Malek Almanaa
Overview
Almanaa is the founder and former president [00:03:04] of the Palestine Student Club (PSC) at Northwestern University, Qatar (NU-Q). As of December 2019, Almanaa wrote on her Facebook page that she “Manages” NU-Q PSC.
As of May 2021, Almanaa was a supporter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at Georgetown University in Qatar.
As of November 2021, Almanaa’s LinkedIn page said she was a Journalism student at NU-Q from 2016-2020. She was listed as “Editor In Chief” at The Daily Q, NU-Q’s student newspaper, from January to June 2020. She was also a “Producer/Host of the ‘Not Your Daily Stories’ Podcast” from October 2019 to May 2020.
In December 2019, Almanaa’s Twitter bio said that she was a “social media video producer intern” at Al Jazeera English (AJ English).
As of November 2021, Almanaa’s LinkedIn page listed her as a “Media Fellow” at Amnesty International USA from February to April 2019. She was also a “Summer Intern” at Al Jazeera Media Network (Al Jazeera) from May to June 2018.
Also as of November 2021, Almanaa’s LinkedIn page said she was studying for her master’s degree in “Digital Humanities & Societies,” at Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) in Qatar, slated to graduate in 2022. She was also listed as a “Teacher Assistant - Special-Needs Kids Program” at Hamad Medical Corporation in Qatar since January 2015.
As of the same date, Almanaa’s Twitter bio said that she was a “MA Student of Digital Humanities & Societies @HBKU '22 || Journalism alum @MedillSchool @NUQatar '20.”
Glorifying Violent Protesters
On May 4, 2018, Almanaa posted to Facebook : “


” and shared a photo from the “Great Return March” Facebook page, of a billboard memorializing Yasser Murtaja, with the caption: “Our message to Israeli occupation, Your bullets will never kill the truth #MartyrsOfTheTruth
.” As of October 2020, this post was deleted from Almanaa’s Facebook account.
On May 4, 2018, Almanaa posted to Facebook: “For six weeks in arrow [sic], continues the protests of Palestinians. Let’s all take a moment to praise their perseverance and strength. As you see this, please support them even by sharing this article or the names below of all the Martyrs - May all of their souls rest in peace
KEEP showing your support. DON'T normalize the Israeli injustices !” Almanaa’s Facebook post included a list of names of Gazans killed during the violent riots, the majority of whom were listed as killed between March 30, 2018 and April 6, 2018. As of October 2020, this post was deleted from Almanaa’s Facebook account.
Most of the Gazans who died between March 30 and April 6, 2018, were identified as terror operatives who were killed while carrying out terrorist attacks, rioting against IDF forces or attempting to breach the border fence between Israel and the Gaza Strip.
On May 25, 2018, Almanaa shared to Facebook a NowThis video of a disruption led by SJP at the University of Houston (UH), of a speech given by then-U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley.
The NowThis video said the crowd was [00:00:05] “condemning her for her support for Israel’s recent military attacks.”
Defending Terrorists
Almanaa retweeted a November 4, 2020 tweet which said: “freedom for maher al akhras & all palestinian political prisoners of the zionist regime, both inside & outside the walls, with & without roofs.”PIJ is a terror group whose objective is the destruction of the State of Israel and the establishment of a sovereign, Islamic Palestinian state. PIJ is backed by Iran and has killed dozens of Israelis in suicide bombings and other attacks.
On June 24, 2020, Almanaa shared to Facebook a post memorializing Ahmad Erakat.
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.
Demonizing Israel
On June 14, 2018, Almanaa posted to Facebook: “If this doesn’t convince you that Israel is an apartheid m, idont [sic] know what will.” Almanaa included in her Facebook post an article from the anti-Israel website Mondoweiss.
On May 26, 2018, Almanaa shared a series of photos to Facebook labeling Israel an “apartheid” state and likening Israel to apartheid South Africa.
