AMCHA Responses to Antisemitic Events at SFSU

AMCHA’s Responses to Antisemitic Activity at San Francisco State University 

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5. An incendiary message was shared on the official Facebook page of AMED that was written by its founding director. The message targeted Jewish students for discrimination. 

• INCIDENT: On February 23, 2018, an incendiary message was shared on the official Facebook page of the Arab and Muslim Ethnicities and Diasporas (AMED) program at the university’s College of Ethnic Studies that was written by Professor Rabab Abdulhadi, the founding director and sole faculty member associated with AMED. The message clearly targeted Jewish students at SFSU for vilification and discrimination, and could be read by many as a frightening incitement to violence.
• 3/20/18 – AMCHA’S RESPONSE: 60 Organizations wrote a letter to Chancellor White and CSU Trustees in an AMCHA-organized letter outlining the full situation and stating, “When an academic unit at a state university uses its official online presence to attack students on its campus for their religious beliefs, ethnic identity or political opinions, it is clearly out of control and must be stopped.  We urge you to thoroughly investigate AMED and its administration, and to inform California taxpayers exactly how you intend to address this shameful violation of student rights and university standards.”
• 3/26/18 – UNIVERSITY’S RESPONSE: President Wong issued a statement to the community that said, “While [Prof. Abdulhadi] is entitled to voice her own opinion, it cannot be done in a way that implies university endorsement or association. Dr. Abdulhadi’s post does not reflect the opinions, values, or policies of San Francisco State University…All are welcome at SF State and a diversity of perspectives helps us grow as an institution. SF State is taking corrective action and will affirm this core principle in its social media policies and practices to avoid confusion and better safeguard the university’s web presence in the future.”
• 3/26/18 – CSU SYSTEM’S RESPONSE: Chancellor White responded in an emailed statement, “Because this post appears on a site that affiliates with the San Francisco State University name, it carries the implication that it reflects the views of the university – when in fact Professor Abdulhadi’s statement explicitly contradicts the principles of inclusion that are central to the values, mission and policies of San Francisco State and the California State University…President Wong and his staff took immediate corrective action with this faculty member regarding the post, and have communicated on this matter to the campus community.” His message went on to state, “As I write you, it is not yet clear whether this faculty member will comply with the request. If not, the University will explore all appropriate options with respect to this conduct. SFSU is also updating its social media policies and practices to help prevent this type of situation and better safeguard the university’s web presence.”
• 3/28/18 – AMCHA’S RESPONSE: AMCHA coordinated a thank-you letter from 60 organizations to Chancellor White and the CSU Trustees commending them, “for standing up against this type of exclusionary behavior that fosters intolerance and puts all students at risk.” The letter concluded by pointing out that, “such departmental misbehavior does not happen in a vacuum. If the head of an academic unit is willing to use her program’s official social media platform to target a group of students on campus with hateful and discriminatory messages, it is reasonable to ask whether such messages are also being conveyed in the classroom or conference hall. We hope that you will fully investigate AMED, and any other academic unit on a CSU campus that would misuse the university’s name and resources to promote hatred and bigotry against CSU students.”
• 5/1/18 – AMCHA’S RESPONSE: AMCHA coordinated a coalition letter from nearly 60 organizations to Chancellor White with an update that a month since the group’s last wrote, “not only is Prof. Abdulhadi’s bigoted message still visible on the official AMED Facebook page, but in a series of subsequent videos of departmentally-sponsored events posted to the same AMED Facebook page, Abdulhadi has openly flouted the university’s demand that she remove the hateful posting, and she has once again used the university’s official online presence to make vicious and derogatory remarks targeting a specific group of students at SFSU.” The letter urged Chancellor White to, “conduct an immediate, full, and transparent investigation of AMED and its administration, and we look forward to hearing the results of that investigation.”

4. SFSU Funding Pro-Terror Trip of Faculty member

• INCIDENT: Documents received by AMCHA Initiative in response to a California Public Records Act request submitted to SFSU on April 10, requesting all records regarding the University’s funding of a “Labor Delegation to Palestine 2014″ led by SFSU Professor Rabab Abdulhadi, suggested an egregious misuse of University and taxpayer funds. According to these documents, Prof. Rabab Abdulhadi received more than $7,000 from the University, including an advance of $2,000, to cover the cost of her trip. However, we believe that in order to procure the administrative approval necessary for securing such University funding, the nature and purpose of Abdulhadi’s trip were misrepresented on at least 4 official University documents that were reviewed and approved by the SFSU Risk Management Office and Abdulhadi’s Dean, Kenneth Monteiro.On the University-funded trip, Abdulhadi, SFSU Ethnic Studies Professor Joanne Barker and Abdulhadi’s husband, Jaime Veve, met with:
  • Leila Khaled, a convicted hijacker and the most famous member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a terrorist organization responsible for 159 terrorist acts such as bombings, armed assault and assassinations, resulting in numerous injuries and deaths including those of more than 20 US citizens. Khaled has been refused entry to Israel, Britain, and Canada.
  • Sheikh Raed Salah, leader of the northern branch of the Islamic Movement in Israel, who was convicted of funding the terrorist organization Hamas and served a two-year prison sentence 2003 – 2005. In 2008, Salah was charged with incitement to violence and racism. In 2010, Salah was also arrested for his participation on the Mavi Marmara, part of the Gaza Freedom Flotilla. Salah was recently incarcerated again on charges of incitement to violence.

