Justin Martin
Overview
Justin Martin [Justin David Martin] was condemned for an offensive comment that made “light of the horrors of 9/11.” He has also trivialized violent riots, demonized Israel and spread hatred of America.Martin has also promoted anti-Israel agitators and is a supporter of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.
As of October2020, Martin’s LinkedIn page said he was an Associate Professor of Journalism and Strategic Communication at Northwestern University in Qatar (NU-Q), since August 2012.
In May 2015, Martin participated in the "NU-Q in Evanston" lecture series on NU’s Evanston campus, titled: “Research at NU-Q: Vision and Achievements.”
Also as of October 2020, Martin’s LinkedIn page said he was a Principal Investigator of Media Use in the Middle East, a longitudinal study that surveys 6,000 respondents in six Arab countries every year. The project is partially funded by the Al Jazeera Media Network (Al Jazeera) .
As of October 2020, Martin’s LinkedIn page said he was a Journalism Professor at the University of Maine (UMaine), from August 2011 to July 2012. Martin listed on his curriculum vitae posted on his LinkedIn page that he was an Assistant Professor, Department of Journalism and Mass Communication at the American University in Cairo, from 2009 to 2011.
Also as of October 2020, Martin’s LinkedIn page said he received a Ph.D. in Journalism from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-Chapel Hill) in 2009 and master’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Florida (UF), in 2004.
As of the same date, Martin’s CV on his LinkedIn page said he received a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from High Point University in High Point, North Carolina.
Martin’s CV on LinkedIn also saidthat he studied Middle Eastern history and archaeology at Jerusalem University College in Jerusalem, Israel, in the Summer of 2001 and that he was a 2005 - 2006 Fulbright grantee at the University of Jordan in Amman.
Condemnation For 9/11 Comment
On September 11, 2019, on the anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terror attacks, Martin tweeted: “Happy 9/11 more than 8,441 civilians died in Yemen this year helped by US arms dealt to Saudi Arabia & UAE. The US is complicit in far more terror than it has ever suffered.”On September 12, 2019, NU President Morton Schapiro and Provost Jonathan Holloway released a statement condemning Martin’s tweet that said: “Northwestern University finds it disgraceful that he makes light of the horrors of 9/11. This is insensitive and deeply disappointing, particularly on the anniversary of the terror attacks.”
That same day, Martin responded to NU’s statement on Twitter: “I don't agree I made light of 9/11, but rather criticized disparity in how terror victims are acknowledged in different places, but I understand the tweet angered some.”
On September 13, 2019, Martin tweeted an apology: “I do regret the poor wording in the original tweet. 'Happy' is not how I remember 9/11, and I apologize to 9/11 survivors and others I offended.”
Trivializing Violent Riots
On March 31, 2018, during violent riots on Israel’s border with Gaza, Martin tweeted: “Few western news orgs have reporters in/near Gaza. Al Jazeera does, so follow them for news of Israel executing protesters…”On March 30, 2018, about 30,000 Gazans approached Israel’s border fence to join in “Land Day Protests,” which were also called the “March of Return.” The march was organized and funded by Hamas as a campaign of violent protests to spotlight the “right of return,” a policy discredited as a means to eliminate Israel.
On April 17, 2018, Martin tweeted: “Hamas indiscriminately fires at some population centers to terrorize; Israel discriminately kills civilians to terrorize.”
Media reports confirmed [00:00:20] the March of Return protesters’ breaches and attempted breaches of Israel’s border fence, some by armed Palestinians. One Hamas leader declared [00:00:30]: “We will take down the border [with Israel] and we will tear out their hearts from their bodies.”
Most of the Gazans who died between March 30 and April 6, 2018, were identified as terror operatives who were killed while carrying out terrorist attacks, rioting against IDF forces or attempting to breach the border fence between Israel and the Gaza Strip.
On December 6, 2018, Martin tweeted: “UN resolution condemning Hamas for firing rockets into Israel but not condemning Israel for mass killings of civilians has failed to get necessary votes.”
