Northwestern hires professor tied to pro-Hamas organizations as part of student protest deal
Northwestern University struck a deal with pro-Palestinian student activists to hire two professors from Palestine, including Mkhaimar Abusada—who is reportedly affiliated with organizations linked to Hamas.
Critics argue that these ties compromise academic integrity and raise concerns over national security.
Northwestern University appears to have agreed to demands of pro-Palestine students by hiring a professor who allegedly holds positions in groups linked to Hamas.
Through striking a deal with anti-Israel student activists, the Northwestern administration agreed to hire two professors from Palestine, one of whom is named Mkhaimar Abusada, according to The Washington Free Beacon.
According to his profile on Northwestern’s website, Abusada is an expert on “Palestinian political attitudes,” and is also a professor at Al-Azhar University of Gaza.
Abusada also serves on the boards of the Independent Commission for Human Rights (ICHR) and the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR), according to the Free Beacon.
The outlet notes that both groups have ties to anti-Israel terrorist movements, as ICHR has lauded Hamas and PCHR employs members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).
According to its website, ICHR was established by President Yasser Arafat “in his capacity as President of the State of Palestine and chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization.” Online, the group outlines its vision for an “Independent State of Palestine.”
According to the nonprofit organization, NGO Monitor, ICHR “regularly collaborates” with groups such as Hamas, PFLP, and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ).
PCHR has also supported violent Palestinian resistance against Israel.
In the aftermath of Hamas’ attack against Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, PCHR signed a statement condemning Israel’s “crimes against the Palestinian people” and critiquing what it called “Israel’s apartheid regime.”
The president of NGO Monitor, Herald Steinberg, condemned Northwestern’s hiring of Abusada. “His employment as a faculty member is a heinous violation of basic academic norms and moral principles,” said Steinberg.
Another nonprofit leader, the director of Scholars for Peace in the Middle East, Asaf Romirowsky, critiqued Abusada’s hiring on similar grounds.
“When you’re signing an agreement with SJP and their sympathizers, they’re going to find people who are in agreement with their echo chamber of individuals,” said Romirowsky.
“This is not a matter of academic freedom. This is a matter of national security,” he added. “This is a matter of threats to the universities themselves. And there needs to be clear red lines.”
This is not the first time Northwestern has made headlines about anti-Israel activity on its campus. Earlier this year, President Trump implemented a funding suspension against the school totaling $790 million in the midst of an ongoing federal anti-Semitism investigation into Northwestern.
Campus Reform has contacted Northwestern University and Professor Mkhaimar Abusada for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
