The Extremism Roundup

Islamist Extremism

Mahmoud Musa appears in New York Supreme Court for sentencing on Nov. 21, 2023. Musa pleaded guilty to the May 2021 attack against a Jewish man in Times Square and was sentenced to seven years in prison. - John M. Mantel via Fox News Digital screenshot

NYC Palestinian Man Sentenced in Antisemitic Attack

• Mahmoud Musa, involved in a 2021 antisemitic attack in New York, was sentenced to seven years in prison for macing, kicking, and beating Joey Borgen, who was wearing a yarmulke on his way to a pro-Israel rally.

• A video of the attack showed Musa and others assaulting Borgen with crutches. Borgen was subjected to physical violence and antisemitic slurs.

• Musa's supporters, ejected from the courtroom, protested the sentence, while Borgen expressed relief at the strong punishment for antisemitic violence.  Read More

Governor Newsom Awards Funds to Mosques Who Preach Antisemtism

• California Gov. Gavin Newsom awarded $40 million in taxpayer funds to mosques whose leaders have preached antisemitic hate and called for violence against Israel.

• Newsom's administration awarded $200,000 this year to the Sajjadia Islamic Society as part of its Nonprofit Security Grant program, which aims to help nonprofits protect against terrorist attacks.

• Some mosques that received grants, including the Islamic Center of Hawthorne and Islamic Center of Riverside, have leaders who have decried the "malevolence of the Jews" and prayed for Allah to "destroy them."

• A spokesman for California's Office of Emergency Services, which administers the grants, stated that they are investigating whether any of the mosques have breached their grant requirements by facilitating hate speech. If confirmed, their funding will be immediately revoked.  Read More

Militant-Right & Militant-Left Extremism

NYPD members intervene and take two pro-Palestinian protesters into custody after they entered the Thanksgiving Day parade in New York - Fatih Aktas/Anadolu via Getty Images

Anti-Israel Protestors Disrupt Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

• Two groups of anti-Israel protesters disrupted the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, with over 30 people taken into custody and four arrested and charged.

• One group ran onto the street with a sign reading “Genocide Then Genocide Now” and chanted anti-Israel slogans, while another group symbolized Palestine and Ukraine with a sign, watermelon, sunflower art, and red liquid representing blood. Some protesters glued their hands to the street to make it harder for police to cart them off.

• The NYPD arrested and charged the protesters.  Read More

Antisemitic Riot in NY High School Forces Teacher to Hide in Locked Office

• Students at Hillcrest High School in Queens protested a teacher who attended a pro-Israel rally after the Oct. 7 attacks.
• The protest turned into a mini-mob incident, with the teacher locked in an office for safety and police clearing the building after two hours.
• The incident was shared on TikTok, raising concerns about antisemitism and the response of the school administration.  Read More

Northwestern University Students Dismiss Antisemitism Concerns

• Northwestern University formed a committee to combat antisemitism following a surge in pro-Hamas sentiment and antisemitic acts on campus.
• Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) accused Israel of apartheid and genocide, and an unknown group vandalized campus newspapers with anti-Israel messages.
• Despite the university president's disavowal of such activities, 65 student organizations published an op-ed dismissing concerns of rising antisemitism as "mass hysteria and collective psychosis."
• The op-ed argued that efforts to combat antisemitic incidents are "irresponsible" and "dangerous," denying genocide and mischaracterizing activists' mission, while linking the destiny of marginalized people worldwide, including Palestine.  Read More

Wake Forest Professor Resigns After Defending Hamas Violence

• Wake Forest University professor Dr. Laura Mullen, Kenan Chair of the Humanities, resigned after posting content on social media that seemingly defended Hamas' terror attack on a civilian music festival.
• Mullen's X post indicated empathy with Hamas terrorists and suggested engaging in violence against a dance party, referencing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
• The university initially affirmed the right to individual freedom of expression but later indicated that Mullen resigned for personal reasons.  Read More

Antifa Group Assaults Women’s Rights Group

• Antifa-affiliated extremists reportedly attacked a women's rights event in Portland, Ore., organized by Women's Declaration International (WDI).
• Antifa militants allegedly pepper sprayed, punched, kicked, and threw projectiles at the women, stole and broke their phones and cameras, and carried signs reading "Kill all terfs" during the event.
• WDI claimed that Portland Police failed to respond to 911 calls while the attack occurred. Video testimonials from participants described the violence as "male terrorism against women," recounting incidents of pepper spray, physical assault, and property damage.  Read More