The UN resolution Martin referred to was titled: “Activities of Hamas and Other Militant Groups in Gaza” and would have denounced Hamas “for repeatedly firing rockets into Israel and for inciting violence, thereby putting civilians at risk.”
The UN resolution failed because it did not gain the two-thirds majority vote needed for it to pass in the General Assembly.
A December 6, 2018 AJ article reported: “In an official statement, Hamas thanked UN member states ‘that stood by our people's resistance and the justice of their cause.’"
The violent riots continued until the end of 2018, accompanied by military-style attacks carried out by Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) and other terror organizations. The attacks included gunfire, armed rioters penetrating Israeli territory, throwing IEDs and hand grenades and launching incendiary kites into Israel.
Demonizing Israel
On August 15, 2019, Martin tweeted about Israel’s security barrier: “Apartheid Israel snakes sniper walls around people it wants to be still, and blocks from entering people who would criticize its sniper walls. Israel is an apartheid state, not a free or democratic one.”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.
On April 21, 2018, Martin tweeted: “Violent resistance poses no threat to Israel, one of the world’s 9 nuclear powers. Nonviolent resistance is what Israel likely fears more, and could end Israel’s apartheid.”
On June 3, 2016, Martin tweeted: “America doesn't build walls; it gives Israel money to build them.”
On October 8, 2014, Martin tweeted: “Israel grooms children in high school to become hackers who will one day defend its regime.”
On September 23, 2014, Martin tweeted: “Innocent until proven dead: #Israel families, politicians praise killing of kidnapping suspects…”
Hamas was responsible for the kidnapping of three Israeli teenagers from a bus stop on June 12, 2014. The abducted boys were murdered by their captors, and their bodies were found buried in Palestinian-controlled territory on June 30, 2014.
On July 27, 2014, during Operation Protective Edge (OPE), Martin tweeted: “Israel responds to manageable force with slaughter, yes, but #Hamas just spit into the wind.”
Israel commenced OPE in July 2014 to stop rocket fire targeting Israeli civilians and to destroy Hamas attack tunnels.
On July 16, 2014, during OPE, Martin tweeted: “Badly for Israel, there are far more journos [journalists] inside Gaza now than during 2008/9 bombings. Israel's mass killings are on full display.”
On April 2, 2012, Martin published an article in the Columbia Journalism Review (CJR), naming Israel as “a distant second” for the country that jails the most journalists per capita.
Martin was criticized for his use of faulty data and methodology “to skewer the Jewish state using faulty statistics.”
On November 4, 2011, Martin published an article in CJR, titled: “Speech in Israel is Not Free.”
In the article, Martin wrote: “If Israeli politicians wish to brag that their nation resembles western democracies, they must defend the freedoms those countries hold dear. Israel does not.”
Spreading Hatred of America
On March 21, 2020, during the coronavirus pandemic, Martin tweeted: “the United States has been punishing Pakistan and UAE for helping Iran during its coronavirus catastrophe. U.S. sanctions are designed to punish a government by killing its citizens.”On February 29, 2020, Martin tweeted: “I'm a ‘Recovering American.’ :) And yeah the United States's boredom wars, Guantanamo, support for Israel apartheid, and border cages are crimes against humanity, to name just a few.”
On August 27, 2019, Martin tweeted: “The US did the same to a Palestinian kid what Israel did to @IlhanMN and @RashidaTlaib: bar someone and violate their freedoms of speech and association
On May 11, 2018, Martin tweeted: “Many Americans who fought the Constitutional building of a mosque near ground zero now claim it's no big deal for the US to have an embassy in a Jerusalem that belongs to more people than just the Israeli Occupation.”
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.
Promoting Anti-Israel Agitators
On August 29, 2019, Martin tweeted: “Steven Salaita on life after his academic career ended for criticizing Israel.”In 2014, The University of Illinois withdrew an offer of employment to Steven Salaita after becoming aware of his anti-Semitic tweets. One tweet, posted shortly after Hamas kidnapped three teenage Israeli high school students, read: “You may be too refined to say it, but I’m not: I wish all the f**king West Bank settlers would go missing.”
