Latest news with #WithinOurLifetime
Memri
5 days ago
- Politics
- Memri
Imam Tom Facchine At Staten Island Islamic Center: The Nation of Israel Must Be Abolished – We Cannot Settle for Anything Less; Allah Will Topple the Zionist Regime Within a Decade
During a May 21, 2025 panel discussion titled The Nakba Never Ended at the Muslim American Society (MAS) Staten Island Center, Imam Tom Facchine of Utica, New York stated that the pro-Palestine movement must unify around the message that Israel must be abolished. He said that advocating for a 'generic freedom' is not enough—the 'nation of Israel must be abolished,' and declared: 'We cannot settle for anything less.' Facchine claimed that Zionists will not stop until they 'change the Quran,' citing EPIC City as an example, and added: 'It's everything or nothing.' He asserted that a maximalist Zionist world is one without Muslims or Palestinians. According to Facchine, Allah has promised Muslims victory if they simply try, and he expressed absolute confidence that within a decade Allah will topple 'the Zionist regime.' The panel was moderated by Abdullah Akl, an activist with Within Our Lifetime and the political director of the Islamic center. Other participants included British activist Sami Hamdi and Abdelrahman Badawy, imam and resident scholar of MAS Staten Island.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Pro-Palestine protester scales statue in Union Square, removed by cops
A Pro-Palestine march from Brooklyn to Manhattan ended with seven protesters arrested, according to a police source — and the removal of one man who had scaled a statue of George Washington. Protesters with the group Within Our Lifetime gathered at Cadman Plaza West in downtown Brooklyn around 4 p.m. before marching across the Brooklyn Bridge to their final destination at Union Square, where they arrived around 7 p.m. About 500 people were still at the park when an unidentified man climbed to the top of the 26-foot statue of George Washington on the south side of the park and shouted 'I'm not coming down until there's peace in the Middle East, peace in Ukraine and peace in India!' 'I want peace in the world!' he declared. The man continued shouting while clinging to the founding father's head until police emergency services went up in a cherry picker forklift and wrestled him off the statue. The man did not address the crowd after cops brought him down and placed him in a waiting police vehicle. 'He said it was his birthday,' an officer who spoke to the man told the Daily News. 'Funny way to celebrate.' Earlier in the protest, police arrested seven people, a source told The News. The NYPD could not immediately confirm the arrests.
Middle East Eye
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Middle East Eye
'Genocide masked in couture': Backlash against Kamala Harris at Met Gala 2025
Former Vice President Kamala Harris received backlash after attending the Metropolitan Museum of Art's gala in New York City, amidst record-low support for the Democratic Party following its continuous support of Israel's war on Gaza during the Biden administration. The official X account for the Democrats posted a photo of Harris before she arrived at the Met Gala on Tuesday, captioned, 'Kamala Harris stuns at the Met Gala.' This sparked a swarm of criticism towards the Democratic Party, which has a record-low approval rating, according to CNN. 'The Democratic Party should delete this ASAP & fire whoever posted it. Just 27% of Americans approve of it: a historic low. Meanwhile, Trump is installing authoritarianism,' Monica Marks wrote on X. 'We don't have a second to waste on elitist nonsense. We need to show voters we've listened & reformed.' Others also criticised Harris for attending the event while Israel's war on Gaza and the ensuing humanitarian crisis worsen, with many blaming the former vice president for not pushing for a ceasefire when she was in office. 'The amount of effort she put into being on theme is the same amount of effort she put into a ceasefire (none),' one social media user wrote on X. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Just in case you missed it: She's dressed like Cruella de Ville to let you know she very much could have chosen to stop the genocide but didn't. — Abu Bakr Hussain (@KintsugiMuslim) May 6, 2025 One person on X compared the photo of Harris posing at the Met Gala, which is exclusively attended by celebrities and billionaires, to a photo of former president Lyndon B Johnson with impoverished Americans in Kentucky, writing: "We've come a long way". In addition to figures like Harris receiving heat for attending the Met Gala, the event in its entirety has been protested against both online and in person for taking place a second time during Israel's war on Gaza. The death toll in Gaza has risen by thousands since this time last year, and the population of over two million is experiencing widespread hunger as Israel continues its blockade of all food and humanitarian aid. Over 52,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since October 2023. 