News Analysis

From Cairo to VT, tracing path of Palestinian militant movement

By on • ( 9 Comments )
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

From the Muslim Brotherhood to Students for Justice in Palestine — into Vermont

by Dave Soulia, for FYIVT.com

As Columbia University finds itself embroiled in national controversy over pro-Palestinian protests and the arrests of Mahmoud Khalil and Mohsen Mahdawi, an important question remains largely unasked: How did a well-organized campus movement with clear ideological messaging and national coordination spring up seemingly overnight?

More than that, why has there been no discussion in major media outlets about the public record showing how Muslim Brotherhood-linked organizations in the U.S.—including the Muslim Students Association (MSA) and a lineage of Hamas-connected groups such as the Islamic Association for Palestine (IAP) and the Holy Land Foundation (HLF)—have shaped American campus activism over decades. One successor organization, American Muslims for Palestine (AMP), today provides support to Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP).

This isn’t speculation. It’s in federal court records, news sources, and the foundational documents of these very groups. Yet, in coverage of Columbia’s protests — including the arrest and deportation proceedings of Khalil and Mahdawi — these connections remain unmentioned.

The Muslim Brotherhood’s Stated Strategy for America

In 2008, federal prosecutors concluded the largest terrorism financing trial in U.S. history: the Holy Land Foundation trial.

This trial revealed a network of U.S.-based organizations aligned with Hamas, itself an offshoot of the global Muslim Brotherhood.

Entered into evidence was a pivotal internal document, the 1991 “Explanatory Memorandum on the General Strategic Goal for the Group in North America,” written by Brotherhood official Mohamed Akram. The memorandum stated plainly:

“The Ikhwan [Muslim Brotherhood] must understand that their work in America is a kind of grand jihad in eliminating and destroying the Western civilization from within and ‘sabotaging’ its miserable house…”

Among the organizations listed as part of this strategic effort was the Muslim Students Association (MSA), founded in 1963 by Muslim Brotherhood members in the U.S. as a platform for Islamic activism on campus.

From MSA to SJP: The Documented Path

In 2001, the next generation of campus activism took form.

Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) was founded at the University of California, Berkeley by Dr. Hatem Bazian, a longtime MSA activist and later founder of American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) — widely regarded as a successor to the now-defunct Islamic Association for Palestine (IAP), a group alleged to have supported Hamas.

Bazian’s trajectory connects the dots:

  • MSA activist → AMP leader → SJP founder → Hamas/IAP ideological lineage

Moreover, AMP today is a key supporter of SJP chapters across the country, offering training, funding, and campaign coordination.

This is not conjecture — it is documented organizational history.

Columbia University: Where the Pattern Meets the Present

This history is not ancient. It is alive today — and visible at Columbia University.

Both:

…remain active presences connected to the Columbia campus.

While no public document alleges formal coordination between the two at Columbia specifically, MSA and SJP have co-hosted Palestinian solidarity events together at other universities, demonstrating a pattern of ideological alignment and cooperation.

For example, in October 2023 at the University of California, Santa Barbara, SJP and MSA chapters jointly organized a large March for Palestine and Liberation Concert in response to the Gaza conflict, alongside the Afghan Student Association.

While Columbia-specific co-hosting examples have not yet surfaced publicly, given the shared ideological mission and membership overlap seen nationwide, such cooperation on campus would not be unusual.

Further, Mahmoud Khalil has been a central organizer for Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD), while Mohsen Mahdawi has been identified as an active participant in pro-Palestinian activism at Columbia. CUAD has served as the coalition through which SJP has continued operating after its suspension.

Why Is No One Talking About This?

What makes all this remarkable is not the existence of these connections — which are well-documented — but the refusal of major media outlets to even mention them.

While the protests have been widely covered as grassroots expressions of dissent, little to no mention has been made of the ideological and organizational lineage tying them to older networks documented in federal court cases.

This silence may reflect:

  • Fear of accusations of “Islamophobia”
  • Threats of lawsuits from advocacy organizations
  • Political or ideological sympathy with the protesters’ cause
  • Or simple ignorance of public record history

Yet, for journalists and concerned citizens alike, the connections matter.

This is not about religion.
This is not about ethnicity.
This is about ideological and political networks operating in the open.

And as Columbia, Khalil, and Mahdawi grapple with the aftermath — protests have subsided but the controversy, disciplinary actions, lawsuits, and public mistrust linger — it is worth asking: Are we looking back on this purely as a fleeting campus protest, or as part of a much older and much broader political agenda, hiding in plain sight?

Discover more from Vermont Daily Chronicle

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Categories: News Analysis

9 replies »

  1. If the money trail supporting what’s been happening, based on past riots and the J6 event, it can be traced to George Soros and his 11 non-profit organizations.

  2. Holy Smokes, well done, well done article. Probably the most informative article our state has ever seen on the topic. Well done.

