli officers outside the mosque.
In May 2021, violent clashes broke out between Palestinian worshippers and Israeli police at the Al-Aqsa compound following claims the Al-Aqsa Mosque was in danger. The subsequent incitement was a leading factor in Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terrorists firing over 4,300 rockets from Gaza into Israel later that month. Israel responded by launching “Operation Guardian of the Walls (OGW),” carrying out targeted military strikes in Gaza. Allegations of Jews “threatening” to destroy the Al-Aqsa Mosque have been a traditional pretext for Arab attacks on Jews predating the State of Israel.
In Qarjouli’s May 23rd report, she also described Israeli airstrikes on terror targets in Gaza, which reportedly damaged clinics nearby, as “indiscriminate bombardment” of Gaza.
During OGW, the Gaza Director for the United Nations Relief and Work Agency for Palestinan Refugees in The Near East (UNRWA), Matthias Schmale, acknowledged Israel’s precision in its targeted strikes on terrorist targets.
In a May 20, 2021 Doha News report, Qarjouli accused Israel of “war crimes” and “an ongoing ethnic cleansing campaign” in Sheikh Jarrah.
In May 2021, Palestinian violence erupted in anticipation of an Israel High Court ruling on eviction proceedings concerning over 70 Palestinian tenants illegally residing in Jewish-owned properties in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah.
In a May 10, 2021 Doha News report, Qarjouli claimed: “The weekend saw a series of escalations by Israel, which started with violent attacks at the Al Aqsa mosque on Friday to disperse peaceful protesters demonstrating against the ethnic cleansing of the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood.”
On May 7-10, 2021, Palestinian worshippers at the Al Aqsa compound attacked Israeli police officers with rocks and bottles, following claims that the Al Aqsa mosque was in danger. Security forces responded with riot dispersal methods including stun grenades, tear gas and rubber-coated bullets.
Demonizing Israel
On February 8, 2021, Qarjouli claimed in a Doha News report that Israel was refusing to provide coronavirus vaccines to Palestinians.All Israel's citizens, including Arabs, were provided equal and free access to a coronavirus vaccine.
Under the Oslo Accords [p. 5], the Palestinian Authority (PA) is responsible for providing health services to Palestinians under its jurisdiction. In December 2020, PA officials reportedly contacted Israel’s Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) department to request the vaccine, which Israel agreed to provide.
Qarjouli also retweeted a November 14, 2019 tweet that said: “ISRAEL ISNT AT WAR W/ GAZA —War is between 2+ militaries —Gaza has no military THERE’S NO OCCUPATION —Occu. is temporary—It’s ANNEXING Palestine via settler-colonialism. PALESTINIAN DEATHS ARENT ACCIDENTS: —Israel deliberately massacres defenseless civilians.THIS IS GENOCIDE.”
In November 2019, Israel launched Operation Black Belt to stop Palestinian rocket attacks from Gaza into Israel. The attacks were carried out in response to Israel’s elimination of Baha Abu al-Ata [Bahaa Abu Al-Atta], a senior commander of terror group Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) who was reportedly planning new terror attacks.
On November 14, 2019, Qarjouli tweeted: “You try so hard to isolate Palestinians from the rest of the world by occupying their land. You imprison innocent children and kill their parents in front of them. You even try to ban books from entering the country. You limit their access to water, THEIR land, electricity and”
Qarjouli continued: “...You literally steal their own goods and ask them to pay for them. Then you have the audacity to say the occupiers have the right to defend themselves?”
Qarjouli retweeted another November 14, 2019 tweet that said: “But Palestinians have no rights to defend themselves from illegal occupation, illegal settlements, apartheid laws, and consistent violence against civilians from the IDF [Israel Defense Forces]? That AIPAC [American Israel Public Affairs Committee] money does wonders.”
The stated mission of AIPAC is to “strengthen, protect and promote the U.S.-Israel relationship in ways that enhance the security of the United States and Israel.”
The implication that AIPAC buys political support for Israel has been described as playing into “anti-Semitic tropes” that led to “centuries of stereotypes about Jews using money to control the world.”
Qarjouli retweeted an October 24, 2019 tweet that accused Israel of “collective punishment and ethnic cleansing” after Israel destroyed the home of 33 year-old Islam Yusuf Hamid (Islam Naji), who killed an IDF soldier on an arrest raid by dropping a marble slab on his head from the top floor of a three-story building.
