Naji Ghanimah

In 2020, Ghanimah wrote on Facebook that he was an activist with the Chicago branch of Fatah. Ghanimah also indicated on Facebook that he had served time in Israeli prison, and was released in 1991.

Ghanimah is the father of Dunia Ghanimah, who was the president of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) and a member of the group’s 2019-2020 Executive Board. Dunia Ghanimah has also glorified terrorism, expressed support for terrorists and spread anti-Israel incitement and hatred of Israel.

As of June 2020, Ghanimah said on his Facebook page that he was a “General contractor construction window replacement,” since December 2019, and indicated that he lived in Chicago, Illinois.

Promoting Hitler

On September 3, 2018, Ghanimah shared a video to Facebook of an actor dressed as Hitler walking the streets of Germany with bystanders expressing support [00:00:38] for him and giving [00:00:52] the Nazi salute, except for one man who stood [00:02:51] in front of a Jewish star of David.

The video concluded [00:03:37] with a Spanish translation of a quote, allegedly said by Hitler: “It is necessary that I die for my people. However my spirit will rise from the tomb and the world will know that I was right.”

Support for Terrorists

On January 11, 2020, Ghanimah posted to Facebook a photo of Marwan Al-Barghouthi, and wrote “للهم فرج قرب إخواننا القائد مروان البرغوثي ابو القسام والاخ محمد زكريا الملقب بأبو جوهر وابعت لهم الفرج العاجل انك على كل شيئ قدير . [Oh God free our brethren the commander Marwan Al-Barghouthi Abu l-Qassam and the brother Mohammad Zakarya alias Abu Jawhar and liberate them soon as Thou art the almighty].”

On December 30, 2019, Ghanimah posted an extensive collage of Fatah terrorists to his Facebook, adding: في الانطلاقة ال 55..نجدد العهد والوفاء لشمس الشهداء وشهداء اللجنة المركزية وشهداء فلسطين جميعا..لروحكم الطاهرة الف سلام [“We remain committed to our martyrs, the martyrs of Fatah movement.]

On November 18, 2019, Ghanimah posted to Facebook: “اللهم فك اسرهم فلا يقدر على هذى العدو النازي إلى انت يا الله [Oh God, release them from prison because only Thou can overcome this Nazi enemy, oh God]” and included photos of Nael Al-Barghouthi.

Nael Barghouthi, a Hamas terrorist, was reportedly jailed for killing Israeli bus driver Mordechai Yekuel in 1978He was sentenced to life in prison. Later released in the 2011 Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange, Barghouti was re-arrested for violating the terms of the exchange. 

On April 16, 2019, Ghanimah shared to his Facebook a post by the Ayn Siniya branch of Fatah, glorifying Khalil al-Wazir. 

Khalil Ibrahim al-Wazir, also known as Abu Jihad, headed the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) “military wing” and planned many deadly terror attacks, including the most lethal in Israeli history, the Maghrabi bus hijacking. The attackers killed 38 civilians, including 13 children, and wounded 71 others.

The wording above the post Ghanimah share included: “The first bullet ….the first stone.” Underneath the photo was the caption “الذكرى ٣١ لاغتيال امير الشهداء .......اول الرصاص واول الحجارة ........خليل الوزير ابو جهاد ...........على العهد باقون [the 31 anniversary of the martyrdom The prince of martyrs, Khalil al-Wazir ‘Abu Jihad’].”

On June 12, 2018, Ghanimah shared to Facebook a photo and post promoting Thaer Hammad. 

In 2002, Fatah terrorist Thaer Hammad carried out a sniper attack, killing three Israeli civilians and seven soldiers. He was arrested in 2004 and sentenced to life in prison.

On May 19, 2017, Ghanimah posted to Facebook: “الفرج قريب يا سيد الرئساء [The rescue is near, oh chief of the leaders]” and attached a photo of Marwan Barghouti. 

On May 15, 2017, Ghanimah shared a poster by Barghouti on Facebook, with the caption: “Palestine will be free. Support the Hunger Strikers.“

On April 16, 2017, Marwan Barghouti initiated a hunger strike, referred to as the “Dignity Strike.” More than 1,000 other Palestinian prisoners participated in the hunger strike — most of whom were also convicted for acts of terrorism.

