Mkhaimar Abusada is a visiting lecturer in political science and Middle East and North African Studies at Northwestern University, serving from October 1, 2024, through September 30, 2025. He is normally based at Al-Azhar University in Gaza, where he is an Associate Professor of Political Science and former department chair. While presented as an academic exchange, Abusada’s appointment is tied to Northwestern’s concessions to pro-Palestinian encampment protesters, raising questions about the university’s judgment in bringing figures with extremist affiliations into the classroom.
Deal to End Encampment
On April 29, 2024, Northwestern administrators announced an agreement with student activists to end the pro-Palestinian encampment on Deering Meadow. One of the key concessions was the creation of an “At-Risk Scholars” program, committing the university to fund two Palestinian faculty appointments per year. Abusada’s visiting role at Northwestern stems directly from this deal, which was criticized as capitulating to groups that had created an unsafe campus environment for Jewish and pro-Israel students.
Ties to Extremist-Linked Organizations
According to reporting from May 27, 2025, Abusada serves on the boards of two groups with well-documented ties to terrorism:
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Independent Commission for Human Rights (ICHR): ICHR has praised Hamas and met with its leaders, including Ismail Haniyeh. In June 2024, Abusada appeared on the ICHR website as part of a delegation meeting with the Palestinian ambassador to Egypt.
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Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR): Abusada is listed as Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors. PCHR was founded by Raji Sourani, a former member of the U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). PCHR is accused of “lawfare” campaigns against Israel and includes other PFLP members in its leadership. The group has also justified the October 7, 2023 massacre of Israeli civilians.
These affiliations suggest that Abusada’s academic profile is intertwined with organizations that provide legitimacy to terror-linked actors.
Statements Endorsing Violence
On January 26, 2023, following the murder of seven Israeli civilians outside a synagogue in Jerusalem, Abusada told Arabic media that “the flame of Palestinian resistance shall not end.” Such remarks cross the line from academic commentary into open justification of terrorism.
Conclusion
Mkhaimar Abusada’s appointment at Northwestern did not result from ordinary academic hiring but from a political concession to encampment organizers. His ties to organizations connected with Hamas and the PFLP, along with his own public endorsement of violence against civilians, make his presence on campus a source of concern. Rather than providing students with impartial scholarship, his position risks normalizing extremist views and reinforcing an environment of antisemitism and hostility toward Jewish students under the cover of academic exchange.
