WASHINGTON — A Senate Republican launched an investigation Thursday into American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) over its “alleged ties to Hamas” and its funding of anti-Israel protest teams on US school campuses — together with at Columbia College.
Senate Well being, Training, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee Chairman Invoice Cassidy (R-La.) introduced the investigation on the prime of a listening to titled “Antisemitic Disruptions on Campus” — and named 9 people with hyperlinks to the US-designated overseas terror group who additionally boosted campus demonstrations.
“Today as chair of the health committee, I launched an investigation into the American Muslims for Palestine demanding answers about their activities on college campuses,” Cassidy mentioned.
“This group’s leaders have ties to Hamas and helped create the group Students for Justice in Palestine,” he added. “I additionally requested data from the Justice Division and several other universities on these teams.
“We must continue to build upon these efforts. As we saw at Colombia last month, pro-Hamas activists continue to wreak havoc on campuses,” he additionally mentioned.
“Instead of standing up for Jewish students, too many university officials failed to respond or refused to even condemn these horrific occurrences.”
In a letter to AMP chairman Hatem Bazian, Cassidy listed the group’s troubling ties to Hamas in addition to these of a number of of Bazian’s associates, citing analysis compiled by Basis for Protection of Democracies senior vice chairman Jonathan Schanzer.
These hyperlinks embrace:
- Jamal Mentioned: A featured speaker at AMP fundraisers who additionally helped usher in contributions to the Holy Land Basis (HLF), a charity shuttered by the feds for funneling roughly $12.4 million to Hamas
- Kifah Mustafa: One other AMP speaker and fundraiser for the HLF
- Salah Sarsour: One among 5 members on AMP’s nationwide board who purportedly helped fund HLF and Hamas army chief Adel Awadallah, killed in 1998 by Israeli forces
- Mohammed El-Mezain: A 2023 speaker at an AMP-sponsored occasion and an ex-leader of HLF
- Rafeeq Jaber: An AJP tax accountant and ex-president of the Islamic Affiliation for Palestine (IAP), which was seeded with funding from Hamas chief Mousa Abu Marzook
- Abdelbaset Hamayel: A former chief of IAP and rep for the tax-exempt group KindHearts, which was closed down as a result of ties with HLF and had its belongings frozen by the Treasury Division
- Sufian Nabhan: An ex-AMP nationwide board member
- Osama Abuirshaid: AMP’s govt director who interviewed Marzook for IAP
Cassidy additionally despatched additional letters to Lawyer Normal Pam Bondi, FBI Director Kash Patel and college leaders at Columbia, Barnard, George Washington College and UCLA.
“Activity that threatens the safety of others is not constitutionally protected free speech, and conduct
that violates campus rules should not be tolerated,” he warned, highlighting the identical ties between AMP and SJP.
“Reports of individuals with ties to terrorist groups or their affiliates engaging with students on college campuses are also cause for the highest alarm.”
The Louisiana Republican has requested for additional data from every larger schooling establishment by April 9.
The probe comes on the heels of a lawsuit filed by households of hostages held by Hamas who alleged that anti-Israel teams like SJP had “prior knowledge” of the Oct. 7, 2023, terror assaults.
The activist group proclaimed “we are back” in an Instagram submit simply hours earlier than the lethal assault, in keeping with the brand new lawsuit.
Reps for AMP didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
