A former Columbia University visiting professor who said after the Hamas-led terrorist attacks in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, that he was “with Hamas and Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad” is scheduled to address students at the University of California, Berkeley on Tuesday, one day before the third anniversary of the attacks.
Mohamed Abdou is scheduled to appear via Zoom at an on-campus event hosted by UC Berkeley’s Students for Justice in Palestine chapter, according to the California Post. The event, titled “1492: From Palestine to Turtle Island,” is part of Abdou’s “Death to the Akademy” tour, which launched earlier this year. Promotional materials describe the appearances as “Al Aqsa Flood Anniversary Talks,” using Hamas’s name for the Oct. 7 massacre.
Abdou, who describes himself as a “Muslim anarchist,” is also scheduled to speak at an event titled “Re-Igniting Student Organizing Against Settler-Colonial Amerika” at The Claremont Colleges on Oct. 7.
During an April appearance before students at New York University, Abdou urged them to “be proud of your hate for America.”
On Oct. 11, 2023, four days after the Hamas-led attacks, Abdou wrote on social media, “I’m with the muqawamah” (or ‘the resistance’) “be it Hamas and Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad.”
Minouche Shafik, then-president of Columbia University, told Congress in April 2024 that Abdou, who taught at the university during the spring 2024 semester, would “never work at Columbia again” because of his remarks. Abdou’s appointment ended May 31, 2024.
Abdou subsequently sued Columbia and Shafik, alleging that, among other claims, Shafik’s congressional testimony defamed him and damaged his career. New York State Supreme Court Justice Kathleen Waterman-Marshall dismissed the lawsuit on Aug. 13, ruling that Abdou had failed to establish a defamation claim.
A UC Berkeley spokesman told the California Post that the university would not cancel Tuesday’s event based on concerns about what Abdou might say, noting that he would appear remotely rather than in person.
“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 spokesman said. “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.”
UC Berkeley’s Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on Jewish Student Life and Campus Climate is charged with supporting Jewish students and Jewish life on campus.
The appearance comes months after UC Berkeley’s law school drew criticism for hosting a Students for Justice in Palestine event with convicted Palestinian terrorist Israa Jaabis.
In April, the SJP chapters of Berkeley Law and UC Berkeley hosted Jaabis via video call for a “Palestinian Political Prisoners Day” event. Jaabis was convicted in Israel in connection with a 2015 vehicle explosion near Jerusalem that severely injured her and Israeli police officer Moshe Chen. She was released from prison in November 2023 as part of a prisoner exchange following the Oct. 7 attack and the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.