On October 18, 2019, Qarjouli tweeted: “...the occupation is trying to erase the lives of Palestinians, their food, impose trade restriction, and claim an entire culture belongs to them this is a form of resistance and a...”
Qarjouli continued: “reminder that the country still exists.”
Qarjouli retweeted an October 11, 2019 tweet that included an AJ+ video that labeled [00:00:05] Gaza “the world’s biggest open-air prison.”
The AJ+ video also characterized [00:00:11] violent protesters from the March of Return as Palestinian refugees [00:02:46] “simply attempting to go home” and claimed [00:00:22] that Israel has “shot people protesting” near the border fence.
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 was organized and funded by Hamas as a campaign of violent protests to spotlight the Palestinian demand to “return” to Israel. The “right of return” has since been discredited as a means to eliminate Israel.
The violent riots continued until the end of 2018, accompanied by military-style attacks carried out by Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) and other terror organizations. The attacks included gunfire, armed rioters penetrating Israeli territory, throwing IEDs and hand grenades and launching incendiary kites into Israel.
On October 2, 2019, Qarjouli tweeted: “canceled” and embedded a tweet that said: “Palestinian genocide is what makes Israel absolutely magical.” The tweet Qarjouli embedded included was in response to American actress Demi Lovato for describing her visit to Israel as “magical.”
That same day, Qarjouli tweeted: “I can’t believe some people would say ‘get over it’ when someone tries to educate people about what’s happening in Palestine. Right now, as I type this tweet, God knows how many Palestinians are being murdered.”
Qarjouli also retweeted an October 2, 2019 tweet that said: “demi lovato praising israel and it’s fake history and existence... innocent people get killed everyday and this woman is glorifying all of it. i’m speechless. free palestine forever.”
Qarjouli retweeted a September 29, 2019 tweet that said: “This moment still haunts every Palestinian today. Today marks 19 years.” The tweet Qarjouli retweeted included an embedded tweet that said: “18 years today since the IDF killed Mohammad al Durra as his father tried to shield him with his body.”
The Al-Durah hoax is an iconic piece of anti-Israel propaganda, fabricated on September 30, 2000 at the start of the Second Intifada by a France 2 reporter.
Qarjouli retweeted a June 13, 2019 tweet that said: “I’m lacking vitamin E ( End of the apartheid state of Isra*l )”
Qarjouli retweeted a May 19, 2019 tweet from anti-Israel activist Salwa Sadek that said: “Someone tell her [Madonna] that Israel is an apartheid state that stole land, identity and the lives of Palestinians but yeah let’s ‘never underestimate the power of music to bring people together.’”
Madonna performed at Eurovision in Tel Aviv in May 2019.
Promoting BDS
Qarjouli retweeted a June 14, 2019 tweet that said: “If Palestine calls for a Puma boycott, we boycotting Puma.”
The BDS Movement called for Puma to boycott Israel and end its sponsorship of the Israeli Football Association (IFA).
Qarjouli retweeted a January 30, 2020 tweet that said: “I’m doing some research on coca-cola and why they’re on the bds list, I’ll just put my findings in this thread.”
The BDS Movement called for Puma to boycott Israel and end its sponsorship of the Israeli Football Association (IFA).
Qarjouli retweeted a January 30, 2020 tweet that said: “I’m doing some research on coca-cola and why they’re on the bds list, I’ll just put my findings in this thread.”
Qatar - Terrorism
Qatar is one of the primary state backers of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) and has provided funding for Hamas in the past. Qatar facilitates funding to advance extremism around the world, including the West.
Qatar Foundation
In 1995, the then-Emir of Qatar and his wife, Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, created the Qatar Foundation (QF) to “advance education, science, and cultural development.”In 1995, QF was given two billion dollars in resources by the Qatari Government “to address knowledge and capacity deficits” and transform into a “knowledge-based economy.”
QF launched Education City (EC) in 1997, with the stated goal of providing “world-class education to the people of Qatar.”
In 2003, the campus was officially inaugurated.