On February 2, 2019, Martin tweeted: “Going to take years more to end US support for apartheid Israel. But you first-termers @IlhanMN and @RashidaTlaib are part of something big, and things you say now that shock old-guard Occupation backers in Congress will one-day be conventional conscience.”
Ilhan Omar was elected to the U.S. Congress in 2018. In February 2019, top Congressional leaders denounced Omar for tweeting anti-Semitic remarks.Omar has demonized Israel and endorsed BDS. In July 2019, Omar introduced a pro-BDS resolution in the U.S. Congress, which she described as “an opportunity for us to explain why it is we support…the BDS movement.”
Representative Rashida Tlaib is connected to six Hamas-linked activists, all of whom served as fundraiser co-hosts for her successful 2018 congressional campaign. She has advocated for a one-state solution, endorsed the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement and called for reduced foreign aid to Israel. In July 2019, Tlaib co-sponsored a pro-BDS bill in the U.S. Congress introduced by Representative Ilhan Omar.
On September 21, 2018, Martin tweeted in support of Professor John Cheney-Lippold: “Professors have no obligation to support apartheid Israel. @UMich needs to step up to the First Amendment and support this teacher. So far the university has only scolded him to appease Zionists.”
Cheney-Lippold sparked major controversy in September 2018, when he reneged on his offerto write a recommendation letter for a student to study abroad in Israel.
In an October 3, 2018 letter, the University of Michigan disciplined Cheney-Lippold by issuing a number of sanctions, including ineligibility “for a salary increase for the 2018-2019 academic year.” Further, Cheney-Lippold’s sabbatical eligibility and credits were frozen for two years “until the Fall 2020 semester.”
On October 6, 2015, Martin tweeted: “Speech about Palestine is not free on U.S. campuses: Why Salaita was fired, in his own words…”
Supporting BDS
On April 17, 2019, Martin tweeted: “Hopefully, yes / Three cheers for #BDS.” Martin’s tweet was in response to an article titled: “Is Qatari funding influencing BDS on U.S. college campuses?”On April 10, 2019, Martin tweeted: “Why are fans letting stars endorse apartheid via Israel eurovision #bds” Martin’s tweet included a link to an article titled: “Madonna 'to play two songs' at Eurovision Song Contest in Tel Aviv.”
Madonna performed at Eurovision 2019 in Tel Aviv.
On September 2, 2018, Martin tweeted: “Lana Del Rey postpones Israel performance after fans tell her what apartheid means.”
On August 31, 2018, American artist Lana Del Rey announced that she had canceled her scheduled performance in Israel after pressure from BDS activists.
On July 22, 2014, during OPE, Martin tweeted: “I wonder whether onslaught of Gaza will encourage more university faculties and academic associations to boycott Israel. #BDS.”
Qatar Foundation
As of October 2020, in a CV published on his LinkedIn page, Martin wrote that he was the recipient of two grants from the Qatar Foundation's National Priorities Research Program (NPRP) in the amounts $871,282 and $483,005.These two grant amounts, totaling over $1.3 million, are reportedly not listed in the Department of Education’'s figures, as required by U.S. law.
Al Jazeera Activism
In March 2016, Martin participated in a panel discussion at the 3rd World Media Summit 2016 (WMS), under the theme: “The Future of News and News Organizations.” The event was hosted by Al Jazeera in Doha, Qatar, on March 20-21, 2016. Sheikh Hamad bin Thamer Al Thani, Chairman of the Board of Al Jazeera, spoke during the opening ceremony.On March 8, 2016, NU-Q reported that Martin would participate “in a panel discussion at the summit, which is titled Business Unusual. The panel, hosted by Hazem Abuwatfa, Al Jazeera Arabic Channel presenter and former presenter for BBC Arabic, will explore how both established brands and start-ups have to work hard to ensure their sustainability and how changes in the industry are ushering in new innovations and forcing companies to rethink their business models.”
