Fatemeh Shams, an associate professor at the University of Pennsylvania, has gained notoriety for her extremist rhetoric, public defense of terror, and direct involvement in campus protests marred by antisemitism. Despite her position as a faculty member, Shams has repeatedly used her platform to justify violence, target Jewish students, and foster hostility on campus.
Endorsing Extremist Rhetoric
Shams has a long record of inflammatory statements that glorify violence and demean Jewish suffering.
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October 16, 2023: Using a bullhorn at Penn, she declared that “Israelites deserved the attack they received on October 7” and that Jewish victims’ deaths were “a lie.”
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October 2023: She told Jewish students online, “If you’re a Jewish student who supports Israel, please DM me. You’ve been brainwashed.”
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October 2023: At multiple rallies, she justified Hamas’s October 7 massacres and claimed the violence was “resistance.”
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June 1, 2025: She tweeted, “As long as the Netanyahu regime exists, Hamas has a right to exist.”
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June 21, 2025: In reaction to U.S. strikes, she posted “fk US, fk Israel” and called America “the big terrorist.”
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She has retweeted posts invoking Holocaust imagery, trivializing the genocide of Jews while accusing Israel of “genocide.”
Disruptive Campus Protests
Shams has repeatedly inserted herself into campus activism at Penn, amplifying antisemitic narratives and legitimizing hostile protests.
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April 2024: She attended the Penn encampment, where Jewish students were harassed and antisemitic incidents were documented. During this time, she dismissed reports of antisemitism, claiming Zionist Jews were “weaponizing” the issue.
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May 2024: She publicly endorsed the “Gaza Solidarity Encampment” and promoted it on social media.
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October 16–18, 2023: At rallies on campus, she declared that Hamas violence was justified, minimized Jewish suffering, and repeated slogans such as “resistance is justified.” These events were marked by chants glorifying “intifada” and open celebration of terror.
Pattern of Antisemitism
Shams has consistently framed Jewish suffering as illegitimate while casting terror as resistance.
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She described Israel as “an unstoppable killing machine” and “genocidal.”
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She claimed Jewish grief after October 7 was fabricated and dismissed Jewish trauma as lies.
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Her rhetoric repeatedly equated Jewish identity with oppression and delegitimized Jews’ right to safety on campus.
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March 2024: She was cited in a letter by Penn alumni and students recommending punishment for faculty accused of antisemitic behavior.
Promoting a Hostile Environment
Through both public rallies and social media, Shams has normalized extremist language and emboldened students to replicate it. Her activity has deepened division at Penn, where Jewish students have faced targeted harassment and exclusion.
Key Takeaways
✔ Used a bullhorn to declare that Jewish victims of October 7 “lied” about their dead
✔ Told Jewish students they were “brainwashed” if they supported Israel
✔ Spoke at rallies justifying Hamas’s October 7 massacres as “resistance”
✔ Attended and endorsed antisemitic encampments at UPenn in 2024
✔ Arresting rhetoric: “As long as the Netanyahu regime exists, Hamas has a right to exist”
✔ Posted “fk US, fk Israel” and spread Holocaust comparisons to attack Jews and Israel
A Tool for Campus Extremism
Fatemeh Shams’s role as a professor makes her embrace of extremist rhetoric especially dangerous. Rather than fostering open dialogue or safety, she has used her academic position to normalize antisemitism, justify terrorism, and embolden radical campus protests. Her continued influence at the University of Pennsylvania undermines academic integrity and places Jewish students at risk in an environment that should be safe and inclusive.
