Who Is Osman Umarji?
Osman Umarji is a Lecturer at UC Irvine’s School of Education and the Director of Global Data Studies at the Yaqeen Institute, a position he has held since 2019. He also serves as a senior consultant to the Qatar Foundation. This combination of academic, religious, and institutional roles gives his public statements significant weight in both university and Islamic contexts, a fact that makes his more controversial comments all the more consequential.
What Did Osman Umarji Say After October 7th?
Following the October 7th Hamas attacks, when he was already a lecturer at UC Irvine, Umarji gave a lecture that drew widespread condemnation. He stated, “the Zionists have been exposed for the criminals and blood-thirsty animals that they are. This is a gift from Allah to the world.” He also called 9/11 and the Second Intifada “reminders” meant to wake up the “Muslims’ spirit.” He referenced a hadith about martyrs wishing to return to be killed again for Allah and stated that “the world is losing confidence in Western values and gaining confidence in those of Islam.”
The ADL subsequently included him in their November 21st, 2023, report “Some U.S. Professors Praise Hamas’s October 7 Terror Attacks.”
How Did Osman Umarji’s 2019 Sermon Cross the Line?
While working on his PhD at UC Irvine, Umarji delivered a sermon titled “The Oppression of Zionism” during UCI’s “Anti-Oppression Week 2019” sponsored by the Muslim Student Union. In the sermon he stated: “We are here as anti-Zionists…Listen to me very clearly. We are against a foreign body, a foreign entity.”
The Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law reported that his speech “targeted Jewish support for Israel by deploying the historic antisemitic dual-loyalty trope. He additionally rallied against the existence of a Jewish state in any form.” The disclaimer about not being antisemitic rings hollow when the speech itself traffics in one of the oldest antisemitic tropes in the book.
How Has Osman Umarji Been Making UC Irvine a Less Comfortable Place for Jewish Students?
Umarji’s campus career spans two decades, from student leader to faculty member. Throughout that time, his track record on interfaith relations has been consistently troubling. His academic credentials and his position at the Yaqeen Institute have not moderated his approach; if anything, they have provided institutional cover for comments that would raise serious concerns coming from anyone else.
In June of 2004, as president of the Muslim Student Union at UCI, Umarji spearheaded a campus dispute over students wearing green stoles at graduation as a symbol of Palestinian solidarity. The LA Times covered the controversy, with critics arguing it heightened polarization between Muslim and Jewish student groups on campus.
How Does Osman Umarji’s Role at the Yaqeen Institute Amplify His Influence?
As Director of Global Data Studies at the Yaqeen Institute, Umarji shapes research narratives that reach a global audience. The institute, founded by prominent Islamic scholar Omar Suleiman, has itself faced criticism for hosting speakers with…controversial…views on Israel and Jewish communities. Umarji’s position there means his statements do not exist in a vacuum; they are part of an ecosystem.
Does Osman Umarji’s Speech Violate Any Actual Rules?
Potentially, yes. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act protects students from discrimination based on shared ancestry. Calling a group of people “blood-thirsty animals” and suggesting 9/11 was a divine wake-up call creates a hostile environment that could very well be considered a violation.
His ongoing consulting work for the Qatar Foundation, an entity with substantial investments in Western institutions, raises further questions about foreign influence and conflicts of interest. The foundation’s deep pockets and its investments in American academia make Umarji’s dual role as a UC Irvine lecturer and a Qatar Foundation consultant worth scrutiny. For a university that prides itself on diversity and inclusion, employing someone who refers to a segment of the student body as animals is a glaring double standard.
Conclusion: What Does Osman Umarji Mean for UC Irvine?
Osman Umarji represents a failure of academic leadership at UC Irvine. His position as a lecturer in the School of Education is particularly troubling; he is tasked with shaping future educators while holding views that are fundamentally incompatible with fostering an inclusive learning environment. His connections to the Yaqeen Institute and the Qatar Foundation suggest he is part of a larger, well-funded network that may be looking to inject extremist views into American academia.
UC Irvine’s continued employment of Umarji suggests that his antisemitic and extremist bias is not a bug, but a feature of the university’s tolerance for hatred. His ongoing presence on campus sends a clear message to Jewish students: your comfort and safety are negotiable.