Qatar Foundation - Yusuf al-Qaradawi and the Muslim Brotherhood
In 2007, Yusuf al-Qaradawi announced QF’s establishment of the Qatar Faculty of Islamic Studies (QFIS) in EC. The QFIS structure was to be created by an advisory committee, chaired by al-Qaradawi.
Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi [Yousef Al-Qaradhawi] was the founder and, as of April 2020, remained head of the European Council for Fatwa and Research. In 2005, The Wall Street Journal reported the council used the anti-Semitic fabricated text, the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, as a basis for some of its deliberations.
al-Qaradawi said in a statement that aired on Al-Jazeera TV on January 30, 2009: "Throughout history, Allah has imposed upon the Jews...The last punishment was carried out by Hitler...Allah Willing, the next time will be at the hand of the Believers."
al-Qaradawi has also called for the murder of American civilians, as well as American troops in Iraq, homosexuals and Jews and expressed support for domestic violence against women.
al-Qaradawi said in a statement that aired on Al-Jazeera TV on January 30, 2009: "Throughout history, Allah has imposed upon the Jews...The last punishment was carried out by Hitler...Allah Willing, the next time will be at the hand of the Believers."
al-Qaradawi has also called for the murder of American civilians, as well as American troops in Iraq, homosexuals and Jews and expressed support for domestic violence against women.
In 2008, Moza bint Nasser and QF established within QFIS, the al-Qaradawi Centre for Research in Moderate Thought, also known as the “Al-Qaradawi Center for Islamic Moderation and Renewal,” in honor of “His Eminence” Dr. Yusuf al-Qaradawi.
QFIS described al-Qaradawi as “a pioneer of Islamic moderate thought” and the research center’s “main theorist.”
In January 2012, QF opened the Research Center for Islamic Legislation and Ethics (CILE), “under the guidance of Director Dr. Tariq Ramadan.” In October 2015, Ramadan was listed as the CILE Director.
Tariq Ramadan is the grandson of Muslim Brotherhood (MB) founder Hassan al-Banna and son of senior Brotherhood operative Said Ramadan. Tariq Ramadanis also alleged to be a serial-rapist, as well asa terrorist supporter.
NU-Q - Qatar Foundation
In 2008, QF invited Northwestern University (NU) in Evanston, Illinois to set up a Qatari satellite campus in EC, Northwestern University in Qatar (NU-Q), focusing on journalism and communications.
The degree that NU-Q awards students upon graduation would be identical to that earned at NU’s Evanston, IL campus.
The degree that NU-Q awards students upon graduation would be identical to that earned at NU’s Evanston, IL campus.
On July 10, 2009, the Chronicle of Higher Education released an article critical of the academic standards of EC, noting that: "Administrators at several branch campuses of American universities in Qatar acknowledge that they accept students with admissions standards that fall below those expected on their home campuses…"
On April 5, 2014, Everett Dennis, NU-Q’s then-Dean and CEO said [00:12:25] in an interview with Richard Heffner, a former professor of Communications and Public policy at Rutgers University (Rutgers), that QF was “paying the bill” for NU-Q’s building, faculty, research and housing.
In March 2015, Stephen F. Eisenman, President of the Northwestern Faculty Senate, reported to the NU Faculty Senate that Qatari students receive full scholarships from the QF, while non-Qatari students, with some exceptions, must pay full costs. Eisenman also reported that “that five new endowed professorships at NU were recently funded out of QF money.”
In 2016, NU signed a 10-year extension to its agreement with QF, enabling NU-Q to operate through the 2027-2028 school year.
As of November 2019, the United States Department of Education (DoE) reported that Qatar gave NU $323.4 million in contract revenue since January 2013, averaging $49.6 million per year.
As of April 2020, Qatar Foundation’s contract with NU-Q was not available to the public.
As of May 2020, EC hosted six American university satellite campuses, in addition to NU-Q, including Carnegie Mellon University, Georgetown University, Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), the Joan & Sanford I. Weill Medical College of Cornell University and Texas A&M University.
QF lawyers, according to a January 2016 Washington Post article, petitioned the Texas attorney general in an attempt to keep the operational and financial details confidential.
However, the Washington Post was able to publish the 2012 10-year contract between VCU and QF because it was “disclosed as a matter of public record.” The projected budget included a VCU management fee of $3.6 million dollars for 2013, to rise to $4.1 in 2015.