🇵🇸🇵🇸Met Gala protest: Despite the barricades and heavy police presence, a protester made it directly in front of the Met Gala and chanted Free Palestine to make it clear that the Met is complicit in genocide. While Celebrities continue to flaunt their extreme wealth and… — Within Our Lifetime (@WOLPalestine) May 5, 2025 The New York City-based organisation, Within Our Lifetime, organised a protest outside the Metropolitan Museum in the Upper East Side of Manhattan on Tuesday, just as it did last year, to call attention to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. "While Celebrities continue to flaunt their extreme wealth and materialism, not a single food or aid truck has entered Gaza for two months, leading to mass starvation of the Palestinian people," the organisation posted on X. Online, social media users juxtaposed images of celebrities like Kim Kardashian and Gigi Hadid with those suffering in Gaza. "Today, the visual dissonance hit a breaking point," one social media user posted on X. "Images of starving children in Gaza. Israel moving to fully annex and occupy what's left of Gaza no longer even pretending. The decision to level everything. Flatten it all. And then, the scroll flips to the Met Gala. Fashion critiques. A spectacle draped in Black radical aesthetics, stripped of meaning, repurposed to whitewash, distract, and pacify. Perfect. A culture of genocide masked in couture." A Palestinian social media user posted: " We are losing family and friends left and right. But yes please show us your favorite most wealthy celebrity wearing expensive clothes made by other wealthy people." One social media user wondered whether the gala's theme this year, which centred on a revolutionary fashion movement in Black American history, was an attempt for the event to circumvent the mass criticism it faced in 2024. Last year's event sparked a boycott campaign against celebrities who attended but hadn't yet spoken out in support of Palestine. Although the backlash isn't as widespread as last year, many have echoed the same sentiments that sparked the outrage, with one person calling it "selective humanity". The Met Gala isn't blamed for terrorism. But when red carpets roll while Gaza bleeds, it becomes a symbol of selective humanity. You don't need a weapon to be complicit, sometimes, silence draped in designer labels (that funded this terrorism, btw) is enough. — seo doya ૮˃̵֊ ˂̵ ა 🍉 (@snugdeal3r) May 6, 2025 Since the war on Gaza started in October 2023 after the Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel, more than 52,000 Palestinians have been killed and over 100,000 injured, with some still lost and feared dead under the besieged enclave's rubble.
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Lawsuit alleges anti-Israel group leaders are 'Hamas' foot soldiers in New York City'
A lawsuit filed in the Southern District of New York last month claims the leaders of several radical anti-Israel groups involved in 18 months of disruptive, violent and antisemitic protests on campuses and in the streets of New York City are "accountable for aiding and abetting Hamas' continuing acts of international terrorism." In purported violation of the Antiterrorism Act and the Alien Tort Statue, the defendants are said to have "acted as Hamas' foot soldiers in New York City," and may have had foreknowledge of the designated foreign terror organization's devastating Oct. 7 attacks. Defendants in the case are Within Our Lifetime and its founder Nerdeen Kiswani, Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and its representative Maryam Alwan, Columbia-Barnard Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) and its representative Cameron Jones, and Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD) and its representative Mahmoud Khalil, who is currently in custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The lawsuit asserts that the associational defendants have "distribute[d] Hamas-created and affiliated propaganda, incite[d] fear and violence, and attack[ed] critical academic, economic, and infrastructure centers in New York City," as well as having "repeatedly terrorized and assaulted Jews across New York City and on Columbia University's campus, physically assaulted Columbia University employees, and illegally seized and damaged public and private property." Duffy Slams Mta Over 'Fact Check' On Anti-israel Mob's Grand Central Takeover The details of the allegations are thorough. To demonstrate how the defendants "resoundingly and knowingly answered Hamas' call to action" on and after Oct. 7, the lawsuit cites how the defendants knowingly "obtain[ed] and disseminat[ed]" a Hamas propaganda document, which contained directions created by the Hamas Media Office for spinning the narrative of their deadly attacks. By "painstakingly follow[ing]" the document, the lawsuit alleges defendants "directly responded to, and followed orders from, Hamas." Read On The Fox News App The lawsuit also supplies several indicators that defendants may have had foreknowledge of the heinous Oct. 7 attack, to include "a highly suggestive social media post published moments before the October 7 attack began" in which Columbia SJP posted on Instagram "We are back!!" after a months-long hiatus. On Oct. 7, Kiswani utilized marketing materials that "would not be released until the next day" in a National Students for Justice in Palestine (NSJP) "Toolkit" demonstrating how SJP organizations across the country could support the Gazan "resistance." Following Oct. 7, Within Our Lifetime promoted a "Day of Rage" in New York City while Columbia SJP and Columbia JVP promoted their own "Day of Resistance." The mere announcements of these events forced