Sayel Kayed
Sayel Kayed’s Participation in the Pro-Hamas Encampment at Columbia University (Columbia), Anti-Semitism, Support for Terrorists and Hatred of Israel
In March 2018, Kayed was reportedly the president of the American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) chapter in New Jersey (AMP-NJ). He is a supporter of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.
In 2017, Kayed was affiliated with the anti-Israel organization Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP).
As of March 2023, Kayed’s BNI [Business Network International] Infinity bio said he was connected to Midnight Storm Promotions, Inc. The company was incorporated in September 2001 and provides “Credit Card/Merchant Services” and was located in North Bergen, New Jersey.
As of March 2023, Kayed’s LinkedIn page said he had been the owner of MSP Inc., a marketing and sales firm in the Tri-State area since 2000.
As of the same date, Kayed’s LinkedIn said he was located in the New York City metropolitan area.
Spreading Anti-Semitism
On April 21, 2018, Kayed claimed [00:54:57] in a speech at a New Jersey mosque that: “Orthodox Jews… even Grand Rabbis” believe that Jews are doomed to “wandering on the Earth” and cited Neturei Karta as an authoritative source for this belief.Neturei Karta is an anti-Israel Jewish fringe group whose leader, Yisroel Dovid Weiss, was excommunicated from many Ultra-Orthodox Jewish groups for participating in a 2006 Holocaust denial conference in Iran. The group opposes Zionism on religious grounds and has called to dismantle Israel.
On February 2, 2018, Kayed spoke at a New Jersey mosque and endorsed [00:02:16] the anti-Semitic conspiracy theory known as the “Khazar myth.”
The “Khazar myth” refers to the assertion that Ashkenazi Jews are not descended from the ancient Israelites but instead from the Khazar people, whose ruling class was said to have converted to Judaism. Ashkenazi Jews originate from an ancient Jewish community in the Middle East, whose descendants settled in Europe. The Khazar myth is used [00:02:16] to deny Jews’ connection to the Land of Israel.
During Kayed’s speech, an audience member claimed [00:02:16] that today’s Jews “are actually the Khazars. You know, they are not even Jews.” Kayed responded [00:02:19]: “Yes. Most of the people right now in occupied Palestine, they call it Israel, are not originally Bani Israel [Israelites], they’re mostly European… ”
Kayed also claimed [00:01:25] that Jews never lived “more than… 200 years” in Israel, that this time was “never consecutive” and that Jews “never completed one generation” there.
On March 6, 2015, Kayed spoke [00:00:17] at a New Jersey mosque, where he stated [00:03:00] : “The Koran says that the Children of Israel were damned. Why? Because any time they saw evil… they used to not forbid evil. They saw evil, they wouldn’t say anything about it. But our Umma [Muslim nation] is different because if we see evil, we say it.”
On December 25, 2014, Kayed posted an image to Facebook that included a fabricated quote from Albert Einstein that said: “It would be my greatest sadness to see to see Zionists do to Palestinian Arabs much of what Nazis did to Jews.”
Support for Terrorists
On January 17, 2023, Kayed spoke at a press conference outside the United Nations in New York City.During his speech, Kayed addressed the Neturei Karta members there and said: “It's not shocking that you would even make the trip all the way to Palestine and Jenin and stand with the people that just got out of jail after a 100 Day strike, Maher Al-Ahkras. And this is Israel. This is what Israel does, you know, it's not surprising that they would put people in jail.”
In January 2023, several Neturei Karta members were arrested after traveling to Jenin and meeting with PIJ terror group officials and families of terrorists.
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 September 26, 2022, Kayed shared a video on Facebook of Yusuf Al-Qaradawi. In the video Qaradawi said: “When one hears the [call for help], O, Al-Aqsa [Mosque], O al-Quds [Jerusalem], men, women, the elderly, youth, and all scholars are on their way to this place…I wished I could go there even if it meant being dragged in a wheelchair so I could participate in Jihad in any way. Then I'd be shot in the head and body, but it would be for God's sake.”
The allegation that Jews “threaten” to destroy the Al-Aqsa Mosque has been a pretext for Arab attacks on Jews long before the existence of the modern Jewish state. Such propaganda has led to multiple periods of violence against Israeli civilians.
He is the president of the European Council for Fatwa and Research, which the Wall Street Journal reported in 2005 had used the anti-Semitic Protocols of the Elders of Zion as a basis for some of its deliberations.
In a statement that aired on Al-Jazeera TV on January 30, 2009, Al-Qaradawi said: "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."