    So, one of the issues going on in the world today is the basic knowledge of the difference between a religion and a theocracy. Our founding father were all too familiar with Theocracies or governments that co-opted religion in the name of oppression. This is why we have the separation of church and state. They were oppressed by the Church of England, they were oppressed by the Roman Catholic Church.

    Our revivals were brought about by the Holy Spirit, fostered in the Baptist and Methodist churches, some of which have strayed from the Gospel.

    When you ask a simple question, do you know Jesus Christ? May I introduce you to Jesus Christ, is where things go off the rails. Where does it go off the rails? Well, any authoritarian country, despot, etc…..think North Korea, China, many middle east countries…..sadly much of western institutions, you will find hostility. But why?

    What did Jesus do that would so upset these groups of people? He cured the lame, he brought sight to the blind, he died on the cross such that we might not be a hot mess in our sinful nature, he freed us for joyful obedience to him.

    What are the fruits of having Christ, the Holy Spirit in your heart, listening, heading, learning his ways?

    Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Meekness, Gentleness and Self_Control, you see there are no laws against these.

    Why is no-one talking about this? It’s because they are part of the tool for subverting the West and America in general. They have subverted many of the true religions, which no longer follow teachings, that have served mankind for 5,000 years. No we are being told that living in sin, living like our pagan ancestors 5000+ years ago is the way to go, that all the good fruit we have experienced over the years needs to be thrown out of sex, drugs and really poor music (not rock and roll).

    Here is a link to subversion, how is it he knew and predicted everything perfectly 30 years ago? Well, he knew the plan, he did the plan and was trained in it. Many countries have fallen to this plan.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gnpCqsXE8g

    Oh there is an answer, it surprised me. It’s accurate, it’s easy for us to do. TGBTG

  3. This is another of those articles that should be a resource and posted on a more regular basis for people to learn and educate from.

    Have to assume it’s accurate, because like the chinese in Hong Kong, you can tell what a government is doing, not by what it’s saying but by what is censoring.

    Think Ivermectin
    Think Masks
    Think Safe and Effective
    Think Free Press
    Think commenting on VTDigger/Front Porch Forum
    Think cancel culture in Vermont.

    When the press is in complete agreement, 90%+ it is most assuredly propaganda. When does any group of people agree that highly, let alone different companies, that somehow have the exact same words and articles…all within hours, most certainly days. That is uncanny levels of organization,

  4. The communists came in through Columbia University with the goal of vanquishing the west…so have the Muslims with the same goal. This is not a coincidence people.

  5. Thanks and gratitude for ALL of these detailed, truthful FACTS,
    that reveal why and how our next generations and innocent young
    people have been DECEIVED into believing they are protesting for
    Justice and Truth. If only our adult and older generations could see
    and understand these FACTS, perhaps they, too, would not be so
    brainwashed by mainstream media, and wake up to TRUTH.

  6. Sadly there is much ignorance and imbalance in this story. It is not surprising since so few here in the west really understand the history in the Middle East, and the forces that produced organizations like Hamas. This is because only one side of the story is ever told. If you would like to understand more about the issues that brought us to this place I suggest you seek out the story from the other side. Here is the first in a three part documentary series called El Nakba, which means great catastrophe.

    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=H7FML0wzJ6A

    • The history is: Israel didn’t utterly destroy the Phiistines (aka Palestinians) as they were instructed to do, and now we’re stuck with it. Nothing else to be said, except the King will deal with any who have not believed at His return.

  7. All of this brought to us by the alliances of Senator No-Name McCain (aka the pudgy POW) Senator Lindsey Graham, the Clinton Family, the Bush family and their kissing cousin Barak Obama (aka Barry Soetoro,) Valerie Jarrett, John Brennan (fluent in Arabic) et. al. The axis of evil is not our enemy after all – it was all fake and it is all deliberate. All secrets will be revealed – even though many have seen enough to know their deeds done oh so dirty.

  8. Excellent review Dave.
    Few here know nor understand the extreme infiltration accomplished by the Muslim Brotherhood and it’s myriad iterations, not the least of which is the Muslim Student Association (MSA). Dave referenced the “Explanatory Memorandum on the General Strategic Goal for the Group in North America”,

    https://www.investigativeproject.org/documents/misc/20.pdf

    uncovered during the Holy Land Foundation trial, it is the playbook for the Muslim Brotherhood, The Muslim Student Association, and dozens of other off shoots working in North America to replace our governments and culture with Islam and Sharia Law. The progress they’ve made infiltrating our systems and institutions in the last 40 years is astounding and frightening.

    Have you heard of the Exploratory Memorandum? If so, have you read it? Its translated into English beginning on page 15.

    Once you understand the depth and degree of of how our country is being undermined, you will have a better perspective on Hamas, Hezbolah, the Houthis, and the war you don’t see being waged against the West.