closures of Jewish schools and institutions, and "even forced Columbia University – a non-Jewish institution – to close its campus as a safety precaution," while Jewish students "were advised to lock their doors and remain inside for their own safety," according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit names Khalil as the purported leader of Columbia SJP's Day of Resistance. Columbia's Anti-israel Protesters Say Trump Pulling $400 Million In Grants From University Is A 'Scare Tactic' In November 2023, the suit describes how a "'Shut it Down for Palestine' event descended into – as planned – anti-Jewish and vitriolic hatred and threats," with speakers shouting "Death to Jews!" and "encourage[ing] Hamas and… comrades across Columbia's campus to hunt down and assault pro-Israel students." The next day, Columbia University suspended Columbia SJP and Columbia JVP, at which time "Khalil and former members and/or organizers of Columbia SJP became leaders of CUAD." As a result, CUAD "became the primary organizer of the violent and antisemitic protests that would foment terror, sow discord, and disrupt campus life at Columbia for over a year." Khalil would later become the lead negotiator of the Columbia encampment, which the lawsuit notes was "well-supplied with identical tents, toiletries, food, and professional signage." Based on a statement from Shlomi Ziv, a plaintiff in the lawsuit who was held captive by Hamas for 246 days following his kidnapping at the Nova Music Festival, "Hamas and [American Muslims for Palestine (AMP)]/NSJP provided financial, organizational, and other support… for the Encampment." Ziv alleges that his "Hamas captors bragged about having Hamas operatives on American university campuses," and even "showed him Al-Jazeera stories and photographs of protests at Columbia University that were organized by Associational Defendants." Apparent Anti-israel Activists Splash Red Paint On Homes Of Jewish Officials At Brooklyn Museum Given the "legal chasm between independent political advocacy and coordinating with a foreign terrorist organization to seed pro-terror propaganda throughout America's largest city," the lawsuit alleges the defendants' "actions violate the Antiterrorism Act and the law of nations." According to the Jerusalem Post, the National Jewish Advocacy Center, Greenberg Traurig LLP, the Schoen Law Firm, and the Holtzman Vogel Law Firm filed the suit on behalf of plaintiffs who include Ziv, several Columbia University students who have served with the Israel Defense Forces, and a number of American and Israeli citizens whose family members, most of whom are believed dead, remain in Hamas captivity. The lawsuit especially states that Khalil, "on information and belief, directly coordinates with Hamas, AMP/NSJP and/or other agents and affiliates of Hamas and related terrorist organizations." The filers state that his detention by ICE in March may have been "based on many of his actions described in this Complaint." Khalil's involvement in the Columbia protests was cited as a rationale for his removal during his April 11 hearing, when Judge Jamee Comans ruled that Khalil may be deported. Khalil also withheld past employment with the Syrian office in the Beirut British Embassy and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) as well as his membership in the CUAD when applying for a green card. This withholding of information, according to federal officials, made Khalil "inadmissible at the time of his adjustment." Disruptive events in New York City show no signs of abating. In March, students stormed a classroom at Columbia University and took over a building in affiliated Barnard College, where they assaulted an employee. A Within Our Lifetime protest on April 7 "took over" the main concourse of Grand Central Station. Fox News Digital reached out to CUAD, Columbia SJP, Within Our Lifetime, and Columbia-Barnard JVP for comment about the allegations contained within the lawsuit, but received no article source: Lawsuit alleges anti-Israel group leaders are 'Hamas' foot soldiers in New York City'
Fox News
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Lawsuit alleges anti-Israel group leaders are 'Hamas' foot soldiers in New York City'
A lawsuit filed in the Southern District of New York last month claims the leaders of several radical anti-Israel groups involved in 18 months of disruptive, violent and antisemitic protests on campuses and in the streets of New York City are "accountable for aiding and abetting Hamas' continuing acts of international terrorism." In purported violation of the Antiterrorism Act and the Alien Tort Statue, the defendants are said to have "acted as Hamas' foot soldiers in New York City," and may have had foreknowledge of the designated foreign terror organization's devastating Oct. 7 attacks. Defendants in the case are Within Our Lifetime and its founder Nerdeen Kiswani, Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and its representative Maryam Alwan, Columbia-Barnard Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) and its representative Cameron Jones, and Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD) and its representative Mahmoud Khalil, who is currently in custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The lawsuit asserts that the associational defendants have "distribute[d] Hamas-created and affiliated propaganda, incite[d] fear