On May 13, 2017, Ghanimah shared a video to Facebook of his daughter Dunia Ghanimah and other activists with the Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) chapter of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), taking part in the “Salt Water Challenge” to support the “Dignity Strike.”

Ghanimah added. “انا بفتخر في بنتي دنيا غنيمة رئسةsjp.uius في جامعة شامبين في تضامنهم مع المعتقلين في سجون الاحتلال الغاشم المضربين عن الطعام والى الامام يا من ولدتك وتربيتهم في المجتمع الأمريكي والدم الفلسطيني ينبض في قلوبكم وشراينكم بوركتم وبوركت سواعدكم الجبارة. [I am proud of my daughter, Dunia Ghanimah, head of the SJP. UIUS at Champaign University [I am proud of] their solidarity with the detainees in the prisons of the cruel occupation who are going on hunger strike, Go forward, happiness to your parents. Education in American society and Palestinian blood are in your veins and heart. Blessed be you and your great efforts].”

Idolizing Yasser Arafat

From August 2015 until January 2020, Ghanimah glorified Yasser Arafat at least 8 times on Facebook. Below are some examples:

Yasser Arafat was the founder of Fatah, the largest faction of the multi-party PLO and was the chairman of PLO. The PLO’s stated goal at its founding was the "liberation of Palestine" through armed struggle.

Arafat is known by some as the “father of modern terrorism.” He encouraged children to carry out “martyrdom” operations against Israel during the second intifada. 

Arafat reportedly told Arab diplomats in a secret meeting in 1996: "We will make life unbearable for Jews by psychological warfare and population explosion. Jews will not want to live among Arabs. I have no use for Jews. They are and remain Jews."

On August 11, 2015, Ghanimah posted to Facebook: “زياره إلى قبر الشهيد المرحوم الرمز ابو عمار رحمه الله مع العائلة [A visit to the grave of the late martyr symbol Abu Ammar, may God have mercy on him, with the family].” Ghanimah attached a photo of his family posing at Arafat’s grave.

Celebrating Terrorism

On January 28, 2020, Ghanimah posted to his Facebook page a music video condemning U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposed peace plan to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The words of the music video Ghanimah shared said [00:00:44]: “we will stamp the deal” and featured footage of gunmen armed with assault rifles. 

On January 26, 2020, Ghanimah posted to his Facebook page footage of a video accompanied by the Intifada [00:03:23] song “Zaghradi [ululate].”

Since the early 2000s, the term “intifada,” which translates from Arabic as “uprising” or “insurrection,” has carried the connotation of violence.  

The second intifada (2000-2005) was characterized by more than 120 suicide bombings targeting Israeli civilians on buses and in cafes.

“Zaghradi” refers to the song theme “Zaghradi ya um ash-shahid -زغردي اي ام الشهيد [Uluate Oh Mother of the Shahid],” that glorifies the joy of the mothers of Palestinian terrorists.

On November 27, 2019, Ghanimah shared to Facebook a link to an article titled: “شاهد| كتائب الأقصى تدعو السلطة والأجهزة الأمنية لنصرة الأسرى [Al-Aqsa brigades urge the PA security apparatus to help the prisoners].” 

The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade is the armed wing of Fatah, the main group in the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). The Brigade has been listed as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) by the U.S. State Department since 2002 and was responsible for multiple suicide bombings during the second intifada.

The article Ghanimah shared claimed that a convicted terrorist who died of cancer while in Israeli prison had been martyred and stated: “وأكدت كتائب الأقصى على أنه لا سلام مع الاحتلال في ظل استمراره في التنكر لحقوق الشعب الفلسطيني، مشددين على ضرورة الوقوف أمام القضايا الوطنية. [The Al-Aqsa Brigades stressed that there is no peace with the occupation while it continues to deny the rights of the Palestinian people, stressing the need to stand before national].” 

On December 8, 2018, Ghanimah shared to Facebooka video of the murder of a Palestinian land broker, Ahmad Salameh, who had sold land to Israelis. Ghanimah commented “ومصير الخائن هيذى بيكونة. [That will be the fate of each traitor]”

On that same day, Ghanimah posted to Facebook: “هذى مصير كل من يتاجر في أرض بيت المقدس وبيعها إلى الصهاينة. [This will be the fate of everyone who sells out the land of Jerusalem to Zionists]” and attached a photo of Ahmad Salameh.

