What’s happening at Columbia?

A blatant example of jihadist talking points came from Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah on March 13, when he lauded the political activity of American Muslims in Michigan as “very influential.” He said of the “many people demonstrating in America” that “we should salute them” and called the “uncommitted” primary campaign against Mr. Biden, which originated in Dearborn, Mich., “the most important means of pressure on the Biden administration.” Mr. Nasrallah had already cited the effect of protests “in Washington, New York, London, Paris and Western Europe” in a Nov. 11 speech, lauding their power to “apply pressure on their governments.”

Every senior Hamas leader has also acknowledged the importance of the protests and said that influencing U.S. and Western policy is part of the organization’s strategy for destroying Israel. Khaled Mashal, the Hamas leader abroad, on Oct. 10 urged supporters to protest “in cities everywhere.” On Oct. 31, he said that the organization’s friends “on the global left” were responding to its appeal. On March 27, he called for millions to take to the streets in protest, saying there had been an unprecedented shift in global public opinion.

On Oct. 7, Hamas leader and former Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh alluded to this on Al Jazeera TV. He exhorted the “resistance abroad,” “strategic allies” and Muslims worldwide—all “partners in creating this great victory”—to “join this battle any way they can.” Hamas political bureau member Osama Hamdan underlined the “large impact” of the protests “in pressuring the decision makers in the world” in an interview on Nov. 12.

Six months after the attack on Israel, Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis and others aren’t merely cheering those protesting in the streets. They are working with and grooming activists in the U.S. and the West, through meetings, online interviews and podcasts.

Haytham Abdo, a PFLP representative, highlighted this cooperation in a Jan. 31 interview with Brian Becker, national coordinator of the Answer Coalition, a hard-left antiwar umbrella group. Mr. Abdo said this is the “first time” there has been such a “massive demonstration” of support in the U.S. Claiming that more than 50% of young Americans are now pro-Palestinian, he said, “We see that the Biden, or the American, administration, now, [is] affected by this transformation in the U.S. people.”

On March 25, the Columbia University Apartheid Divest student group hosted an event called “Resistance 101” on campus. It featured leaders of the PFLP-affiliated Samidoun, Within Our Lifetime and other extremist organizations. At the event, former PFLP official Khaled Barakat referred to his “friends and brothers in Hamas, Islamic Jihad [and] the PFLP in Gaza,” saying that particularly after Oct. 7, “when they see students organizing outside Palestine, they really feel that they are being backed as a resistance and they’re being supported.” On March 30 on Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV, Mr. Barakat said “the vast majority” of young Americans and Canadians now “support armed resistance” because of “the introduction of colonialism, racism, and slavery studies into history curricula.”

At a Jan. 21 New York event held by the Marxist-Leninist Workers World Party, an official Hamas statement was read and videos were screened from PFLP, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah and Houthi officials. Ibrahim Mousawi, a Hezbollah member of Lebanon’s Parliament, underscored his organization’s support for the protests, saying they are “much needed and very much appreciated by our people here” and that “we really support this work.” Hezbollah and Western activists, he said, stand “together, one front” against Israel, against the U.S. and its “tyranny,” and against “Western hegemony and imperialism.” Houthi leader Nasreddine Aamir also thanked and commended the protesters in the West who “take a stand and participate in marches and go out in the streets.”

The collaboration between senior terrorists and their growing list of friends in the U.S. and the West has real-world consequences. These groups are designated terrorist for a reason. They don’t plan marches and rallies—they carry out terrorist attacks. And when the U.S. and Western activists, including college students, see that their marches and protests aren’t achieving their goals, they may consider their next steps—which will be influenced by the company they have been keeping.

Mr..

Jolly

Sorry, the FBI is still chasing Jan 6 protesters for trespassing.

Priorities must be observed...

Mik

Was listening to NPR in the car. Some professor was decrying the various administrations’ actions, saying that this is just students expressing themselves and learning how to research and analyze ideas. So these demands to divest, etc are all about education

George K · "Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08

@Mik said in What’s happening at Columbia?:

learning how to research and analyze ideas

"Research"

Horace

A reasonable first approximation for why they're protesting, is some combination of status seeking and mate seeking. I would like to say there are ideological bases too, but I don't like to lie.

Mik

Primate group identification

George K · "Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08

@Mik said in What’s happening at Columbia?:

Primate group identification

"Apparently, you can put nose rings in sheep now."

kluurs

Protest is fine - but no one seems to have heard of Ghandi. We had a group of hecklers disrupt the local village board meeting - shouting down everyone there as they wished the board to vote a resolution in support of (I don't care). Several people attending the meeting noted that the hecklers amazingly did nothing to endear themselves to the other citizenry and in fact, made them feel disinclined to support their cause.

LuFins Dad

Great. Where’s the protest over Syria?

George K · "Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08

Has anyone at Columbia, or other schools, commented on the hostages?

Didn't think so.

LuFins Dad

What do you think happens when a Columbia Alum send an application to Liebowitz, Goldstein, and Phipps next year?

Mik

@kluurs said in What’s happening at Columbia?:

Protest is fine - but no one seems to have heard of Ghandi. We had a group of hecklers disrupt the local village board meeting - shouting down everyone there as they wished the board to vote a resolution in support of (I don't care). Several people attending the meeting noted that the hecklers amazingly did nothing to endear themselves to the other citizenry and in fact, made them feel disinclined to support their cause.

This entire country needs to read Dale Carnegie.

The New Coffee Room

What’s happening at Columbia?