Kayed also appeared in a Facebook photo from the rally, addressing the crowd while other protesters held signs in support of Marwan Barghouti.
Barghouti led the the Palestinian Authority (PA) terrorist Tanzim force and founded the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades. He also financed the guitar-case bomb used in the Sbarro Cafe massacre, where 15 civilians were killed and 130 injured.
On July 15, 2014, Kayed changed his Facebook profile picture to a photo of a rocket being fired from Gaza during Israel’s Operation Protective Edge (OPE) against Hamas.
Israel commenced Operation Protective Edge (OPE) in July 2014, to stop rocket fire targeting Israeli civilians and to destroy Hamas attack tunnels.
Hatred of Israel
On November 15, 2019, Kayed spoke at an anti-Israel protest in Times Square, where he led [00:17:58] the chant: “From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free!”“From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be Free” is a chant used [00:02:47] to call for the elimination of 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 April 2024, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution condemning the chant as antisemitic.
At the rally, Kayed said [00:18:55]: “People ask, ‘does Israel have a right to exist?’ No, Israel has no right to exist on Palestinian land.” He asked [00:19:06] the protesters twice: “does Israel have the right to exist?” and held the microphone towards them as they answered: “no.” He then asked [00:19:12] “does Palestine have a right to resistance” and they answered, “yes.”
Kayed continued [00:19:21]: “Palestine is all of Palestine, from the River to the Sea… give us our land back and you will have peace, otherwise, resistance till the end, till every inch of Palestine is free.”
Anti-Israel activists use the term “resistance” to refer to violence and terror perpetrated against Israeli civilians and their allies. It is used to glorify and encourage anti-Israel and anti-Semitic violence. Anti-Israel activists chant slogans such as: “Resistance by any means necessary!” and “Resistance is justified when people are occupied!” in response to terror attacks.
Kayed went on [00:20:18]: “Until then, resistance, resistance, resistance until all of Palestine is free… are we going to join the struggle?” The protesters answered: “yes!”
Kayed also said [00:20:56]: “The Palestinians, when they defend themselves, that is not terrorism. Join the struggle, be active, don’t let people flip the narrative on us, get involved until the end.”
Another speaker at the same rally said [00:15:14]: “The intifada does not have to be in Gaza or Palestine, we’re gonna have an intifada in every classroom, we’re gonna have an intifada on every college campus.”
The term “intifada,” which translates from Arabic as “uprising” or “insurrection,” carries the connotation of violence. Palestinian intifadas waged against Israel have been marked since 1987 by hundreds of hijackings, shootings, stabbings, bombings and suicide missions.
During Kayed’s February 2, 2018 speech at a New Jersey mosque, he also said [00:01:54] the First Intifada was “very effective... they wanted to quell the intifada by having peace… but I believe we would have been a lot further if we continued with no peace, until we get all of our rights.”
On December 8, 2017, Kayed spoke [00:05:57] at an AMP-NJ rally held in Times Square, which was held to protest the U.S. government’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
During the rally, Kayed said [00:06:13]: “Today we announce the official death of the peace accords! Death to the peace accords! Today we officially announce Palestine is from the River to the Sea!” He then led [00:06:27] activists in chanting: “From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free!”
Anti-Israel Activism (AMP)
On April 10, 2019, Kayed featured in an AMP-NJ Facebook photo with United States Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, from AMP’s 2019 Palestine Advocacy Day (PAD). The photo was captioned: “Great meeting with Rashida Tlaib, the first ever Palestinian Congresswoman, but definitely not the last. There is a change in the air for Palestine and we all have to do our part.”AMP’s annual Palestine Advocacy Day (PAD) has been held in Washington, D.C., since 2015. Activists, including multiple former SJP leaders, are trained by AMP officials and also promote the BDS movement in meetings with Members of Congress, their staff and other government officials.
On April 8, 2019, Tlaib urged [00:08:17] AMP activists to help “by bringing Falasteen [Palestine] at the forefront.” She also expressed [00:08:41] admiration for students’ anti-Israel activism on campuses, including boycotts.
Participation in the Pro-Hamas Encampment at Columbia
On April 24, 2024, Kayed was featured [slide 9] in an Instagram photo participating in the pro-Hamas encampment at Columbia. The encampment also supported the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement. Columbia is located in New York, New York.On April 17, 2024, Columbia students and anti-Israel activists set up a pro-Hamas encampment on campus to protest Israel’s war against Hamas and promote BDS. The encampment was forcibly dismantled and approximately 80 Columbia students were arrested.
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 Weblinks
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/1611543185/LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/sayel-kayed-44094198/
Videos
Photos & Screenshots
