Amer Zahr
Overview
Amer Zahr has expressed support for the Hamas and Hezbollah terror organizations and shown support for other terrorists.Zahr has celebrated violent protesters, denied [00:01:18] the Jewish connection to Jerusalem and instructed activists not to condemn anti-Semitism or terrorism. He has spread hatred of Israelis and demonized Israel and Zionism.
Zahr is a supporter of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement and has been a speaker for multiple anti-Israel organizations, including Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and Al-Awda.
As of June 2021, Zahr’s Linkedin page said he was a self-employed “Comedian/ Speaker/ Professor/ Writer” since 2005 in the greater Detroit area.
As of the same date, Zahr was listed on the website of the University of Detroit Mercy’s (UDM) Law School as an adjunct professor.
Zahr served as a “surrogate” for U.S. presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders for the 2016 and 2020 campaigns.
In February 2019, Zahr launched his daily talk show, “The Civil Arab with Amer Zahr,” broadcast on Detroit radio station 910am Superstation (WFDF). In July 2019, Zahr said that he started his blog, civilarab.com, 10 years earlier.
Supporting Hamas and Hezbollah
On December 20, 2017, Zahr said [00:03:20] in a Facebook video from a rally hosted by The Arab American News: “And we say very proudly, that we stand with every resistance against Israel and every resistance against the occupation … whether it’s called Hamas, whether it’s called Hezbollah. We stand with everybody who stands against the Israeli occupation.”Hezbollah has long been known as an anti-Semitic and genocidal terror organization dedicated to destroying Israel.
Glorifying Terrorists
On March 8, 2021, Zahr tweeted a photo of him with Rasmea Odeh and wrote: “Who can say they were lucky enough to serenade the amazing Rasmea Odeh? I can! #internationalwomensday #PalestinianWomen.”Odeh was a military operative with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), an internationally designated terrorist organization. In 1969, she masterminded a bombing that killed two university students in a Jerusalem supermarket. Odeh also attempted to bomb the British consulate.
Odeh confessed, in a highly detailed account, the day following her arrest. In a 2004 documentary, one of Odeh’s co-conspirators directly implicated her as the mastermind.
In 1970, an Israeli court tried and convicted Odeh for her involvement in both bombings and sentenced her to life imprisonment. However, Odeh was released 10 years later, in a prisoner swap and emigrated to the United States. In 2017, Odeh was deported to Jordan and stripped of U.S. citizenship, after admitting to immigration fraud.
Leila Khaled is a leading member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and participated in the hijacking of TWA Flight 840 in 1969 and El Al Flight 219 in 1970. As of 2017, Khaled was a member of PFLP's Political Bureau. Khaled has said that the second intifada failed because it was not violent enough, advocated [00:36:07] for the use of children in terror activities and compared Zionists to Nazis.
On March 8, 2019, Zahr tweeted a photo of Khaled, writing: “#InternationalWomensDay #FreePalestine #Palestine.”
On the same day, Zahr posted to Instagram the same photo of Khaled, again writing: “#InternationalWomensDay #FreePalestine #Palestine.”
On January 1, 2018, Zahr changed his cover photo on Facebook to a picture of him and Odeh.
On September 3, 2017, Zahr posted to Facebook another photo of himself with Odeh and wrote: “Yesterday, with #RasmeaOdeh in Illinois. What a day.”
On March 8, 2017, Zahr posted to Facebook a list of over two dozen women in honor of “#InternationalWomensDay” which began with Leila Khaled. He wrote: “When I think of #WomensDay, these are the names I think of. Each and every one of these individuals (& countless more) have made me think, love, laugh, and cry.”
On February 3, 2015, Zahr was listed on Facebook as a performer at an event titled: “Sumoud: Fundraiser to Support Rasmea Odeh.” The event was hosted by SJP Chicago.
