Sheelan Mirza
Overview
Sheelan Mirza reportedly participated in the violent disruption of a pro-Israel event at New York University (NYU), spread hatred of Israel and expressed support for the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.As of July 2019, Mirza’s LinkedIn said she was pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Global Public Health/Biology at NYU. She is slated to graduate in 2021.
Also as of July 2019, Mirza’s Facebook page said she was a Tutor at NYU America Reads/American Counts.
Disrupting Pro-Israel Event
On April 27, 2018, Mirza reportedly participated in an event organized by NYU SJP, titled “Rally for Palestinian Right of Return.” The event was a counter-protest to a pro-Israel student group’s celebration of Israeli Independence Day at NYU. Mirza reportedly held up a Palestinian flag with other protestors.At the counter-protest, Mirza told the NYU school newspaper, Washington Square News: “It’s not that we’re advocating against Judaism...We’re advocating against the racism and the apartheid that is Zionism.”
Two protesters reportedly grabbed a microphone and an Israeli flag out of the hands of a student and shouted: “Free Palestine, end the occupation.” The pair were arrested and charged with reckless endangerment and assault. Other activists wiped their feet on the Israeli flag and stomped on it.
The NYU SJP Facebook event description said: “Zionists at NYU celebrate 70 years of Israel's existence...We refuse to let such a disturbing public celebration of colonialism and apartheid on our campus and in our park go by without a response.”
Spreading Hatred of Israel
Mirza retweeted a June 26, 2019 tweet featuring a video in which a woman spit at the mention of the United States and Israel, that said: “I hope this woman is having a great day.”In the video the woman said in Arabic: “I just want to say last words: Israel, America, [spits on air] shame on you, shame on you, shame on you."
Mirza retweeted a May 9, 2019 tweet by NYU SJP that said: “Join us as we protest celebrations of apartheid today in Washington Square Park”
On May 9, 2019, NYU SJP staged a “die-in” next to an NYU pro-Israel student group's annual "Rave in the Park" event celebrating Israeli Independence Day.
The same day, Mirza tweeted: “zionists making the park ugly today i see.”
On May 14, 2018, Mirza tweeted: “wow don’t u love when ppl think jerusalem is the capital of israel and not palestine that shit so funny”
Support for BDS
Mirza retweeted a December 10, 2018 tweet from JVP activist Rose Asaf, that said: “This is a MUST read account of NYU's recent BDS vote by a fearless activist and NYU student who attended the hearing. This is required reading for anyone who is interested in the dynamics of Palestine solidarity work on campus & the casual racism espoused by pro-Israel students.”On November 1, 2018, a BDS resolution was co-authored and presented by SJP activists Asaf, Bayan Abubakr and Leen Dweik to the NYU Student Government Assembly (SGA). The resolution had an “emphasis on divestment.”
The BDS resolution was passed by the SGA on December 6, 2018, using a secret ballot.
Mirza retweeted a December 6, 2018, tweet from Washington Square News that said: “Breaking News: @NYUStudentGov's Resolution on the Human Rights of Palestinians has passed.”
Mirza retweeted a December 8, 2018, tweet that read: “Great move by Ireland. Now importing goods from the Israeli settlements is illegal in Ireland. #BDS”
NYU SJP Anti-Israel Activity
On May 9, 2019, NYU SJP staged a “die-in” protest, next to Realize Israel’s annual "Rave in the Park" event celebrating Israeli Independence Day. Realize Israel is a pro-Israel club at NYU.The Facebook description of the protest, titled: “ACTION: Resisting the Celebration of Apartheid,” said: “speak out against the lack of acknowledgement of the expulsion, massacre, and destruction of Palestinians and their homes.”
NYU SJP also called Israel’s Independence on Twitter an “act of ethnic cleansing and apartheid.”
On April 18, 2019, NYU SJP posted a photo on Facebook of students with their faces obscured by emojis, in front of a table featuring the Israeli flag and a banner that said: “Jews are Indigenous to the Land of Israel CHANGE MY MIND.”
The Facebook post said: “Thumbs Up If You’re a Racist: they intimidated to sue us because they don’t like getting called out version!”
NYU SJP’s post referred to anoriginal version of the NYU SJP post which reportedly showed the faces of the pro-Israel students and said: “Thumbs Up If You’re a Racist.”
