Berkeley prof says Israel wants to seize Mecca and Medina, accuses Jews of profiting from anti-Semitism
A professor at the University of California, Berkeley is facing scrutiny after promoting anti-Semitic conspiracy theories during a lecture at a California mosque.
Speaking at the Muslim Community of Folsom on Aug. 15, Hatem Bazian, a senior lecturer at UC Berkeley, alleged that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seeks to annex vast swaths of the Middle East.
A professor at the University of California, Berkeley is facing scrutiny after promoting anti-Semitic conspiracy theories during a lecture at a Sacramento-area mosque.
Speaking at the Muslim Community of Folsom on Aug. 15, Hatem Bazian, a senior lecturer at UC Berkeley, alleged that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seeks to annex vast swaths of the Middle East, according to The Algemeiner.
Specifically, Bazian claimed that Netanyahu “wants Egypt and he wants Saudi Arabia, because the Mecca and Medina area – he says it is part of Greater Israel.”
He further claimed Jews exploit anti-Semitism for profit, stating, “[t]he whole monetization and weaponization of antisemitism is no longer working.”
Bazian co-founded Students for Justice in Palestine and currently chairs American Muslims for Palestine (AMP). AMP has sponsored nationwide protests against Israel since Hamas’ Oct. 7 terrorist attacks, according to the Anti-Defamation League.
The professor has a history of inflammatory remarks, including comparing Israel to Nazi Germany and defending Hamas. On his X account, he has advertised anti-Israel protests and accused the Jewish state of “apartheid.”
National Palestine Protest today at the Lincoln Memorial, DC, May 29, 2021. pic.twitter.com/bp0WKB1sCs
— Dr. Hatem Bazian (@HatemBazian) May 29, 2021
Israel is an Apartheid State. Retweet and comment if you agree!
— Dr. Hatem Bazian (@HatemBazian) April 8, 2023
Bazian has previously stated that “Islamophobia is not about the Muslim,” but about the “western power structure, using the Muslim as the subject in order to drive this Imperial policy.”
Dan Mogulof, assistant vice chancellor of executive communications at UC Berkeley, told Campus Reform that, while university employees have the “same First Amendment rights as any other member of the public,” individual employees “do not speak for or represent the values, perspectives or positions of the University.”
“While speech outside of the classroom may be protected by the Constitution, the university has stringent policies that prohibit the use of the classroom for political advocacy,” Mogulof added. “The university takes violations of those policies very seriously.”
In October, Campus Reform reported that Bazian defended an SJP group against criticism, calling the opposition “Islamophobic assault.”
“Shutting down SJP and JVP at Columbia University is evidence of the power and impact of student organizing and mobilization against Apartheid Israel and genocide in Gaza,” Bazian posted online. “Keep organizing, & making a difference!”
The professor also argued that SJP’s opponents cannot “defend the records of Zionism, Apartheid Israel, settler daily violence, Netanyahu, and his cast of religious extremists.”
Campus Reform has contacted Hatem Bazian for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