On that day, Ghanimah also posted to Facebook: “مصير كل خائن [The fate of every traitor],” and attached a close-up photo of Ahmad Salameh’s bullet-riddled car.

On November 13, 2018, Ghanimah posted to Facebook: “المقاومة تكسر شوكة الجيش الذي يدعي انه لا يقهر وتغمس رئسه في الطين وتنزل تحت الأرض [The resistance will break the thorn of the army which claims to be invincible and [the resistance] will dip its [the army's] head in the mud and will make it descend under the ground]” and embedded photos of Israeli civilian casualties of terror attacks.

On July 12, 2018, Ghanimah posted to Facebook: “الله يرحم روحه الطاهرة والجد والخلود له ولكل الكوادر أبناء شرارة الانتفاضة الأولى الاوفياء لقضيتهم ولفلسطين وشامخون حتى في الشهادة اللهم اكتبه مع الشهداء والصديقين. [Let Allah have mercy upon his pure soul, eternity, and glory to all the leaders of the flame of the first Intifada, to the loyal to their cause and to Palestine, to those who stand lofty unless they become martyrs. Oh God, write him with martyrs and faithful].”

Ghanimah included a video glorifying "general martyrs" of the First Intifada.

The first intifada lasted from 1987-1991 and resulted in over 160 Israeli civilian casualties. Palestinian gunmen hijacked multiple buses and carried out shooting, stabbing and bombing attacks against Israelis, including the bombing of the U.S. Consulate in Jerusalem.

On November 25, 2017, Ghanimah shared a video glorifying “The Night of the Gliders” to Facebook. The 1987 ”Night of the Gliders” refers to two Palestinian terrorists who infiltrated Israel using hangliders. One terrorist killed six Israeli soldiers and wounded eight others before he was shot dead.

On October 18, 2015,Ghanimah participated in a protest titled: “مظاهرات شيكاغو تدعم الانتفاضة الفلسطينية [The demonstrations in Chicago support the Palestinian intifada].” 

In October 2015, there was an upsurge in violence across Israel incited by Palestinian political and religious leaders. The wave of stabbings, known as the “Knife Intifada,” was characterized by young Palestinians throughout the country stabbing and attempting to stab Israeli civilians.

During the protest, Ghanimah repeatedly [00:00:12] chanted with the crowd: “Intifada, Intifada, we support the Intifada!” and [00:00:34] “Long live Intifada.”

On January 29, 2020, Ghanimah posted a video clip of Yasser Arafat embracing sheikh Ahmed Yassin, a founder of Hamas. The caption read, in Arabic: “We miss you, we so need you, Palestine needs people like you.”

On January 6, 2020, Ghanimah posted to Facebook: “لا حولة ولا قوة الا بالله العلي العظيم [ There is no power or strength save in Allah]” along with a video of a protest, produced by Hamas’s Al-Quds TV news network. 

The video featured [00:01:07] Hamas leader Ismael Haniye declaring “[Qasem Soleimani] is a martyr of Al-Quds [Jerusalem] thanks to him, the Palestinian resistance in Gaza has achieved strength.” The caption added: “ من طهران..هنية: "سلـيماني شهـيد القدس، وله الفضل في ما وصلت إليه المـقاومـة الفلسطينية من قوة [The Resistance will not be affected by Soleimani’s assassination].” 

Qasem Soleimani was a commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force of Iran, a division primarily responsible for extraterritorial clandestine operations. Soleimani was designated as a terrorist by the United States in 2005 and killed in a January 2020 drone strike. 

On December 5, 2018, Ghanimah shared a post to Facebook that said: “عضو مركزية فتح، عباس زكي: حركة حماس ليست إرهابية، بل تقاتل من أجل قضية عادلة كأي حركة تحرر، ونؤكد أننا معهم في نفس الخندق لمواجهة "إسرائيل" وإسقاط المشروع الأميركي. [The member of the Fatah central comitee Abbas Zaki: Hamas is not a terrorist movement; it struggles for the just cause as any liberation movement . I reassure that we are together with it in the common fight against Israel and to disrupt the American plan].”

