Maram Essawi

Overview

Maram Essawy has expressed hatred of Israel supporters and spread hatred of Israel on Twitter. 

Essawy is a supporter of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement and endorsed the UMN Divest campaign, launched by Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at the University of Minnesota (UMN) in 2016.

In December 2015, Essawy indicated on Twitter that she was affiliated with the Muslim American Society (MAS) - Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA).

As of April 2021, Essawy was listed on the University of Minnesota (UMN) website as a PhD Candidate in the Department of Pharmacology.

As of the same date, Essawy’s LinkedIn page said she studied Biochemistry at UMN, from “2011 - 2014.”

As of April 2021, Essawy used the alias “maramoisellee” on Twitter, as well as on Instagram and on Tiktok.

Hatred of Israel Supporters

On October 11, 2020, Essawy tweeted: “‘ClEoPaTrA wASnT eGyPtIaN aNyWaYs So It DoEsNt MaTtEr WhAt WhItE aCtReSs PlAyS hEr, gAl GADOT iS nO diFfErReNt fRoM aNy oThEr ChOiCe’ Just tell us you’re a Zionist SIMP with your WHOLE A** CHEST.”

Essawy’s tweet referred to Israeli actress, Gal Gadot, who was set to play the leading role in a film based on Cleopatra.

On July 10, 2018, Essawy tweeted: “Also today I was reminded of a guy I thought was so hot and took his number then found out he was Zionist Israeli and after seeing a picture again I have no idea why I thought he was so hot.”

On December 6, 2017, Essawy tweeted: “The news has me feeling extra depressed and useless today so I think I’m going to pick a fight with someone before I go home.”

Essawy added: “I will make sure to run into girl that really wants to go to Israel on my way out.”

On the same day, the United States recognized Jerusalem as the Capital of Israel.

On January 30, 2015, Essawy tweeted: “I don't normally comment on MLI [Muslim Leadership Initiative] stuff but liberal zionists? Support palestinian self determination? WHAT.”

MLI "invites North American Muslim leaders to explore how Jews understand Judaism, Israel and North American Jewish identity through a Zionist lens," and to expand their understanding of Jewish “ethics, faith, and practice.” According to MLI founder Imam Abdullah Antepli, “MLI aims to put mainstream North American Jewry in conversation with their Muslim counterparts.”  

Spreading Hatred of Israel

On January 12, 2021, during the coronavirus pandemic, Essawy tweeted: “Everyone: Vaccinate for Impact Israel: Vaccinate for Apartheid.”

On October 20, 2020, Essawy tweeted: “Imagine pining so hard over open visitation privileges to a murderous, apartheid state.”

Essawy’s tweet referred to a tweet about a joint song released by Israel and the United Arab Emirates following the signing of the Abraham Accords. 

On August 13, 2020, the United States, Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) agreed to a joint statement referred to as the “Abraham Accords” in which the UAE consented to formally normalize its relationship with Israel. 

On June 3, 2020, Essawy tweeted: “Lollllz the same country that has been ethnically cleansing Palestinians for over 70 years, sterilized Ethiopian Jewish women and doesn’t even recognized Ethiopian Jews as Jews but converts from Christianity? Tel Aviv of that country?

Essawy’s tweet referred to a tweet about a Black Lives Matter protest held in Tel Aviv.

On August 17, 2016, Essawy tweeted: “This may be the most trash thread on Twitter - after the Israeli food appreciation thread.”

Essawy’s tweet was responding to a tweet that read: “Men Appreciation Thread…”

On April 7, 2015, Essawy tweeted: “My brother's expertise is asking open questions at dinner that make u want to smack him with a fork. QOTD [Quote of The Day]: Why does America support Israel.”

On February 23, 2015, Essawy tweeted: “Really FB [Facebook]? Like really?.” 

Essawy’s tweet featured a screenshot of a Facebook ad promoting Birthright trips for young Jews accompanied by Israeli soldiers, through the Jewish dating app, JSwipe. 

Birthright Israel is a heritage trip to Israel for Jewish young adults from across the world.

Essawy added to the thread: “...ew.” 

Essawy continued: “...I'm gonna throw up.”

Essawy concluded the thread, saying: “are Israeli soldiers actually appealing to Israeli's.”

The term "Zio" is a common derogatory reference to Zionists, as well as an often-used anti-Semitic slur among white supremacists.

Essawy retweeted a January 2, 2021 tweet by Remi Kanazi, that read: “Israel spreading covid to Palestinians under their control through violent raids and military occupation only to not give them the vaccines is apartheid at its finest.”

Poet Remi Kanazi is known for his aggressively anti-Israel spoken-word performances. He has supported terrorism and has compared Israel to both ISIS and the Ku Klux Klan.

Support for BDS

On April 13, 2016, Essawy tweeted: “@1001Leilah GEE WHIZ THANKS !! ill put umn divest pic back up if you want tho.”

On February 15, 2016, SJP UMN launched a divestment campaign, UMN Divest, calling for the Minnesota Student Association (MSA) and UMN to support divestment from companies that SJP UMN claimed “profit from human rights violations in Palestine/Israel.” 

SJP UMN’s statement announcing the campaign said UMN’s investment in the companies targeted by the campaign showed “implicit support for…the killing of civilians, and violations of their basic human rights.”

UMN’s Chief Investment Officer reportedly told The Minnesota Republic, a student-run newspaper at UMN, that the university had “no direct exposure” to the four companies targeted by the campaign.

On March 8, 2016, the MSA voted [00:26:24] to strike down the divestment resolution from the MSA agenda.

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.

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.