Deena Kishawi
Overview
Deena Kishawi has spread incitement, promoted hatred of Israel and expressed support for terrorists.Kishawi was an American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) activist in 2014, 2015 and 2021 [p. 2]. She is also a supporter of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.
As of July 2023, Kishawi’s LinkedIn profile said she had been a full-time OBGyn (Obstetrician and Gynecologist) chief resident physician at the Ascension St. Joseph Hospital-Chicago in Chicago, Illinois, since May 2020.
As of the same date, Kishawi’s LinkedIn said she had been a “Medical Consultant” at AlphaSights since October 2022 and Tegus since September 2022. She had also been an “Educational Content Creator” at Rosh Review since March 2022.
In July 2023, Kishawi was listed by the Illinois Department of Financial & Professional Regulation as having held a “temporary medical permit” in an “Obstetrics and Gynecology” program, license number 125075841, from June 25, 2020 to June 24, 2023. Kishawi was also listed as a licensed physician and surgeon, license number 036165594, active since June 29, 2023 and due to expire on July 31, 2026.
As of July 2023, Kishawi’s LinkedIn said she received a doctor of medicine degree in 2020 from the Stritch School of Medicine (SSOM) at Loyola University (Loyola) in Chicago. She also said she was the president and founding chair of the Muslim Medical Student Association (MMSA) at SSOM from September 2016 to March 2019.
Also as of July 2023, Kishawi’s LinkedIn said she graduated from DePaul University (DePaul) with a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences in 2016. That same month, she wrote that she had been a “mentor for aspiring physicians and pre-med students” and a “Pre-Health Advising Committee Board Member” at DePaul since January 2016.
As of the same date, Kishawi’s LinkedIn said she was located in Chicago, Illinois.
Spreading Incitement
On May 8, 2021, Kishawi tweeted: “It should come as no surprise that the Israeli aggression on Sheikh Jarrah nearly coincides with Nakba 1948. #SaveSheikhJarrah.”The term “Nakba” is generally translated as “catastrophe” in Arabic, referring to the outcome of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. It is a term often used to delegitimize the creation of the State of Israel by defining it as a catastrophe.
Also on May 8, 2021, Kishawi tweeted: “Palestinians have been turned away from their own places of worship, while Israeli forces stormed into Masjid Al-Aqsa (the third holiest site for Muslims) and attacked the mosque and it's worshippers on the holiest night for Muslims.”
Hatred of Israel
On September 10, 2021, Kishawi tweeted about a conversation she had with a patient: “...You might be familiar with Israel? See, in 1948, Israel ethnically cleansed over 500 villages…” In the same thread, Kishawi also accused Israel of “apartheid.”On May 22, 2021, at the end of OGW, Kishawi tweeted: “Just because there is a ‘ceasefire’ in Gaza doesn’t mean the momentum should disappear. Sheikh Jarrah is still under attack. We are witnessing modern day ethnic cleansing (which in reality, has been continuous across all of Palestine since 1948).”
On May 15, 2021, during OGW, Kishawi tweeted: “When you attack the media and journalists' offices, you are deliberately attacking in an attempt to erase history, wipe all archives off the earth, destroy the only materials they have for broadcasts, and prevent footage of Israel's attacks from making it on to the news.”
On May 15, 2021, Israel carried out a targeted bombing of a high-rise building in Gaza that was used as a base for Hamas operations. The building was also used by the Al Jazeera Media Network and other major news outlets. The Israeli military warned all of the building’s tenants to vacate the premises one hour prior to the attack.
On May 8, 2021, Kishawi tweeted: “Over the last 70+ years, Israel has been attempting to ethnically cleanse Palestine from it's native people - stealing land, military and police brutality and torture, destroying property, restricting entry to areas.”
On April 29, 2021, during the coronavirus epidemic, Kishawi wrote a tweet accusing Israel of “medical apartheid” and claimed that Israel was “refusing to provide vaccines to Palestinians.”
Terror Support (PFLP, Hamas)
In November 2014, Kishawi was also a moderator AMP’s Annual Conference in Chicago. At one session, Kishawi urged [00:43:06] participants to publicize the case of Rasmea Odeh.Odeh was a key military operative [00:02:08]with the designated terrorist organization Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). In 1969, she masterminded a supermarket bombing that killed two college students and attempted to bomb the British consulate in Jerusalem. In 1970, Odeh was sentenced to life imprisonment for her role in both bombings, but was released after 10 years. She later moved to the United States but was stripped of U.S. citizenship, deported to Jordan and banned for life from reentering the U.S. for immigration fraud.
Earlier in the event, Kishawi spoke [00:00:05] in support of Odeh and the “Holy Land Five.”
The Holy Land Five (HL5) were five individuals associated with the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development (HLF) indicted for funneling funds to Hamas in the guise of humanitarian aid. The men were all convicted and sentenced in 2009 to federal prison terms ranging from 15 to 65 years.
Anti-Israel Activism (AMP)
In November 2021, Kishawi was a moderator at AMP’s Annual Convention for Palestine held in Chicago from November 25-28, 2021.On November 20, 2021, Kishawi tweeted: “Anyone planning to come to @PalestineConv? It's the largest gathering for Palestine in North America!” She also tweeted: “See ya there :)”
On May 14, 2021, Kishawi promoted on Twitter an anti-Israel rally scheduled for May 16, 2021. The rally was organized by the Chicago Coalition for Justice in Palestine (CJP) and titled: “Protest 4 Palestine!”
At the rally, protesters chanted [00:00:48]: “From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be Free.” CJP’s Facebook page featured a photo of a protester holding a sign that said: “My hobbies include boycotting the illegal existence of Israel.”
“From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free” is a chant calling to dismantle the State of Israel. It has also been employed by Hamas leader Khaled Mashal to call for the replacement of Israel with an Islamic state.
In November 2015, Kishawi featured as a moderator at AMP’s 8th Annual Conference in Chicago, Illinois.
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.
Social Media and Web Links
Twitter:https://twitter.com/HijabInTheOR_LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/deena-kishawi
YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/@Dkishawi
Website:HijabInTheOR.com
Webmd.com:https://doctor.webmd.com/doctor/deena-kishawi-838937e6-8088-42f7-bacf-9c481903e718-overview
Doximity.com: https://www.doximity.com/pub/deena-kishawi-md-b58455d8
Medium:https://medium.com/@deena.kishawi