At the summit, Mostefa Souag, Al Jazeera’s director general, reportedly signed a bilateral agreement of strategic cooperation with the Chinese Xinhua News Agency’s President Cai Mingzhao, to “expand their cooperation in areas of news information cooperation, personnel exchange and training, the WMS, and news coverage support.”
On August 19, 2013, before the launch of Al Jazeera America, Martin wrote an article titled: “One thing Al Jazeera could do to gain credibility: hire an ombudsman.”
In the article, Martin recommended that Al Jazeera hire an “ombudsperson...someone who responds to reader feedback and concerns via social media and email, and typically writes at least one weekly column on the news outlet’s performance as well as multiple blog posts.”
Martin reasoned: “Al Jazeera sometimes makes mistakes that wound its credibility” and“An independent ombud would be all over this botch.”
Martin concluded: “Should Al Jazeera America commit just one or two incidents of ignoring or killing a story because doing so serves obvious Qatari interests, the network will have an existential problem far worse than the branding issue it faces now.”
Al Jazeera Media Network
Al Jazeera Media Network (Al Jazeera) is a Qatari-owned multimedia conglomerate broadcasting to 310 million households in more than 100 countries.The network has been accused of slanting news reports to promotethe agenda of the Muslim Brotherhood. A weekly show hosted by Sheikh Yusuf Qaradawi, the spiritual leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, aired from 1996-2013, where Qaradawi expressed [00:00:47] a personal dream of traveling to Israel to carry out Jihad and glorified suicide bombings by children.
The network has also been accused of affiliating with the terror group Hamas, criticized for providing a platform for the Al-Qaeda terror organization and implicated in the promotion of a wide variety of terrorist propaganda.
Invited guests and speakers have labeled Jews “devils” and “grave-dwellers who...suck the blood of others.” One Al Jazeera children’s program featured a Saudi cleric who labeled Jews “treacherous, disloyal, deceitful” and congratulated a child for hating and cursing Jews.
In September 2020, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) reportedly ordered AJ+, Al Jazeera’s online news platform based in the U.S., to register as a foreign agent under the Foreign Agent Registration Act (FARA).
Qatar - Terrorism
Qatar is one of the primary state backers of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) and has provided funding for Hamas in the past. Qatar facilitates funding to advance extremism around the world, including the West.
Qatar Foundation
In 1995, the then-Emir of Qatar and his wife, Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, created the Qatar Foundation (QF) to “advance education, science, and cultural development.”In 1995, QF was given two billion dollars in resources by the Qatari Government “to address knowledge and capacity deficits” and transform into a “knowledge-based economy.”
QF launched Education City (EC) in 1997, with the stated goal of providing “world-class education to the people of Qatar.”
In 2003, the campus was officially inaugurated.
Qatar Foundation - Yusuf al-Qaradawi and the Muslim Brotherhood
In 2007, Yusuf al-Qaradawi announced QF’s establishment of the Qatar Faculty of Islamic Studies (QFIS) in EC. The QFIS structure was to be created by an advisory committee, chaired by al-Qaradawi.
Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi [Yousef Al-Qaradhawi] was the founder and, as of April 2020, remained head of the European Council for Fatwa and Research. In 2005, The Wall Street Journal reported the council used the anti-Semitic fabricated text, the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, as a basis for some of its deliberations.
al-Qaradawi said in a statement that aired on Al-Jazeera TV on January 30, 2009: "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."
al-Qaradawi has also called for the murder of American civilians, as well as American troops in Iraq, homosexuals and Jews and expressed support for domestic violence against women.
al-Qaradawi said in a statement that aired on Al-Jazeera TV on January 30, 2009: "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."
al-Qaradawi has also called for the murder of American civilians, as well as American troops in Iraq, homosexuals and Jews and expressed support for domestic violence against women.