On December 8, 2017, Ghanimah shared to Facebook a video of an interview with Ahmed Yassin. The video is captioned: “الشيخ أحمد ياسين يحدد تاريخ زوال اسرائيل إن شاء الله [Sheikh Yassin is setting the date of Israel's disappearing , with Allah's help].”

On January 5, 2020, two days after the U.S. drone strike killed Qasem Soleimani, Ghanimah posted to Facebook a picture of U.S. President Trump next to Soleimani and commented: “الشغلة ولعت.وصار فيها روس. [Something kindles. And heads are therein.] 

Ghanimah linked to an article titled, in Arabic: “Iranian TV: 80 million to whoever will bring Trump’s head.”

On December 22, 2017, Ghanima shared to his Facebook a post from qudsn.net titled:“كتائب أبو علي: المقرات الأمريكية في كل فلسطين مباحة ومستهدفة [Abu Ali Brigades: American headquarters in all of Palestine are permissible and targeted].”

The article said: “Brigades of the Martyr Abu Ali Mostafa which is the armed branch of the PFLP have assured that all the American bases in the whole of the historical Palestine from Rafah to Naqoura [the Israeli city of Rosh ha-Nikra] may become legitimate targets, they are just targets.”

In December 2017, the U.S. government announced its decision to formally recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and to relocate the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Anti-Semitism  

On Facebook 12, 2020, Ghanimah posted to Facebook a Newsweek article about senior advisor to U.S. President Donald Trump Jared Kushner and commented: “اليهودي الحرامي [Jewish thief].”

On January 31, 2020, Ghanimah posted to Facebook a post in which a preacher related a Quranic story to illustrate the malice of the Jews and called for “لا سلام مع قاتلي الأنبياء [No peace with the murderers of the prophets].”

On January 30, 2020, Ghanimah shared to Facebook a video of an Egyptian preacher warning against negotiations with Jews. The preacher claimed [00:00:09], in Arabic: “distorted negotiation, postponement and procrastination are an original feature in the Jew’s nature according to the Torah, Gospels and the Koran.” 

On January 29, 2020, Ghanimah shared to Facebook a video disparaging Saudi rulers and clerics who supported modernization.

Ghanimah commented: “ورغم كل ذلك فالنصر قادم من عند الله ولو تحالف العالم اجمع فلن يربح الصهاينة وأتباعهم من يهود خيبر [In spite of all that, the victory is coming .Even if the whole world allies with them, the Zionists and their followers from Khaybar Jews won’t gain anything].”

The use of the term “Khaybar” Jews recalls the early 7th century Battle of Khaybar, where Muhammad with his followers massacred the Jews of that town and then enslaved the surviving women as “wives.” 

On July 6, 2019, Ghanimah share to Facebook a photo of an art display in Madrid titled “A Christian, a Jew and a Muslim.”.

The photo depicted a Muslim man prostrating and praying, and then a Christian man praying on his knees while perched on the back of the Muslim, and a Jewish man standing up and praying, perched on the shoulders of the Christian worshipper.

The photo caption read “A Jewish tourist objected to the representation of thesculpture. They asked him why are you objecting whereas you are at the top of it? He replied: right, but if the Muslim stands up we will fall ....”

Ghanimah posted “سيقوم باذن الله [He will, God willing].”

On September 14, 2018, Ghanimah shared to Facebook a post featuring Jared Kushner’s picture and commented: “اكبر أسرائيلي.نازي وعنصري على وجه التاريخ [The biggest Israeli Nazi and racist in History].”

On May 27, 2018, Ghanimah posted to Facebook a video of Israeli Police advancing on the street, with the caption: “The occupation police are opening fire on a lady near the light train station in Shuafat in Jerusalem.”

Ghanimah added: “Jews of Khaybar are adding up crimes, national unity is a must.”

On December 24, 2017, Ghanimah shared to Facebook a video clip excerpted from a 2010 presentation by Norman Finkelstein, during which a crying woman questioned Finkelstein’s comparison between the treatment of Jews in the Holocaust and the treatment of Palestinian Arabs under Israeli sovereignty. 