  Evidence demonstrates that Abdulhadi always intended to use the University-funded trip to build relationships with anti-Israel political activists to promote anti-Semitic academic, cultural and economic boycotts of Israel and the meetings were set before Abdulhadi requested University approval.

• 5/27/14 – AMCHA RESPONSE: AMCHA coordinated a letter from 7 other leading CA and national Jewish groups — including Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, Institute for Black Solidarity with Israel, Proclaiming Justice to the Nations, Scholars for Peace in the Middle East, Simon Wiesenthal Center Campus Outreach, StandWithUs and the Zionist Organization of America — addressed to Timothy White, Chancellor California State University, Leslie Wong, President San Francisco State University, Larry Mandel, CSU Vice Chancellor and Chief Audit Officer, and Carrie Hemphill Reith, CSU Resource Attorney for Conflict of Interest & Governance, asking for an investigation into the matter.
• 6/19/14 – UNIVERSITY RESPONSE: SFSU President Wong issued a public statement saying that “the allegations against Professor Abdulhadi have no merit,” and that Abdulhadi’s trip was relevant to her research.
• 6/24/14 – AMCHA RESPONSE: Dismayed that SFSU condone Prof. Abdulhadi’s use of University resource for her trip, AMCHA coordinated a letter with 7 other leading CA and national Jewish groups — including Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, Institute for Black Solidarity with Israel, Proclaiming Justice to the Nations, Scholars for Peace in the Middle East, Simon Wiesenthal Center Campus Outreach, StandWithUs and the Zionist Organization of America — addressed to California State Controller John Chiang asking for an investigation into the misuse of public funds for personal advocacy and meetings with terrorists.
• 7/22/14 – AMCHA RESPONSE: After receiving no reply from the CA State Controller, AMCHA Initiative co-founder Tammi Benjamin spoke at the CSU Trustees meeting to read out loud a letter signed by 7 other leading CA and national Jewish groups — including Institute for Black Solidarity with Israel, Proclaiming Justice to the Nations, Scholars for Peace in the Middle East, Simon Wiesenthal Center Campus Outreach, StandWithUs and the Zionist Organization of America — calling on the CSU Trustees to investigate.
• 10/27/14 – AMED EMAIL REVEALS AUDIT OF ABDULHADI: In an email circulated by AMED on a roundable discussion, one of the topics included, “Have you heard about the five year travel audit of Palestinian scholar Rabab Abdulhadi’s research in Palestine resulting from the AMCHA Initiative’s…accusations of her to state officials?”

 

3. SFSU Antisemitic Faculty Event

• INCIDENT: SFSU professors, including Professor Rahab Abdulhadi, the faculty advisor to the former knife-wielding student and the General Union of Palestinian Students (organizers of “My Heroes Have Always Killed Colonizers” event), hosted an event on Thursday (3/6/14) about their trip to the “West Bank” and “the 1948 areas of Palestine” (i.e. Israel). The professors stated publicly that the purpose of the event is to inform students about the trip and to promote the anti-Israel boycott movement.  However, according to a blog discovered by AMCHA, the group met with Palestinians who argue for the use of armed violence against the Jewish state, and at least two of the meetings were with individuals affiliated with US State Department-designated terrorist organizations responsible for the murder of numerous Jews worldwide

 

• 3/5/14 – AMCHA RESPONSE: AMCHA coordinated a letter from leading CA and national Jewish groups — including the Simon Wiesenthal Center, Scholars for Peace in the Middle East, StandWithUs, and the Zionist Organization of America — demanding that SFSU President Wong and CSU Trustees speak out forcefully against this event and provide counter-programming to educate students about the antisemitic nature of anti-Israel boycotts.
• 3/26/14 – AMCHA RESPONSE: An audiotape is uncovered that reveals the event was worse than expected. AMCHA Initiative, along with Simon Wiesenthal Center, Scholars for Peace in the Middle East, and the Zionist Organization of America, write to President Wong calling on him to investigate.

To Date: No response on this issue from President Wong

 

2. Violent Public Postings Uncovered of the President of SFSU-Funded Student Group (General Union of Palestine Students) 

• INCIDENT: Violent public postings were uncovered of GUPS President Mohammad G. Hammad which included statement such as:

“There are children shouting outside and I want to set them on fire.”

“I think about killing a lot/and some of you are usually the targets of my daydreams.”

Caption underneath photo of long sword: “I want it. Imagine me cutting off the heads of those in the IDF with this.”

“Oh/And, tomorrow is (hopefully) the day that I find out if I will be the President of the General Union of Palestine at my school/…Hopefully I’ll be able to radicalize half of our population and bring them back with me as fighters.”

On the Jewish student group, Hillel: “I hope they all trip down the stairs and break their necks.”