Supporting Terrorists
On February 16, 2021, Zahr posted to Instagram an image of Marwan Barghouti and wrote: “#Marwan2021.”Marwan Barghouti is currently serving five consecutive life sentences for his role in suicide bombings and shooting attacks that killed five Israelis during the second intifada.
Barghouti led 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 March 30, 2020, Zahr posted to Instagram a framed PLO poster that was originally produced in 1979. The poster said in Arabic, “We Produce, We Fight, and Yet We Continue the Struggle,” and at the top showed an AK-47 rifle and farming tools.
In the 1970s, the PLO carried out multiple terror attacks including the 1978 Coastal Road massacre where 38 Israelis were killed, including 13 children. The PLO’s stated goal in its 1968 Charter was the “liberation of Palestine” through “armed struggle.”
On May 26, 2017, Zahr wrote on Facebook: “Every Palestinian is Jesus. They tried to ignore him 2000 years ago. They tried to erase him. It didn't work back then. And it won't work today. #DignityStrike #FreePalestine #40DaysAnd40Nights #EveryPalestinianIsJesus.”
The phrase “Dignity Strike” referred to a hunger strike initiated on April 16, 2017, by Marwan Barghouti. Many of the over 1,500 prisoners who participated in the strike had also carried out terror attacks, including PFLP Secretary General Ahmad Sa’adat.
On May 14, 2017, Zahr posted to Instagram: “Just entered #Palestine. First thing I see is an Israeli prison. Inside of it are countless heroes, approaching one month in their #HungerStrike...”
On April 27, 2017, Zahr posted to Facebook a video of him doing the “#SaltWaterChallenge,” where he said: [00:00:30] “So to Marwan, and all the rest of our brethren, I’m with you.”
Aarab Barghouti, the son of Marwan Barghouti, was credited with starting the “Saltwater Challenge” in support of the hunger strikers in Israeli jail.
Also on April 27, 2017, Zahr tweeted: “I challenge every Palestinian on Earth! #HungerStrike #FreePalestine #SaltWaterChallenge #تحدي_مي_وملح [#SaltWaterChallenge].”
Celebrating Violent Protesters
On March 30, 2018, Zahr tweeted: “I stand with #Gaza and all my Palestinians in the #GreatReturnMarch ... Israel, when will you learn? There is no denying us، no Eliminating us, definitely no ignoring us. We are here to stay. #FreePalestine today and everyday. #LandDay #يوم_الارض [#Land_Day].”On May 16, 2018, Zahr posted to Instagram: “At the University of Chicago #SJP for an event to commemorate the #Nakba and celebrate being Palestinian #FreePalestine #GreatReturnMarch @nationalsjp.”
Denying the Jewish Connection to Jerusalem
On December 20, 2017, Zahr featured [00:00:05] in a video posted on Facebook speaking at a rally organized by The Arab American News. The rally protested 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.In the video, Zahr said [00:01:18]: “I've been to Jerusalem. I've heard her speak. And she speaks Arabic. That's the only language she speaks.”
Zahr, who has associated bagels with Jews and Zionists, continued [00:01:33]: “If you go to her restaurants, she serves falafel, hummus, shawarma. She doesn't serve bagels and cream cheese, or lox or cornbeef on rye. She serves Arabic food. If you walk in the streets of Jerusalem, you smell spices - kamoon [cumin], sumac, cinnamon. Those spices don't come from Poland and Brooklyn. They come from the Arab people.”
Zahr concluded [00:01:57]: “If you walk in Jerusalem, you see women selling zaatar, mint, lots of mint. Those things don't come from Russia or Miami Beach. They come from Arabs. When Jerusalem listens to music, she listens to Fairuz, Abdel Halim, Marcel Khalife, because she's an Arab. She's been an Arab for 1400 years, 50 years of this white supremacist movement from Europe and this Zionism is not going to change one goddamn thing in Jerusalem.”
One way anti-Israel activists spread anti-Semitism is by denying [00:17:45] Jewish history in order to delegitimize restored Jewish sovereignty, attack Israel’s legitimacy and portray Jews as foreign to the Land of Israel.