In 2008, Moza bint Nasser and QF established within QFIS, the al-Qaradawi Centre for Research in Moderate Thought, also known as the “Al-Qaradawi Center for Islamic Moderation and Renewal,” in honor of “His Eminence” Dr. Yusuf al-Qaradawi.
QFIS described al-Qaradawi as “a pioneer of Islamic moderate thought” and the research center’s “main theorist.”
In January 2012, QF opened the Research Center for Islamic Legislation and Ethics (CILE), “under the guidance of Director Dr. Tariq Ramadan.” In October 2015, Ramadan was listed as the CILE Director.
Tariq Ramadan is the grandson of Muslim Brotherhood (MB) founder Hassan al-Banna and son of senior Brotherhood operative Said Ramadan. Tariq Ramadanis also alleged to be a serial-rapist, as well asa terrorist supporter.
NU-Q - Qatar Foundation
In 2008, QF invited Northwestern University (NU) in Evanston, Illinois to set up a Qatari satellite campus in EC, Northwestern University in Qatar (NU-Q), focusing on journalism and communications.
The degree that NU-Q awards students upon graduation would be identical to that earned at NU’s Evanston, IL campus.
The degree that NU-Q awards students upon graduation would be identical to that earned at NU’s Evanston, IL campus.
On July 10, 2009, the Chronicle of Higher Education released an article critical of the academic standards of EC, noting that: "Administrators at several branch campuses of American universities in Qatar acknowledge that they accept students with admissions standards that fall below those expected on their home campuses…"
On April 5, 2014, Everett Dennis, NU-Q’s then-Dean and CEO said [00:12:25] in an interview with Richard Heffner, a former professor of Communications and Public policy at Rutgers University (Rutgers), that QF was “paying the bill” for NU-Q’s building, faculty, research and housing.
In March 2015, Stephen F. Eisenman, President of the Northwestern Faculty Senate, reported to the NU Faculty Senate that Qatari students receive full scholarships from the QF, while non-Qatari students, with some exceptions, must pay full costs. Eisenman also reported that “that five new endowed professorships at NU were recently funded out of QF money.”
In 2016, NU signed a 10-year extension to its agreement with QF, enabling NU-Q to operate through the 2027-2028 school year.
As of November 2019, the United States Department of Education (DoE) reported that Qatar gave NU $323.4 million in contract revenue since January 2013, averaging $49.6 million per year.
As of April 2020, Qatar Foundation’s contract with NU-Q was not available to the public.
As of May 2020, EC hosted six American university satellite campuses, in addition to NU-Q, including Carnegie Mellon University, Georgetown University, Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), the Joan & Sanford I. Weill Medical College of Cornell University and Texas A&M University.
QF lawyers, according to a January 2016 Washington Post article, petitioned the Texas attorney general in an attempt to keep the operational and financial details confidential.
However, the Washington Post was able to publish the 2012 10-year contract between VCU and QF because it was “disclosed as a matter of public record.” The projected budget included a VCU management fee of $3.6 million dollars for 2013, to rise to $4.1 in 2015.
The Washington Post article added: “The other four U.S. schools involved are private: Cornell, Carnegie Mellon, Northwestern and Georgetown universities. They all declined Post requests for their Qatar contracts.”
The Washington Post later published the 2014 contract between Texas A&M and QF in a March 2016 article. The contract stated: “Texas A&M is eligible for a management fee for running the branch — an amount set at $8.2 million in fiscal 2014.”
In 2019, the U.S. DoE was reportedly “quietly investigating Georgetown and three other universities — Texas A&M, Cornell and Rutgers — over their funding from Qatar.”
Qatar Foundation - Anti-Israel Campaign
In 2009, the Qatar Foundation hired the U.S. public relations firm, Fenton Communications, to develop “a communications action plan for an 18-month campaign,” using Al Fakhoora, a Qatari-based pro-Palestine initiative.The Fenton plan aimed to delegitimize Israel and generate international support for the Hamas-run Gaza strip, with a reported budget of $120,000.