Speaking of the State Department-designated terrorist group, Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP): “I’ve stayed at the home of a branch commander and had dinner with his family. I’ve also participated in marches and gone to lunch with armed fighters. Guess that makes me a huge terrorist and you should be afraid, because I know where you live.”

• 12/5/13 – AMCHA RESPONSE: AMCHA Initiative wrote a letter to President Wong asking what concrete steps President Wong had already taken, and what steps he intended to take in the immediate future, to keep Jewish students safe from antisemitic harassment and attack at SFSU’s campus. After bullying tactics by GUPS, including a Change.org petition with over 1,000 signatures calling AMCHA Initiative’s concern “a smear campaign,” President Wong issued a tepid public statement calling for commitment to free speech. In response, AMCHA Initiative wrote an open letter to President Wong asking if it is acceptable for a registered student organization receiving university funding to display or use rhetoric that glorifies or promotes violence against Jews, or any other minority groups. AMCHA Initiative has yet to receive a response from President Wong to our latest inquiry.
• 12/10/13 – UNIVERSITY RESPONSE: President Wong issues a statement asking that we all stay committed to free speech in light of GUPS President Mr. Hammad’s direct and public threats to behead all who support the IDF
• 12/10/13 – AMCHA RESPONSE: AMCHA Initiative writes to Dean of the College of Ethnic Studies, Dr. Kenneth Monteiro, and calls on him to investigate Professor Rabab Abdulhadi’s legitimization of violence, and to condemn those affiliated with the college who misuse university resources for personal agendas.
• 12/16/13 – AMCHA RESPONSE: AMCHA Initiative replies to President Wong requesting that he clarify his position on whether it is acceptable for groups receiving university funding to incite or glorify violence.
• 2/18/14 – AMCHA RESPONSE: Dismayed that the University’s silence indicates it is not doing enough to protect Jewish students, AMCHA Initiative  alerts law enforcement about the violent SFSU student endangering Jewish students and Israel supporters by writing to San Francisco Police Chief Greg Suhr. 

 SUCCESSFUL RESULT: STUDENT IS NO LONGER ENROLLED AT SFSU, NOR LIVING ON CAMPUS, AND IS BEING INVESTIGATED BY THE FBI AND THE JOINT-TERRORISM TASK FORCE

 

1. SFSU-Funded Student Group (General Union of Palestine Students) Event Calls on the Murder of Jews in Stencils Used 

• INCIDENT: On November 7th, the General Union of Palestine Students at San Francisco State University hosted an all-day celebration commemorating the 6th anniversary of the Edward Said mural. As part of the day’s programming, there were tables set up in for art projects. On the tables were cans of spray paint and stencils. One stencil was an image of the Palestinian terrorist Leila Khaled. Another stencil bore the words, “MY HEROES HAVE ALWAYS KILLED COLONIZERS,” and in the context of the days events honoring Edward Said, was clearly a reference to the killing of Jews. The stencils were used to make signs carried by students in the plaza. The GUPS event received several thousand dollars of funding from the university and was co-sponsored by the Arab and Muslim Ethnicities Initiative (AMED) in the College of Ethnic Studies.

• 11/18/13 – AMCHA RESPONSE: AMCHA Initiative alerted President Wong to the antisemitic stencils and asked him to investigate the incident.
• 11/19/13 – UNIVERSITY RESPONSE: President Wong responded with a statement condemning the stencils, promising to investigate the matter further and to take appropriate action.
• 11/20/13 – AMCHA RESPONSE: AMCHA Initiative responds to President Wong, thanking him for his public statement.
• 11/21/13 – AMCHA RESPONSE: AMCHA Initiative writes to the Dean if the College of Ethnic Studies seeking a denouncement of antisemitic content at the on-campus event from him.
• 11/25/13 – LEGISLATIVE RESPONSE: California State Legislators sign a letter to President Wong thanking him for denouncing the senseless acts of intolerance that occurred in the event.
• 11/27/13 – AMCHA RESPONSE TO LEGISLATORS: AMCHA Initiative sends a letter to the legislators thanking them for their involvement and taking a stand against antisemitism.
• 12/10/13 – AMCHA RESPONSE TO LEGISLATORS: AMCHA Initiative sends a letter to the legislators thanking them for their involvement and taking a stand against antisemitism.
• 11/27/13 – AMCHA RESPONSE TO LEGISLATORS: AMCHA Initiative sends a letter to the legislators thanking them for their involvement and taking a stand against antisemitism.
• 12/10/13 – UNIVERSITY RESPONSE: President Wong issues a statement asking that we all stay committed to free speech in light of campus event and GUPS President Mr. Hammad’s direct and public threats to behead all who support the IDF.
• 12/10/13 – AMCHA RESPONSE: AMCHA Initiative writes to Dean of the College of Ethnic Studies, Dr. Kenneth Monteiro, and calls on him to investigate Professor Rabab Abdulhadi’s legitimization of violence, and to condemn those affiliated with the college who misuse university resources for personal agendas.
• 12/16/13 – AMCHA RESPONSE: AMCHA Initiative replies to President Wong requesting that he clarify his position on whether it is acceptable for groups receiving university funding to incite or glorify violence.