A comment on the video read: “ سؤال #خبيث من يهودية خبيثة لكن الرد كان #ذكي [a malicious question by a malicious Jewess. But the answer was smart].”

On February 4, 2020, Ghanimah posted to Facebook: “انهيار الدول العربية امام الصهيونية العالمية من كثرة الديون المكثفة.لرئسائها [The Arab states are collapsing before the World Zionism due to their multiple debts to its leaders of the World Zionism)].”

On January 31, 2020, Ghanimah shared to Facebook an interview with a Jordanian Airline pilot, Yousef al-Hamlan Dajeh.

In the video, Dajeh claimed [00:02:44] that U.S. President Donald Trump was a real estate tycoon, manipulated by World Zionism.

On May 16, 2019, Ghanimah shared to his Facebook page a film about Sirhan Sirhan who had assassinated U.S. senator Robert Kennedy in 1968. 

The video described Sarhan as born in Palestine, and stated Sirhan carried out the assassination “for his motherland”, because Robert Kennedy supported Israel. The narrator went on to claim that the CIA killed the senator and not Sirhan. The video was captioned: “The oldest Arab prisoner in America, has spent 56 years in the cell!.... Why and how.”

On February 1, 2020, Ghanimah posted to Facebook: “العنة على الإسرائيليين الصهاينة ومن ولاهم [Let the Zionist Israelis and their allies be cursed].”

On December 17, 2017, Ghanimah shared to Facebook a graphic of a “Wanted” posterwith a photo of Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Natanyahu, titled “Wanted Terrorist Benjamin Netanyahu for Crimes Against Humanity and The Planet.”

On December 8, 2017, Ghanimah shared to Facebook a misleading series of maps of Israel, adding: “حتى العنصري الأمريكي ترم يفهم .من هم أصحاب القدس. [Even the American racist Trump understands who the legal owners of Jerusalem are].”

Anti-Israel Activism

On March 19, 2020, Ghanimah posted to his Facebook page celebrating the purchase of property for a community center in Illionois and attached a photo of the members of the Palestinian American Club in Chicago, including Mazen Dola.

Mazen Dola has expressed support for terrorists, exploited children to honor Yasser Arafat and demonized Israel. As of March 2020, Dola was a Fatah activist in Chicago.

On January 5, 2020, Ghanimah posted to Facebook: “ذكرى انطلاقة حركة فتح في مدينة شيكاغو مع الاحبة اخي ابو كنان وقرة عيني مالك [The commemoration of the start of the Fatah movement in Chicago, with loved ones, my brother Abu Kinan and Qara Eini Malik.]

On January 4, 2020, Ghanimah attended the “احياء الذكرى ال 55 للثورة الفلسطينية [Commemoration of the 55th anniversary of the Palestinian revolution]” event, hosted byأنصار حركة التحرير الوطني الفلسطيني فتح - شيكاغو [Followers of the Palestinian Liberation Movement Fatah Chicago].

The event description declared that it was celebrating the launch of Fatah’s armed revolution and martyrdom operations against Israel.

Ghanimah posted [00:00:25] to Facebook a video of his daughter, Dunia Ghanimah, giving a speech at the event, honoring [00:05:39] 55 years since the creation of Fatah and [00:02:49] “the honorable Yasser Arafat.”

Dunia Ghanimah praised Fatah, stating [00:04:05] “Fatah also established the doctrine of the armed struggle, which is something that majority of Palestinians and pro Palestinian activists live by. Liberating Palestine and dismantling the State of Israel through an armed struggle.”

On December 29, 2019, Ghanimah shared to Facebook a post by the SJP Chicago chapter, adding: “Stop by tomorrow at the MAS [ Muslim American Society] - ICNA [slamic Circle of North America] Convention to watch my daughter Dunia Ghanimah talk about Palestine .”

On December 2, 2019, Ghanimah indicated on Facebook that he attended the American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) convention, featuring keynote speaker Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib.

On May 16, 2018, Ghanimah posed for a Facebook photo, participating in an anti-Israel demonstration alongside Mazen Dola. The demonstration was held to protestthe U.S. Embassy’s move to Jerusalem and to promote the ongoing March of Return riots on Israel’s Gaza border.

Social Media and Weblinks