Al Fakhoora was reportedly launched in 2009, following “the Israeli aggression on Gaza,” in support of promoting and facilitating access to higher education.
Israel commenced Operation Cast Lead (OCL)in 2008-09 in order to stop Hamas rocket fire from Gaza targeting Israeli civilians. In 2010, Hamas admitted that nearly 700 of the Palestinian casualties in OCL were combatants.
In May 2010, Farook Burney, director of Al Fakhoora, reportedly participated in the Mavi Marmara attempt to “break the siege in Gaza.”
The Mavi Marmara was the lead ship in a “Freedom Flotilla” of six ships that attempted to sail to Gaza in May 2010 to “break the siege.” A 2011 United Nations’ report found that the flotilla activists initiated a violent confrontation with Israeli forces. Following the incident there was no humanitarian aid found onboard the ship, only crude weaponry.
In June 2010, Burney reportedly told students at QFIS that "Al Fakhoora has launched an advocacy campaign to file legal charges against Israel and change the public perception in the West about its actions."
Qatar Foundation -EC Mosque Hosting Anti-Semitic Preachers
In April 2015, QF opened the Education City (EC) Mosque, located in Qatar Faculty of Islamic Studies (QFIS) campus, adjacent to NU-Q.Since the opening of the mosque, QF’s newspaper has encouraged readers to “join the QF community for prayer” at the EC Mosque, which has hosted 18 preachers and clerics who have variously spread anti-Semitism, expressed support for terror, spread [00:00:20] a conspiracy theory that radicalized Muslims played no part in 9/11 or the Charlie Hebdo attacks and declared that the Jews use pornographic movies to “destroy the world and control it.”
One preacher, Salman al-Audah, claimed [00:02:48] in a sermon broadcast on a major Gulf media channel in August 2012, that Jews use “human blood” for Passover matzah.
A cleric, Tareq al-Hawas, stated [00:04:11] about Jews "If only Hitler had finished them off, thus relieving humanity of them." Hawas was reportedly a member of Yusuf al-Qaradawi's International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS) in 2013.
Another cleric, Mohammed al-Arifi, proclaimed in 2012, that “one’s devotion to jihad for the sake of Allah and one’s will to shed blood, smash skulls, and chop off body parts...constitute an honor.”
On March 18, 2016, preacher Mudassir Ahmed spoke at the EC mosque, urging attendees to [00:37:47]: “Kill the infidels... Count them in number and do not spare one.”
On April 1, 2016, preacher Khalid Al-Bakr, who has expressed support for Hamas, spoke at EC’s Mosque, calling [00:36:47] for Allah to “render victorious our brothers the mujahideen...in every place” and to “guide their shooting.”
On October 30, 2015, during the “Knife Intifada,” al-Hawas used his pulpit at the EC mosque to condemn [00:30:18] “the aggressor Zionists,” adding: “Allah, Help out Islam and Muslims, humiliate the heathens; destroy the foes of the religion.” al Hawas also said: "Protect your house, Al-Aqsa mosque from the hands of the Zionist aggressors."
October 2015 saw a wave of stabbings, known as the “Knife Intifada,” where young Palestinians throughout Israel were stabbing and attempting to stab Israeli civilians. The upsurge in violence across Israel was incited by Palestinian political and religious leaders. The attacks were sparked and fueled by Palestinian leaders propagating the libel that Israel intended to desecrate the Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.
NU-Q - Al Jazeera
Since 2008, NU-Q has worked closely with the Al Jazeera Media Network (Al Jazeera). In 2013, NU-Q signed a Memorandum Of Understanding (MoU) with Al Jazeera “which deepens ties between the two organizations.”
Al Jazeera is a multinational multimedia conglomerate and parent company of the Qatari state-funded Al Jazeera. AJMN comprises an entirely state-owned network, chaired by Sheikh Hamad bin Thamer Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar.