Supporting BDS
On March 6, 2020, Almanaa tweeted an article from the Electronic Intifada about artists urging singer Celine Dion to cancel a scheduled concert in Israel. Almanaa commented “How can artists who have been in the industry forever still accept concerts in Israel, and think it's okay? For the thousandth time: 'art' is not Apolitical. It's a part of an economic industry, and your concert will fuel a political agenda of #ethniccleansing.”Almanaa continued: “I also dont get it when they cancel ‘for safety reasons.’ It's not a safety reason, this only contribute to the narrative that ‘Palestinians are terrorists.’ Just cancel because you don't support ethnic cleansing and Apartheid.”
On June 14, 2018, Almanaa shared an article to Facebook titled: “HP [Hewlett Packard] To Lose Millions as Indias Student Federation Endorses Pro-Palestinian BDS.” As of October 2020, this post was deleted from Almanaa’s Facebook account.
On June 6, 2018, Almanaa shared an article to Facebook by Al Jazeera, titled: “Argentina cancels football friendly with Israel in Jerusalem.”
The article noted that the BDS movement launched a campaign urging the Argentinian national soccer team to pull out of the friendly match and reportedly said: “There is nothing 'friendly' about military occupation and apartheid.” As of October 2020, this post was deleted from Almanaa’s Facebook account.
On May 29, 2018, Almanaa shared a post to Facebook from BDS South Africa, featuring a graphic from the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI), celebrating the announcement that Shakira would not be performing in Israel.
The Facebook post that Almanaa shared said the cancellation was: “dashing Israel’s hopes to use her name to art-wash its latest massacre in Gaza.” The PACBI graphic accused Israel of “human rights violations and apartheid.” As of October 2020, this post was deleted from Almanaa’s Facebook account.
Qatar - Terrorism
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.”
Qatar Foundation - Yusuf al-Qaradawi and the Muslim Brotherhood
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
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.
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
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.”
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.
Al Jazeera English
Al Jazeera English (AJ English) is a Qatari-owned news channel, part of the Al Jazeera Media Network (Al Jazeera), headquartered in Doha, Qatar. Al Jazeera and AJ English are owned by the Qatari government and are financed by Sheikh Hamad bin Thamer Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar.AJ English has come under scrutiny by the U.S. State Department for Qatari “editorial and programmatic control” of AJ English, as Qatar is also the principal financial backer of the terror groups Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood.
AJ English has a significant social media following and has used its platforms to spread anti-Semitism, whitewash terrorists and promote anti-Israel propaganda.
AJ English is geared to a Western audience and has been careful to distance itself from controversy involving AJ’s Arabic news channels. When caught minimizing the murder of Jewish Israelis or publishing falsehoods that demonize Israel, AJ English has usually been quick to retract its statements.
Al Jazeera Media Network
Al Jazeera Media Network (Al Jazeera) is a Qatari-owned multimedia conglomerate broadcasting to 310 million households in more than 100 countries.The network has been accused of slanting news reports to promotethe agenda of the Muslim Brotherhood. A weekly show hosted by Sheikh Yusuf Qaradawi, the spiritual leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, aired from 1996-2013, where Qaradawi expressed [00:00:47] a personal dream of traveling to Israel to carry out Jihad and glorified suicide bombings by children.
The network has also been accused of affiliating with the terror group Hamas, criticized for providing a platform for the Al-Qaeda terror organization and implicated in the promotion of a wide variety of terrorist propaganda.
Invited guests and speakers have labeled Jews “devils” and “grave-dwellers who...suck the blood of others.” One Al Jazeera children’s program featured a Saudi cleric who labeled Jews “treacherous, disloyal, deceitful” and congratulated a child for hating and cursing Jews.
In September 2020, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) reportedly ordered AJ+, Al Jazeera’s online news platform based in the U.S., to register as a foreign agent under the Foreign Agent Registration Act (FARA).
Social Media and Weblinks