On April 27, 2018, NYU SJP organized a protest against the annual “Rave in the Park” celebration of Israel’s Independence Day. The protest’s Facebook description said: “We refuse to let such a disturbing public celebration of colonialism and apartheid on our campus and in our park go by without a response.”
During the protest, activists chanted [00:04:55]: "Intifada, Intifada, Long live the Intifada" and two protestors were reportedly arrested and charged with reckless endangerment and assault after grabbing [00:00:41] a microphone and an Israeli flag out of the hands of a student singing the Israeli national anthem.
Other protesters wiped [00:00:10] their feet on the Israeli flag and stomped on it.
That same day, NYU SJP posted to Facebook, urging anyone “angered at this celebratory event” to file a noise complaint with the police.
NYU SJP hosted Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW) 2017, from March 20-24, 2017.
During IAW 2017, NYU SJP exhibited a mock apartheid wall, with text that demonized Israel, simulating Israel’s security barrier.
Israel’s security barrier, 97 percent of which is a low chain-link barrier, was built as a deterrent to Palestinian terror attacks. The concrete portions of the fence were built in response to Palestinian sniper attacks.
NYU SJP 2018 Divestment Campaign
On November 1, 2018, members of NYU SJP presented a divestment bill to the NYU Student Government Association (SGA), to further the agenda of the Boycott, Divestment Sanctions (BDS) movement.The resolution was co-authored by then-student senators and members of SJP, Rose Asaf, Leen Dweik and then-student senator Bayan Abubakr, who was reportedly a member ofNYU SJP.
The resolution demonized Israel, invoked the “threefold” goals of the BDS movement and was passed by the SGA on December 6, 2018, using a secret ballot. NYU’s administration opposed the BDS resolution.
NYU’s then-President Andrew Hamilton said: “‘A boycott of Israeli academics and institutions is contrary to our core principles of academic freedom, antithetical to the free exchange of ideas, and at odds with the University's position on this matter...and divestment from Israeli-related investments is not under consideration.’”
NYU SJP Promoting BDS
On April 15, 2019, NYU SJP hosted an event featuring a panel that included Omar Barghouti. The panel was moderated by Leen Dweik, then-President of NYU SJP.On November 19, 2018, NYU SJP wrote on Facebook: “When we fight, we win.BDS works” and attached an article in the post reporting the decision by Airbnb Inc. to remove listings in Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
On October 24. 2018, NYU SJP hosted a panel about BDS where anti-Israel Professor Jasbir Puar was listed among the panel of speakers. Puar is on the Advisory Board of the U.S. Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (USACBI) and applauded the American Studies Association (ASA)’s move for an Academic Boycott of Israeli universities.
NYU SJP hosted NYU Israel Apartheid Week (IAW) 2018, from April 15-21, 2018. The Facebook event description said: “IAW will be an opportunity to reflect on this history of resistance and further advance BDS campaigns for the continued growth and impact of the movement.”
On April 9, 2018, NYU SJP posted to Facebook: “We are proud to announce a coalition of 50 NYU student groups who have pledged to support the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement for Palestinian human rights by pledging not to spend NYU club funds on Israeli goods, to boycott pro-Israel groups at NYU and off campus, and to call on NYU to divest from companies that profit off the violation of Palestinian human rights.
Support for JVP’s Deadly Exchange Campaign
On April 16, 2019, NYU SJP hosted an event titled: “The Deadly Exchange: Fighting Surveillance, Reclaiming Safety.”In 2017, JVP launched the “Deadly Exchange (DX)” campaign, which accused American Jewish organizations of promoting human rights abuses. JVP also released a video that blamed [00:04:04] U.S.-based Jewish organizations for violence that occurs against Black and Brown communities, immigrants and activists in the U.S.
The Facebook event description said: “Learn how topics of Islamophobia, ‘border security’, and the surveillance state in the United States are bolstered by alliances by Israeli security forces.”
On April 18, 2018, NYU SJP co-hosted an event titled: “IAW 2018: War, Deportations, and Deadly Exchanges,” as part of that year’s IAW on campus.
On April 13, 2018, NYU SJP tweeted: “We call for an end to these deadly exchange trips, which are primarily facilitated by @ADL_National and pro-Israel groups, such as @birthright, which runs a trip for Jewish cops.
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.
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/100001877376586/Twitter:https://twitter.com/sheelanam
LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheelan-mirza-901a10154/