The Washington Post article added: “The other four U.S. schools involved are private: Cornell, Carnegie Mellon, Northwestern and Georgetown universities. They all declined Post requests for their Qatar contracts.”
The Washington Post later published the 2014 contract between Texas A&M and QF in a March 2016 article. The contract stated: “Texas A&M is eligible for a management fee for running the branch — an amount set at $8.2 million in fiscal 2014.”
In 2019, the U.S. DoE was reportedly “quietly investigating Georgetown and three other universities — Texas A&M, Cornell and Rutgers — over their funding from Qatar.”
Qatar Foundation - Anti-Israel Campaign
In 2009, the Qatar Foundation hired the U.S. public relations firm, Fenton Communications, to develop “a communications action plan for an 18-month campaign,” using Al Fakhoora, a Qatari-based pro-Palestine initiative.The Fenton plan aimed to delegitimize Israel and generate international support for the Hamas-run Gaza strip, with a reported budget of $120,000.
Al Fakhoora was reportedly launched in 2009, following “the Israeli aggression on Gaza,” in support of promoting and facilitating access to higher education.
Israel commenced Operation Cast Lead (OCL)in 2008-09 in order to stop Hamas rocket fire from Gaza targeting Israeli civilians. In 2010, Hamas admitted that nearly 700 of the Palestinian casualties in OCL were combatants.
In May 2010, Farook Burney, director of Al Fakhoora, reportedly participated in the Mavi Marmara attempt to “break the siege in Gaza.”
The Mavi Marmara was the lead ship in a “Freedom Flotilla” of six ships that attempted to sail to Gaza in May 2010 to “break the siege.” A 2011 United Nations’ report found that the flotilla activists initiated a violent confrontation with Israeli forces. Following the incident there was no humanitarian aid found onboard the ship, only crude weaponry.
In June 2010, Burney reportedly told students at QFIS that "Al Fakhoora has launched an advocacy campaign to file legal charges against Israel and change the public perception in the West about its actions."
Qatar Foundation -EC Mosque Hosting Anti-Semitic Preachers
In April 2015, QF opened the Education City (EC) Mosque, located in Qatar Faculty of Islamic Studies (QFIS) campus, adjacent to NU-Q.Since the opening of the mosque, QF’s newspaper has encouraged readers to “join the QF community for prayer” at the EC Mosque, which has hosted 18 preachers and clerics who have variously spread anti-Semitism, expressed support for terror, spread [00:00:20] a conspiracy theory that radicalized Muslims played no part in 9/11 or the Charlie Hebdo attacks and declared that the Jews use pornographic movies to “destroy the world and control it.”
One preacher, Salman al-Audah, claimed [00:02:48] in a sermon broadcast on a major Gulf media channel in August 2012, that Jews use “human blood” for Passover matzah.
A cleric, Tareq al-Hawas, stated [00:04:11] about Jews "If only Hitler had finished them off, thus relieving humanity of them." Hawas was reportedly a member of Yusuf al-Qaradawi's International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS) in 2013.
Another cleric, Mohammed al-Arifi, proclaimed in 2012, that “one’s devotion to jihad for the sake of Allah and one’s will to shed blood, smash skulls, and chop off body parts...constitute an honor.”
On March 18, 2016, preacher Mudassir Ahmed spoke at the EC mosque, urging attendees to [00:37:47]: “Kill the infidels... Count them in number and do not spare one.”
On April 1, 2016, preacher Khalid Al-Bakr, who has expressed support for Hamas, spoke at EC’s Mosque, calling [00:36:47] for Allah to “render victorious our brothers the mujahideen...in every place” and to “guide their shooting.”
On October 30, 2015, during the “Knife Intifada,” al-Hawas used his pulpit at the EC mosque to condemn [00:30:18] “the aggressor Zionists,” adding: “Allah, Help out Islam and Muslims, humiliate the heathens; destroy the foes of the religion.” al Hawas also said: "Protect your house, Al-Aqsa mosque from the hands of the Zionist aggressors."
October 2015 saw a wave of stabbings, known as the “Knife Intifada,” where young Palestinians throughout Israel were stabbing and attempting to stab Israeli civilians. The upsurge in violence across Israel was incited by Palestinian political and religious leaders. The attacks were sparked and fueled by Palestinian leaders propagating the libel that Israel intended to desecrate the Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.