Instructing Activists Not to Condemn Anti-Semitism or Terrorism
On May 22, 2021, Zahr tweeted a video during Israel’s Operation Guardian of the Walls (OGW) where he said [00:00:01]: “This is a message to all the activists and leaders out there that are condemning anti-Semitism and condemning terrorism right now. Stop it! Stop! You are not helping.”In May 2021, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terrorists fired over 4,300 rockets from Gaza at major population centers in Israel. Israel responded by launching OGW, carrying out targeted military strikes in Gaza.
Anti-Semitic incidents in the U.S. “more than doubled” during OGW and its aftermath, compared to the same time period in 2020, according to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).
Hatred of Israelis
On October 14, 2015, Zahr tweeted: “Palestinians are the native residents. Israelis are the foreign occupiers. No discussion can begin without this stubborn truth. #Palestine.”On September 15, 2016, Zahr posted to Facebook: “I wonder if Israelis ever have a Throwback Thursday and remember those good old days when they lived in Europe... #TBT #FreePalestine.”
On October 2, 2018, Zahr tweeted: “Last time I entered Tel Aviv airport, the soldier asked me, ‘What is the purpose of your visit?’ I said, ‘I’m going home... What is the purpose of yours?’ #FreePalestine #Palestine.”
On April 9, 2019, Zahr tweeted: “Trying to predict the outcome of Israeli elections can be risky. But I can guarantee one thing.The next prime minister of Israel will be a racist.”
Demonizing Israel
On May 15, 2021, Zahr implied in a tweet that Israel was committing “ethnic cleansing and genocide” during OGW.On June 23, 2020, Zahr tweeted: “Another Palestinian murdered by Israel. Tonight was his sister’s wedding. Ahmed Erekat. Say his name.”
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.
On October 5, 2019, Zahr tweeted: “The right of return is sacred. There is no talking about Palestine and Israel without first acknowledging that they kicked us out and stole our land. Then we can have a conversation. #Palestine #FreePalestine #AlAwda #RightOfReturn.”
The “right of return” is a Palestinian demand discredited as a means to eliminate Israel. International law mandates no absolute right of return and UN Resolution 194, which defined principles for “refugees wishing to return to their homes,” was unanimously rejected by Arab nations following the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.
On July 25, 2019, Zahr was featured in a Facebook video where he called [00:24:22] the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) a “murderous occupation army,” which he compared [00:24:45] to the Ku Klux Klan (KKK).
On May 15, 2019, Zahr tweeted: “Every Palestinian was born on May 15, 1948. And despite the great efforts of many, we just won’t die! #Nakba #FreePalestine.”
The term “Nakba” is generally translated as “catastrophe” in Arabic, referring to the outcome of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. It is a term often used to delegitimize the creation of the State of Israel by defining it as a catastrophe.
On December 30, 2018, Zahr tweeted: “Jumana Ghunaimat...stepped on the Israeli flag at a building in Amman. Jumana, that leaves with me with one question: Are you single? #FreePalestine #Palestine #Jordan @jumanaghunaimat…”
On June 8, 2016, Zahr posted to Facebook: “No discussion of events in #Israel can ever take place without first acknowledging occupation & apartheid. #TelAviv #FreePalestine.”
On January 5, 2018, Zahr tweeted: “Normalization is perhaps the most dangerous threat to the Palestinian struggle. لا للتطبيع [No to normalization] #FreePalestine.”
Proponents of the “anti-normalization” policy seek to police all interactions between Israelis and Palestinians and shut down all conversations, interactions and speech that they perceive as being ideologically unaligned with their own agenda. Adherents to this position reject “liberal Zionist” groups who seek to dialogue with Palestinians, on the grounds that such interaction “normalizes” entrenched power dynamics.
