Harvard, other universities co-sponsor event with convicted terrorist associate
Various prominent U.S. universities, including Harvard University, co-sponsored an event featuring a Palestinian activist who previously pleaded guilty to conspiring with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
'Teaching Palestine Today: On Zionism' was organized by the Gaza in Context Project and National Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine.
Various prominent U.S. universities, including Harvard University, co-sponsored an event featuring a Palestinian activist who previously pleaded guilty to conspiring with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), a group designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S. government.
“Teaching Palestine Today: On Zionism” was organized by the Gaza in Context Project and National Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine. The virtual event occurred on Aug. 14.
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One of the speakers, Sami Al-Arian, admitted in 2006 to conspiring to provide “various services” to PIJ members, including filing immigration benefits and concealing identities. Al-Arian acknowledged he knew PIJ had been designated as a terrorist organization and that it carried out “horrific and deadly acts of violence,” according to a Justice Department statement.
Arrested in 2003 in Tampa, he was sentenced to 57 months in prison.
U.S. District Judge James Moody described Al-Arian at sentencing as a “master manipulator” and a “leader of the PIJ.” The federal case involved multiple agencies working to dismantle PIJ’s U.S. support network.
PIJ, inspired by the 1979 Iranian Revolution, is committed to Israel’s destruction and establishing an Islamist state. Unlike Hamas, the group avoids governance or social programs, focusing instead on militant operations.
The Anti-Defamation League reports PIJ has conducted deadly attacks against civilians and military targets and took part in the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led assault on Israel.
University support for the event comes amid ongoing scrutiny of Faculty for Justice in Palestine (FJP) chapters.
A recent report from the AMCHA Initiative found that schools with FJP groups experienced higher rates of anti-Semitic incidents, including violence. The report concluded that FJP organizations promote academic boycotts and target Jewish students and faculty for exclusion.
“This report demonstrates that FJP groups are not only influencing student-led antisemitic activism but are also spearheading the promotion of academic boycotts that target Jewish students, faculty, and pro-Israel organizations for harm,” AMCHA stated.
Additional event co-sponsors include: Georgetown University, Brown University, the University of Chicago, Columbia University, New York University, Rutgers University, George Mason University, and George Washington University.
Campus Reform has contacted Harvard University for comment. This article will be updated if a response is received.