NU-Q - Al Jazeera
Since 2008, NU-Q has worked closely with the Al Jazeera Media Network (Al Jazeera). In 2013, NU-Q signed a Memorandum Of Understanding (MoU) with Al Jazeera “which deepens ties between the two organizations.”
Al Jazeera is a multinational multimedia conglomerate and parent company of the Qatari state-funded Al Jazeera. AJMN comprises an entirely state-owned network, chaired by Sheikh Hamad bin Thamer Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar.
AJMN has been repeatedly accused of slanting news reports to promote and advance the agenda of theMuslim Brotherhood (MB), as well as MB’s offshoot, the Hamas terrorist organization.
On March 13, 2013, Qatari-based news site Marhaba reported that NU-Q’s MoU with Al Jazeera aimed to “further facilitate collaboration and knowledge transfer between the two media organisations.” NU-Q’s announcement of the MoU referred to itself and Al Jazeera as “two of Qatar’s foremost media organisations.”
The MoU was created, in part, so NU faculty would provide consultations to launch Al Jazeera America (AJAM), based on NU’s “expertise in the American Media Industry.”Al Jazeera, for its part, expressed “willingness to support NU-Q students with scholarships as well as training opportunities.”
Al Jazeera launched AJAM, an American news channel, 2013. However, the channel closed in April 2016 due to low viewership and following a crisis in 2015 when CEO Ehab Al Shihabi reportedly stepped down after accusations of sexism and anti-Semitism.
NU-Q’s MoU with Al Jazeera was signed by Ahmed bin Jassim bin Mohamed Al-Thani, Qatari Minister of Economy and Commerce and Director General of Al Jazeera, as well as Everette Dennis, the Dean and CEO of NU-Q.
Since the MoU, Al Jazeera has maintained a close partnership with NU-Q, including funding NU-Q’s professorial research.
NU-Q Joint Advisory Board
Since NU-Q and Al Jazeera signed their initial MoU in 2013, NU-Q has a Joint Advisory Board (JAB), which consists of ten to eleven people; five or six positions filled by Qatari-connected members and five positions filled by Western members.All eleven of the current or previous Qatari-connected JAB members were directly affiliated with QF, Al Jazeera or the Qatari government.
There is little information available about the role of NU-Q’s JAB. The role of the Texas A&M University, Qatar (TAMUQ) JAB was exposed by the Washington Post in a 2016 article, to include general oversight and close monitoring and review of every aspect of TAMUQ, with QF paying the JAB TAMUQ expenses.
Multiple people associated with the NU-Q’s JAB have whitewashed al-Qaradawi, including the QF CEO and JAB Co-Chair from 2008-2019, Hind bint Hamad Al-Thani, JAB 2019-2020 member and president of Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) Ahmad Hasnah, as well as JAB 2012 - 2014 member and QF Vice President of education Abdulla bin Ali Al-Thani.
Qatari State Minister, NU-Q JAB 2019-2020 member and AJ Vice Chairman Hamad Bin Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari, reportedly recommended a book that spread anti-semitism and authored an introduction praising the book. Yaser Bishr, 2017-2020 JAB member and Executive Director of digital media at Al Jazeera has demonized Israel.
Professor Rami Khouri was a Western NU-Q JAB member from 2012-2020 and a senior fellow at American University of Beirut (AUB). As of January 2020, Khouri was also an Al Jazeera contributor.
Khouri has legitimized terrorism, defended the “Knife Intifada,” has glorified violent protesters and spread anti-Israel conspiracy theories.
NU-Q - Hosting Annual Al Jazeera Speaker Series
Since the signing of the MoU in 2013, NU-Q has hosted an annual Al Jazeera Speakers Series. Thirteen of the 17 speakers who participated in the series at NU-Q from 2013-2019 have whitewashed terrorism, demonized Israel or expressed supportfor the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.Dima Khatib, managing director of AJ+, spoke at NU-Q as part of the series on November 8, 2016. Khatib has spread anti-Semitic conspiracy theories, defended Hamas terror and whitewashed Hezbollah. She has also glorified a terrorist, demonized Israel and is a supporter of the BDS movement.
