Mohamed Abdou, a visiting professor at Columbia’s Middle East Institute, has emerged as one of the most dangerous academic figures on campus since October 7, 2023. A self-described “North African-Egyptian Muslim anarchist,” Abdou has openly aligned himself with U.S.-designated terrorist organizations, including Hamas. Rather than using his platform to foster critical inquiry or nuanced scholarship, he has become a mouthpiece for extremism—normalizing violence, glorifying terrorists, and pushing anti-American rhetoric directly to students.
His Role on Campus
From the earliest days of the October 7 attacks, Abdou embedded himself into the heart of campus unrest. A vocal affiliate of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), he not only participated in—but helped lead—illegal, hate-filled encampments and rallies, where calls for Jewish ethnic cleansing and praise for terrorism were rampant. He has used both his lectures and public appearances to inject pro-Hamas propaganda into the academic environment.
On May 7, 2024, Abdou appeared in a video posted to X, proudly declaring: “I’ve taught…the last two weeks at the encampment…I actually was the first professor to do that.” This encampment, overrun with antisemitic pamphlets and Hamas glorification, became a staging ground for radicalism on Columbia’s campus—with Abdou playing the role of ideological instructor.
Open Allegiance to Hamas
Abdou has not hidden his support for Hamas. He has stated it clearly and repeatedly across multiple platforms. On January 6, 2024, during an interview on Revolutionary Left Radio, he stated plainly:
“I might be with Hamas and support the resistance, absolutely.”
In a November 30, 2023 interview on the YouTube show Aunty K’s Tarot, Abdou praised Hamas’ fighters:
“You don’t need mass movements to change the world. You need a few thousand that are really organized.”
He went on to describe the October 7 terrorists as revolutionary heroes:
“The resistance fighters within Hamas, who numbered fewer than 1,500, managed to turn the tables not just on a settler-colonial state with no clear borders, but on the entire world.”
Just nine days after the October 7 massacre, on October 16, Abdou posted a prayer to social media: “Victory over the oppressors,” — a clear reference to Hamas’ actions.
Glorification of Individual Terrorists
Abdou’s admiration for terrorism goes far beyond Hamas. He has celebrated individual attackers with long histories of violence. On November 3, 2023, he posted a tribute to Fatima Bernawi, a Palestinian militant who attempted to bomb a crowded movie theater in Jerusalem in 1967. Abdou praised her as a “Black Palestinian revolutionary,” omitting entirely her role in a foiled terror attack targeting civilians.
Hostility Toward America
Incredibly, while employed by one of America’s top universities and teaching its students, Abdou has repeatedly denounced the country and its values. On February 15, 2024, during an event titled “Propaganda and Genocide: Israel’s War on Truth”, Abdou stated:
“I don’t pledge allegiance to no American flag. I don’t call myself an American… It’s a white supremacist order.”
He further rejected the legitimacy of American civic society:
“It ain’t your city! This is indigenous land!… If I was a Jew in Palestine, I would say ‘This is not my land! Either I leave or I stand and fight with the Palestinian people!’”
Abdou concluded his remarks by openly defending political violence:
“The onset of decolonization is inherently a violent act. There is no undoing the violence.”
This rhetoric wasn’t theoretical—he was actively encouraging students to engage in violent struggle, claiming:
“I have the power then to go organize with indigenous people and to center them in my life.”
Rather than fostering critical thought, Abdou has used his position to promote one-sided propaganda, glorify terrorism, and indoctrinate students into extremist worldviews. His lectures have become platforms for militant messaging—not education. Students under his influence are not challenged to think critically or explore complex issues, but rather are fed a steady diet of radicalism, anti-Americanism, and justification for terror.
His participation in illegal encampments, use of public platforms to promote Hamas, and repeated glorification of political violence directly violate Columbia University’s academic standards and code of conduct. Abdou is not just controversial—he is a clear and present danger to students, the academic environment, and campus safety.