On October 18, 2015, Zahr tweeted: “... did israel steal palestinians' land? yes. is israel based on jewish supremacy? yes.” Zahr’s tweet was responding to another tweet that asked if Zahr agreed if “Israeli terror victims get what they deserve.”
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.
On September 13, 2015, Zahr posted to Facebook: “Israel has tried everything to get rid of us Palestinians...Even today, the occupation forces stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem...”
On September 13, 2015, masked Palestinian rioters barricaded themselves inside the Al Aqsa Mosque. They set off fireworks, starting a small fire, and threw stones and debris stored inside the mosque at Israeli police. The police later found pipe bombs the rioters had prepared to launch at Jewish visitors to the Temple Mount plaza.
On July 13, 2014, Zahr spoke at a rally during Israel’s Operation Protective Edge (OPE) against Hamas where he said: [00:43:50] “We stand against the entire apartheid regime of Israel.”
Israel commenced OPE in July 2014 to stop rocket fire targeting Israeli civilians and to destroy Hamas attack tunnels.
Demonizing Zionism
On June 2, 2021, Zahr tweeted: “Quick reminder: All forms of Zionism are racist. Every. Single. One. Thanks. #FreePalestine #ZionismIsRacism.”Zionism is the belief that Jews have the right to self-determination in their own national home, and the right to develop their national culture.
On March 1, 2021, Zahr tweeted: “‘Zionists’ ... it always comes out as ‘Klaab [Dogs]’”
On August 22, 2020, Zahr tweeted: “Saying ‘Zionism is the belief in a Jewish homeland’ is like saying “OJ Simpson was a football player.” I mean, it’s true, but it leaves out the really juicy stuff. #Palestine #FreePalestine.”
On June 28, 2020, Zahr tweeted: “Zionism is racism. Pass it on. #FreePalestine.”
On July 25, 2019, Zahr tweeted: “If Zionism was solely about Jews having a homeland - MINUS the dispossession, massacres, refuge, occupation, and disenfranchisement of another people - I'd be the biggest Zionist on Earth. But it's not.”
On August 9, 2018, Zahr tweeted: “From much experience in my life, I’ve learned something very important: True beauty is not about having a pretty face.It’s about being anti-Zionist. #FreePalestine.”
On October 9, 2015, Zahr tweeted: “Describing defenders of Israel as ‘scumbags’ and ‘pigs’ is not necessary. ‘Zionist’ is sufficently insulting. #Palestine.”
Supporting BDS
On May 19, 2020, Zahr wrote on Facebook: “According to [then-U.S. Presidential candidate] Joe Biden, his administration will: ‘... Firmly reject the BDS movement, which singles out Israel — home to millions of Jews — and too often veers into anti-Semitism, while letting Palestinians off the hook for their choices. … ’ Tell me again how are supposed to hold our nose and vote for him? #Palestine.”On July 3, 2019, Zahr wrote an article on his website, titled: “BOYCOTT BURGERIM? YES!” Burgerim is an international Israeli hamburger franchise.
On May 25 2019, Zahr tweeted: “The star of Aladdin celebrating an ‘Israeli-inspired’ restaurant of Arabic food... If you needed another reason not to see Aladdin, here it is! #BDS #FreePalestine.”
On July 11, 2016, Zahr tweeted: “Hillary [Clinton] should be on the #BDS list. Supporting her is a form of normalization. Voting for her is like buying Sabra hummus. #FreePalestine.” The Israeli company Strauss Group is a partial owner of the American hummus company Sabra.
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
Twitter:https://twitter.com/AmerZahrUniversity Website: https://www.udmercy.edu/about/people/university/law/adjunct/amer-zahr.php
Facebook 1:www.facebook.com/2223645
Facebook 2:www.facebook.com/Amer-Zahr-249215512733/
LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/amer-zahr-07914254/
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/amerzahr/
Website: http://www.civilarab.com/

- Status:
- Professor
- University:
- University of Detroit
- Organizations:
- BDS
- Related Profiles:
- Last Modified:
- 06/23/2025