Hamas-backing professor booked for UC Berkeley event with pro-Palestine student group day before October 7 anniversary

A pro-Palestine group at UC Berkeley is proudly hosting Hamas sympathizer and former Columbia professor Mohamed Abdou the day before the 3rd anniversary of the Oct. 7 attacks.

The university confirmed to the California Post that Abdou will appear via Zoom before a group of students in an on-campus event space. He’s also set to appear before Claremont College students on Oct. 7.

Abdou is infamous for writing on social media, just days after the Oct. 7 attacks, that he is “with Hamas, Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad.” The post led to his firing from Columbia University.

Abdou is infamous for writing on social media, just days after the Oct. 7 attacks, that he is “with Hamas, Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad.” The post led to his firing from Columbia University. X/@minuetinGmajor
And he’s already stirred up controversy with more anti-American and pro-jihad comments. Instagram/Mohamed Abdou

The controversial professor is currently on his “Death to the Akademy” tour launched earlier this year.

And he’s already stirred up controversy with more anti-American and pro-jihad comments. “Be proud of your hate for America,” Abdou said over Zoom to NYU students.

“You love Islam, and you should be loving Islam more than this barbarous colony. It’s a plague upon the Earth. And yes, in that sense, you need to be a threat. We all need to be a threat,” he added.

He even encouraged those attending to seek martyrdom. “If we are to meet Muhammad, then our blood serves as a testimony,” he said. “We do not fear death.”

A UC Berkeley spokesperson emphasized that Abdou is not physically visiting the campus and said that the university will not cancel the event “based on fears or expectations of what might be expressed.” Instagram/Mohamed Abdou

A UC Berkeley spokesperson emphasized that Abdou is not physically visiting the campus and said that the university will not cancel the event “based on fears or expectations of what might be expressed.”

 The spokesperson said the university understands “and regrets how upsetting the event and the rhetoric will be for many members of the Jewish community on our campus, and far beyond.”

“Through the Chancellor’s Advisory Committee for Jewish Life we consistently and continuously engage with the Jewish members of our campus community to ensure we can address their needs and interests, and to ensure that during events like these Jewish community members receive the support they may need,” the spokesperson added. “And while we do not publicly discuss or disclose security measures, nothing is more important than the safety and well-being of our campus community members.”

The group that organized the talk, the UC Berkeley Students for Justice in Palestine, said any attempts to police its speech are futile. Getty Images
Abdou said in a social media post that he was “honored” to give talks at the colleges on Oct. 6 and 7. The UC Berkeley chat is titled “1492: From Palestine to Turtle Island,” and the Claremont College event is titled “Re-Igniting Student Organizing Against Settler-Colonial Amerika.” Getty Images

The group that organized the talk, the UC Berkeley Students for Justice in Palestine, said any attempts to police its speech are futile.

“It’s been over 3 years into the ongoing g€noc¡d€ in Pal€st¡n€ perpetuated by ¡sra€l, we will not police our speech over Palest¡n¡ans right to resist their g€noc¡d€rs by any means necessary,” the group wrote. “Mass social media censorship & attempts to stop our events will not deter us from these talks connecting the fact that Pal€st¡n¡an liberation is inherently entwined with the freeing of Turtle Island & the restoration of indigenous sovereignty & Black self-determination.”

Abdou said in a social media post that he was “honored” to give talks at the colleges on Oct. 6 and 7. The UC Berkeley chat is titled “1492: From Palestine to Turtle Island,” and the Claremont College event is titled “Re-Igniting Student Organizing Against Settler-Colonial Amerika.”

The California Post reached out to both universities and Abdou for comment.

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