and violence, and attack[ed] critical academic, economic, and infrastructure centers in New York City," as well as having "repeatedly terrorized and assaulted Jews across New York City and on Columbia University's campus, physically assaulted Columbia University employees, and illegally seized and damaged public and private property." The details of the allegations are thorough. To demonstrate how the defendants "resoundingly and knowingly answered Hamas' call to action" on and after Oct. 7, the lawsuit cites how the defendants knowingly "obtain[ed] and disseminat[ed]" a Hamas propaganda document, which contained directions created by the Hamas Media Office for spinning the narrative of their deadly attacks. By "painstakingly follow[ing]" the document, the lawsuit alleges defendants "directly responded to, and followed orders from, Hamas." The lawsuit also supplies several indicators that defendants may have had foreknowledge of the heinous Oct. 7 attack, to include "a highly suggestive social media post published moments before the October 7 attack began" in which Columbia SJP posted on Instagram "We are back!!" after a months-long hiatus. On Oct. 7, Kiswani utilized marketing materials that "would not be released until the next day" in a National Students for Justice in Palestine (NSJP) "Toolkit" demonstrating how SJP organizations across the country could support the Gazan "resistance." Following Oct. 7, Within Our Lifetime promoted a "Day of Rage" in New York City while Columbia SJP and Columbia JVP promoted their own "Day of Resistance." The mere announcements of these events forced closures of Jewish schools and institutions, and "even forced Columbia University – a non-Jewish institution – to close its campus as a safety precaution," while Jewish students "were advised to lock their doors and remain inside for their own safety," according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit names Khalil as the purported leader of Columbia SJP's Day of Resistance. In November 2023, the suit describes how a "'Shut it Down for Palestine' event descended into – as planned – anti-Jewish and vitriolic hatred and threats," with speakers shouting "Death to Jews!" and "encourage[ing] Hamas and… comrades across Columbia's campus to hunt down and assault pro-Israel students." The next day, Columbia University suspended Columbia SJP and Columbia JVP, at which time "Khalil and former members and/or organizers of Columbia SJP became leaders of CUAD." As a result, CUAD "became the primary organizer of the violent and antisemitic protests that would foment terror, sow discord, and disrupt campus life at Columbia for over a year." Khalil would later become the lead negotiator of the Columbia encampment, which the lawsuit notes was "well-supplied with identical tents, toiletries, food, and professional signage." Based on a statement from Shlomi Ziv, a plaintiff in the lawsuit who was held captive by Hamas for 246 days following his kidnapping at the Nova Music Festival, "Hamas and [American Muslims for Palestine (AMP)]/NSJP provided financial, organizational, and other support… for the Encampment." Ziv alleges that his "Hamas captors bragged about having Hamas operatives on American university campuses," and even "showed him Al-Jazeera stories and photographs of protests at Columbia University that were organized by Associational Defendants." Given the "legal chasm between independent political advocacy and coordinating with a foreign terrorist organization to seed pro-terror propaganda throughout America's largest city," the lawsuit alleges the defendants' "actions violate the Antiterrorism Act and the law of nations." According to the Jerusalem Post, the National Jewish Advocacy Center, Greenberg Traurig LLP, the Schoen Law Firm, and the Holtzman Vogel Law Firm filed the suit on behalf of plaintiffs who include Ziv, several Columbia University students who have served with the Israel Defense Forces, and a number of American and Israeli citizens whose family members, most of whom are believed dead, remain in Hamas captivity. The lawsuit especially states that Khalil, "on information and belief, directly coordinates with Hamas, AMP/NSJP and/or other agents and affiliates of Hamas and related terrorist organizations." The filers state that his detention by ICE in March may have been "based on many of his actions described in this Complaint." Khalil's involvement in the Columbia protests was cited as a rationale for his removal during his April 11 hearing, when Judge Jamee Comans ruled that Khalil may be deported. Khalil also withheld past employment with the Syrian office in the Beirut British Embassy and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) as well as his membership in the CUAD when applying for a green card. This withholding of information, according to federal officials, made Khalil "inadmissible at the time of his adjustment." Disruptive events in New York City show no signs of abating. In March, students stormed a classroom at Columbia University and took over a building in affiliated Barnard College, where they assaulted an employee. A Within Our Lifetime protest on April 7 "took over" the main concourse of Grand Central Station. Fox News Digital reached out to CUAD, Columbia SJP, Within Our Lifetime, and Columbia-Barnard JVP for comment about the allegations contained within the lawsuit, but received no response.