AJMN has been repeatedly accused of slanting news reports to promote and advance the agenda of theMuslim Brotherhood (MB), as well as MB’s offshoot, the Hamas terrorist organization.
On March 13, 2013, Qatari-based news site Marhaba reported that NU-Q’s MoU with Al Jazeera aimed to “further facilitate collaboration and knowledge transfer between the two media organisations.” NU-Q’s announcement of the MoU referred to itself and Al Jazeera as “two of Qatar’s foremost media organisations.”
The MoU was created, in part, so NU faculty would provide consultations to launch Al Jazeera America (AJAM), based on NU’s “expertise in the American Media Industry.”Al Jazeera, for its part, expressed “willingness to support NU-Q students with scholarships as well as training opportunities.”
Al Jazeera launched AJAM, an American news channel, 2013. However, the channel closed in April 2016 due to low viewership and following a crisis in 2015 when CEO Ehab Al Shihabi reportedly stepped down after accusations of sexism and anti-Semitism.
NU-Q’s MoU with Al Jazeera was signed by Ahmed bin Jassim bin Mohamed Al-Thani, Qatari Minister of Economy and Commerce and Director General of Al Jazeera, as well as Everette Dennis, the Dean and CEO of NU-Q.
Since the MoU, Al Jazeera has maintained a close partnership with NU-Q, including funding NU-Q’s professorial research.
NU-Q Joint Advisory Board
Since NU-Q and Al Jazeera signed their initial MoU in 2013, NU-Q has a Joint Advisory Board (JAB), which consists of ten to eleven people; five or six positions filled by Qatari-connected members and five positions filled by Western members.All eleven of the current or previous Qatari-connected JAB members were directly affiliated with QF, Al Jazeera or the Qatari government.
There is little information available about the role of NU-Q’s JAB. The role of the Texas A&M University, Qatar (TAMUQ) JAB was exposed by the Washington Post in a 2016 article, to include general oversight and close monitoring and review of every aspect of TAMUQ, with QF paying the JAB TAMUQ expenses.
Multiple people associated with the NU-Q’s JAB have whitewashed al-Qaradawi, including the QF CEO and JAB Co-Chair from 2008-2019, Hind bint Hamad Al-Thani, JAB 2019-2020 member and president of Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) Ahmad Hasnah, as well as JAB 2012 - 2014 member and QF Vice President of education Abdulla bin Ali Al-Thani.
Qatari State Minister, NU-Q JAB 2019-2020 member and AJ Vice Chairman Hamad Bin Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari, reportedly recommended a book that spread anti-semitism and authored an introduction praising the book. Yaser Bishr, 2017-2020 JAB member and Executive Director of digital media at Al Jazeera has demonized Israel.
Professor Rami Khouri was a Western NU-Q JAB member from 2012-2020 and a senior fellow at American University of Beirut (AUB). As of January 2020, Khouri was also an Al Jazeera contributor.
Khouri has legitimized terrorism, defended the “Knife Intifada,” has glorified violent protesters and spread anti-Israel conspiracy theories.
NU-Q - Hosting Annual Al Jazeera Speaker Series
Since the signing of the MoU in 2013, NU-Q has hosted an annual Al Jazeera Speakers Series. Thirteen of the 17 speakers who participated in the series at NU-Q from 2013-2019 have whitewashed terrorism, demonized Israel or expressed supportfor the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.Dima Khatib, managing director of AJ+, spoke at NU-Q as part of the series on November 8, 2016. Khatib has spread anti-Semitic conspiracy theories, defended Hamas terror and whitewashed Hezbollah. She has also glorified a terrorist, demonized Israel and is a supporter of the BDS movement.
Elia Ghorbiah, a journalist at AJ’s immersive storytelling studio Contrast VR [Virtual Reality], spoke at NU-Q on November 8, 2018, as part of the series, helping to launch the NU-Q’s new Media Innovations Lab (MIL).
Ghorbiah has compared Israel to Nazi Germany, exressed support for terrorists, as well as the terrorist organization Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and urged the kidnapping of Israeli soldiers. She is also a supporter of the BDS movement.
