Northwestern University faces mounting backlash after hiring Mkhaimar Abusada, a political science professor with ties to terrorist-linked organizations, as part of a controversial agreement with anti-Israel campus activists. The deal, to end a disruptive encampment last year spurred by radical student organizations including Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), included concessions such as full scholarships for five Palestinian students and the recruitment of two Palestinian faculty members.
Abusada, now teaching a course on the “Palestinian National Movement,” serves on the boards of the Independent Commission for Human Rights (ICHR) and the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR). Both organizations have documented ties to terrorist groups. ICHR has praised Hamas and met with its leaders, including Ismail Haniyeh, while PCHR has members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), on its payroll, with one serving as its leader.
Critics argue that Abusada’s appointment undermines academic integrity and campus safety. Gerald Steinberg, president of NGO Monitor, condemned the hire, stating, “His employment as a faculty member is a heinous violation of basic academic norms and moral principles.”
Asaf Romirowsky, executive director of Scholars for Peace in the Middle East, added, “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,” he said. “This is not a matter of academic freedom. This is a matter of national security. This is a matter of threats to the universities themselves. And there needs to be clear red lines.”
Romirowsky highlighted Abusada’s Arabic-language interviews in a statement to the Washington Free Beacon. “He has frequently expressed support for what he calls the ‘brave Palestinian resistance‘ and often echoes Hamas slogans,” he noted. “In January 2023, after the murder of seven Israeli civilians outside a Jerusalem synagogue, Abusada told an Arabic media interviewer, ‘the flame of Palestinian resistance shall not end.'” Romirowsky continued.
The university’s decision has also drawn federal scrutiny. The House Education and the Workforce Committee opened an investigation into Northwestern’s response to campus antisemitism, accusing the administration of capitulating to protesters. Committee Chair Virginia Foxx (R-NC) criticized the university for agreeing to fund Palestinian students and faculty in exchange for dismantling the protest encampment, calling it a “shameful agreement.”
Jewish organizations have expressed deep concern over the university’s actions. The Anti-Defamation League, the Jewish Federations of North America, and the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation jointly called for President Michael Schill’s resignation, stating, “The handling of this situation leaves us with no confidence in President Schill to correct it.”