Elia Ghorbiah, a journalist at AJ’s immersive storytelling studio Contrast VR [Virtual Reality], spoke at NU-Q on November 8, 2018, as part of the series, helping to launch the NU-Q’s new Media Innovations Lab (MIL).
Ghorbiah has compared Israel to Nazi Germany, exressed support for terrorists, as well as the terrorist organization Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and urged the kidnapping of Israeli soldiers. She is also a supporter of the BDS movement.
NU-Q - Anti-Israel Middle East Studies Minor
In 2017, NU-Q launched a Middle East Studies minor in their Liberal Arts program. From 2017-2019, four of the seven members of the NU-Q’s Middle East Studies committee included anti-Israel NU-Q professors Justin Martin, Ibraham Abusharif, Khaled Hroub and Sami Hermez.Khaled Hroub, a Professor at NU-Q who taught the 2018 and 2019 course “Islamism & Politics in the Middle East,” has reportedly whitewashed the terror group Hamas.
Sami Hermez, an NU-Q Professor who taught the 2018-2019 NU-Q courses “Anthropology of Palestine” and “Advanced Topics: Violence/Power/Resistance,” has promoted a terrorist and demonized Israel.
All of the required reading for Hermez’s “Anthropology of Palestine” course was authored by anti-Israel professors, eight of whom were activists in or supporters of the BDS movement. One of the authors, Edward Said, has advocated for the “right of return,” a Palestinian demand discredited as a means to eliminate Israel.
Justin Martin, an Associate Professor at NU-Q, has mocked America’s suffering following the 9-11 terror bombings and demonized Israel. Martin has also broadcast his desire for Qatari funding to boost the BDS movement on U.S college campuses.
Ibrahim Abusharif was an editor and Treasurer of the Quranic Literacy Institute (QLI) from 1990 to 1998. The QLI “was allegedly part of a large web of organizations and individuals that were funding terrorist groups.”
QLI, along with the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development (HLF), and the Islamic Association of Palestine, was found to have funded Hamas militant activities and therefore liable for the death of David Boim, an American citizen killed by Hamas in the West Bank. This was later reversed as it could not be proven the funds were intended to be used to kill Boim.
The minor also required students to attend two guest lectures a year, chosen by the Middle East Studies Committee.
NU-Q - Student Internships in International Media
As of January 2020, third-year NU-Q Journalism and Strategic Communication students were required to intern for ten weeks at media or public relations firms, off-campus.In 2019, students reportedly interned at international communication firms and news outlets in Washington D.C., New York City, London, Berlin, Stockholm and Doha.
As of February 2020, news outlets where NU-Q students have interned included: BBC News, TIME Magazine, Forbes, the Washington Post, National Geographic, the Guardian, National Public Radio (NPR), the Boston Globe, USA Today, Vox, the Financial Times, the Huffington Post and VICE
.
Students also interned at sports outlets, including: Sports Illustrated and ESPN, as well as fashion outlets Vogue, Cosmopolitan and Marie Claire.
NU-Q reported in 2012 that they were able to offer students residencies at prestigious media organizations “because of the high-level contacts that NU-Q faculty and staff have in the international media.”
Students also interned at sports outlets, including: Sports Illustrated and ESPN, as well as fashion outlets Vogue, Cosmopolitan and Marie Claire.
NU-Q reported in 2012 that they were able to offer students residencies at prestigious media organizations “because of the high-level contacts that NU-Q faculty and staff have in the international media.”
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
LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/asmahan-qarjouli-07a29b14a/Twitter: https://twitter.com/Oh_Dear_Han
https://twitter.com/OhDear_Han [Deleted]
https://twitter.com/HanSolo_20 [Deleted]
https://twitter.com/OhDearHan_ [Deleted]
- Status:
- Unknown
- University:
- Northwestern-Qatar
- Organizations:
- AJ+,
- BDS
- Related Profiles:
- Last Modified:
- 05/04/2026
Photos & Screenshots
43 images
Infamous Quotes
“Right now, as I type this tweet, God knows how many Palestinians are being murdered.”
“...the occupation is trying to erase the lives of Palestinians, their food, impose trade restriction, and claim an entire culture belongs to them...”
