Jana Abulaban
Overview
Jana Abulaban expressed hatred of Israel in an unauthorized speech at her college graduation in 2023. Abulaban also engaged in anti-Israel activism while serving as president of the El Camino College (ECC) Associated Students Organization (ASO) in 2022-2023.Abulaban served as the external vice president for ECC’s Muslim Students Association (MSA) chapter (MSA ECC) and was a member of ECC’s Inter-Club Council (ICC) Cabinet for the 2022-2023 academic year.
As of September 2023, Abulaban’s LinkedIn profile said she attended ECC from 2021 to 2023 and was studying “Psychology & Communications.”
As of June 2023, Abulaban reportedly planned to transfer to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in the fall of 2023 to study psychology. She also intended to be “a lawyer and go to a law school to learn immigration or international law…”
As of September 2023, Abulaban’s LinkedIn said she was located in Torrance, California.
Spreading Hatred of Israel at the ECC Graduation Ceremony
On June 9, 2023, while introducing a student speaker at the 2023 ECC commencement ceremony, Abulaban said [01:25:38]: “...I gift my graduation to all Palestinians who have lost their lives and those who continue to lose their lives every day due to the oppressive apartheid State of Israel, killing and torturing Palestinians as we speak.”Abulaban continued [01:25:56]: “I promise them and I promise you all, that I will use my skills and everything I have learned through my journey, to fight, not just for their justice, but for the justice of all marginalized communities worldwide.”
According to a June 12, 2023 New York Post article, Abulaban reportedly said she was "inspired" by the commencement address delivered by Fatima Mousa Mohammed at the City University of New York (CUNY) Law School graduation ceremony on May 12, 2023. The CUNY Board of Trustees denounced her address as “hate speech” later that month.
During her commencement address, Mohammed promoted violence, honored terrorist financiers, and spread hatred of Israel and the police. Mohammed also used her address to promote the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.
On June 14, 2023, ECC president Brenda Thames released a statement which said that Abulaban, who “was not authorized to speak other than to introduce another speaker, took it upon herself to make an anti-Israel statement.”
Thames continued: “Anti-Israel sentiments can lead to a rise in antisemitism. Our Commencement ceremonies seek to celebrate, uplift, and are never places where statements against any community will be tolerated.”
According to a June 14, 2023 article published by the New York Post, Abulaban claimed she “ran it past her advisor, Ricardo Gonzales, two days in advance, when he ‘basically backed me up on it… he said that obviously my voice is my speech.’”
On June 17, 2023, ECC’s student newspaper, the Union, published a guest column by Abulaban in which she defended the anti-Israel statement she made during her commencement speech.
Abulaban wrote: “I know that I am on the right side of history, and I am proud to stay true to my principles calling for an end to Israeli apartheid so that Palestinians can be free. I hope that many more people will join me too.”
Anti-Israel Activism
On May 22, 2023, Abulaban was tagged on an Instagram post by the ECC Social Justice Center (SJC) promoting an event titled: “Palestine Awareness Day.” The event was scheduled for May 25, 2023, and featured a screening of the documentary film “1948: Creation & Catastrophe.”A graphic promoting the event read: “TO COMMEMORATE THE MEMORY OF THE NAKBA (1948 GENOCIDE).”
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.
Abulaban commented: "Looking forward to this amazing event
."On March 5, 2023, ECC’s student newspaper, The Union, reported that Abulaban did a “prose interpretation” speech performance at ECC’s Speaker’s Forum based on the experiences of anti-Israel agitator Ahed Tamimi.
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.
The Union article quoted Abulaban as saying: “The piece was emotional and powerful and I hope [attendees] at least learn a little bit more about the conflict.”
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.
Social Media and Weblinks
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/janaabulaban7 [Private]LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/jana-abulaban-63901327a [Deleted]
The Union:https://eccunion.com/tag/jana-abulaban/
- Status:
- Student
- University:
- Erie-Community
- Organizations:
- MSA
- Related Profiles:
- Last Modified:
- 05/04/2026
Videos
2 videos
Photos & Screenshots
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Infamous Quotes
“I gift my graduation to all Palestinians who have lost their lives and those who continue to lose their lives every day due to the oppressive apartheid State of Israel killing and torturing Palestinians as we speak.”