NU-Q - Anti-Israel Middle East Studies Minor
In 2017, NU-Q launched a Middle East Studies minor in their Liberal Arts program. From 2017-2019, four of the seven members of the NU-Q’s Middle East Studies committee included anti-Israel NU-Q professors Justin Martin, Ibraham Abusharif, Khaled Hroub and Sami Hermez.Khaled Hroub, a Professor at NU-Q who taught the 2018 and 2019 course “Islamism & Politics in the Middle East,” has reportedly whitewashed the terror group Hamas.
Sami Hermez, an NU-Q Professor who taught the 2018-2019 NU-Q courses “Anthropology of Palestine” and “Advanced Topics: Violence/Power/Resistance,” has promoted a terrorist and demonized Israel.
All of the required reading for Hermez’s “Anthropology of Palestine” course was authored by anti-Israel professors, eight of whom were activists in or supporters of the BDS movement. One of the authors, Edward Said, has advocated for the “right of return,” a Palestinian demand discredited as a means to eliminate Israel.
Justin Martin, an Associate Professor at NU-Q, has mocked America’s suffering following the 9-11 terror bombings and demonized Israel. Martin has also broadcast his desire for Qatari funding to boost the BDS movement on U.S college campuses.
Ibrahim Abusharif was an editor and Treasurer of the Quranic Literacy Institute (QLI) from 1990 to 1998. The QLI “was allegedly part of a large web of organizations and individuals that were funding terrorist groups.”
QLI, along with the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development (HLF), and the Islamic Association of Palestine, was found to have funded Hamas militant activities and therefore liable for the death of David Boim, an American citizen killed by Hamas in the West Bank. This was later reversed as it could not be proven the funds were intended to be used to kill Boim.
The minor also required students to attend two guest lectures a year, chosen by the Middle East Studies Committee.
NU-Q - Student Internships in International Media
As of January 2020, third-year NU-Q Journalism and Strategic Communication students were required to intern for ten weeks at media or public relations firms, off-campus.In 2019, students reportedly interned at international communication firms and news outlets in Washington D.C., New York City, London, Berlin, Stockholm and Doha.
As of February 2020, news outlets where NU-Q students have interned included: BBC News, TIME Magazine, Forbes, the Washington Post, National Geographic, the Guardian, National Public Radio (NPR), the Boston Globe, USA Today, Vox, the Financial Times, the Huffington Post and VICE
.
Students also interned at sports outlets, including: Sports Illustrated and ESPN, as well as fashion outlets Vogue, Cosmopolitan and Marie Claire.
NU-Q reported in 2012 that they were able to offer students residencies at prestigious media organizations “because of the high-level contacts that NU-Q faculty and staff have in the international media.”
Students also interned at sports outlets, including: Sports Illustrated and ESPN, as well as fashion outlets Vogue, Cosmopolitan and Marie Claire.
NU-Q reported in 2012 that they were able to offer students residencies at prestigious media organizations “because of the high-level contacts that NU-Q faculty and staff have in the international media.”
Social Media and Weblinks
Twitter:https://twitter.com/Justin_D_MartinLinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-martin-1181b138/
University Website: https://www.qatar.northwestern.edu/directory/profiles/martin-justin.html
- Status:
- Professor
- University:
- Northwestern-Qatar
- Organizations:
- BDS
- Related Profiles:
- Last Modified:
- 05/04/2026
Photos & Screenshots
86 images
Infamous Quotes
“Happy 9/11 more than 8,441 civilians died in Yemen this year helped by US arms dealt to Saudi Arabia & UAE. The US is complicit in far more terror than it has ever suffered.”
“America doesn't build walls; it gives Israel money to build them.”
“Israel grooms children in high school to become hackers who will one day defend its regime.”
“Palestinians & their backers will end Israeli apartheid in our lifetime, but will come sooner through nonviolent resistance #BDS.”
