Former USF Professor Sami Al-Arian Deported from U.S. Due to Terror Links in Address to UChicago Encampment: You Are on the Right Course; We will See Victory Together; the Zionist Lobby Wants You to Believe Everything Started on 7/10, Divert Attention from the Real Problem with This Terrorist 'Nonsense'

Memri

24-02-2025

Former University of South Florida Professor Sami Al-Arian, who was deported from the United States due to his terror connections, addressed the anti-Israel student encampment at the University of Chicago on May 1, 2024, via video call. In his speech, Al-Arian stated that the Zionist lobby and the "Zionist entrenched interests" in America are very powerful, warning the students to expect all forms of intimidation. He added that they want to make it seem like everything started on October 7, calling the 'nonsense' talk about terrorism a distortion of facts that diverts attention from the real issues. Al-Arian emphasized, 'This is not about Jews, this is about Palestinians. The Europeans had problems with Jews; I don't have a problem with Jews.' He continued, 'We need to come together, all campuses, strategize […] you are on the right course, just continue the course, […] and one day, we will see victory together.'
Sami Al-Arian was charged with conspiring to provide material support to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a U.S.-designated terrorist organization. He was convicted, served time in federal prison, and was deported to Turkey. There, he currently serves as a professor of public affairs and the director of the Center for Islam and Global Affairs (CIGA) at Sabahattin Zaim University in Istanbul. On April 26, 2024, Al-Arian posted a photo of his wife, Nahla Al-Arian, at the Columbia University encampment on X – formerly Twitter. On May 6, 2024, he published an op-ed in support of the anti-Israel campus activism on the website of Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency.
The video of the call was initially uploaded to the CIGA's YouTube channel on May 2, 2024, but was removed shortly afterward. It reappeared on November 14, 2024, on the YouTube channel of the Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) University of Chicago chapter.