Neo-Nazis March in Front of Largest Synagogue in Texas

• Neo-Nazis marched in front of Temple Emanuel, a Jewish synagogue in North Dallas.
• The incident follows a recent protest for Palestine that shut down NorthPark Center, indicating an increase in antisemitism in North Texas.
• One of the involved individuals, Barry Young from Plano, was identified. The neo-Nazi presence garnered national attention on social media and local Dallas news.  Read More

  Hate Crime

Anti-Israel protestors dripped red paint and placed red-paint covered bunches of cloth symbolizing dead babies on AIPAC President Michael Tuchin’s property - People's City Council, Los Angeles via New York Post screenshot

Anti-Israel Protestors Attack AIPAC President's Home

• Anti-Israel demonstrators in Los Angeles held a protest outside the vacation home of AIPAC president Michael Tuchin.

• The People's City Council – Los Angeles, an anti-capitalist group, organized the rally, accusing AIPAC of controlling pro-genocide congress members and labeling Tuchin a "baby killer."

• Demonstrators ignited smoke devices, spattered fake blood, pounded pots in the driveway, and held a sign reading, "F*** your holiday, baby killer."

• The incident is being investigated as a possible hate crime.  Read More

USC Professor Faces Backlash for Calling for Death to Hamas Members  

• USC professor John Strauss was put on paid administrative leave and barred from campus after making a comment during a pro-Palestinian demonstration on campus.

• Video clips circulated online showing Strauss expressing strong views against Hamas, stating, "Hamas are murderers. That's all they are. Every one should be killed, and I hope they all are killed."

• The online posts led to accusations that Strauss was calling for violence against Palestinians, resulting in calls for his firing and USC placing him on paid administrative leave.  Read More

Suspect Arraigned in Shooting of Three Palestinian Americans

• Jason Eaton, 48, has been arrested as the alleged gunman in the suspected bias attack shooting of three Palestinian college students in Burlington, Vt.

• The victims, Hisham Awartani, Tahseen Ali Ahmad, and Kinnan Abdalhamid, were shot as they walked to a family dinner. Two are in stable condition, while one is in serious condition with critical injuries.

• Authorities are investigating whether the shooting is a hate crime, considering the victims were reportedly wearing traditional Palestinian scarves and speaking Arabic when attacked.  Read More

  School Threats

Police block an entrance at Southeast Raleigh High School during a Code Red lockdown Monday, Nov. 27, 2023, after a fight led to a student’s fatal stabbing - via Yahoo News screenshot

14-Year-Old Charged With Fatally Stabbing High School Student 

• A 14-year-old has been charged with fatally stabbing a student and injuring another after a fight turned deadly at Southeast Raleigh (N.C.) High School. The school went into a Code Red lockdown following the stabbing incident, which involved multiple students.

• Raleigh Police announced a secure custody order for the suspect, who was charged with murder on a juvenile petition. Police Chief Estella Patterson did not confirm whether the suspect attends the school.  Read More

Texas Teen Detained Over School Threat

• The Elsa Police Department has detained a 14-year-old girl linked to a threat over social media against Edcouch-Elsa ISD in Texas.

• The teenager willingly admitted to posting the threat on her social media account, and she is now in custody at Hidalgo County Juvenile Detention.  Read More

Suspect in Maine School Shooting Threat to Plead Guilty to Federal Charges

• Kyle Hendrickson, previously arrested for threatening to "shoot up" Portsmouth High School, Maine, now intends to plead guilty to federal charges of interstate threatening communication and possessing a firearm in a school zone.

• Hendrickson allegedly posted a Snapchat video holding a handgun outside the school with a text overlay stating, "Imma gonna shoot up the school," leading to the closure of all city schools for a day. He was later arrested in Portland, Maine.  Read More

Hostile Foreign Influence Operations

 A screen shot of Russia's RIA Novosti website, a state-owned outlet that picks up fringe content and out-of-context headlines from U.S. media to bolster Kremlin narratives - via VOA News screenshot

Russian Propaganda Inserts Fringe Views Into US Mainstream

• Russian state-run outlets are selectively using U.S. content to support Kremlin narratives, manipulating headlines and framing fringe figures as representative of broader American views.

• The strategy involves highlighting figures that amplify anti-Western, anti-Israel, and anti-Ukrainian narratives, reaching millions of views on Russian search engines.

• Fringe commentators, regardless of their actual influence in the U.S., are presented as influential bloggers or journalists, contributing to the appearance of greater support for fringe views.

• Outlets like The Grayzone are exploited by Russian state media, with stories circulating between Russian and U.S. organizations, contributing to the credibility of the narratives promoted by the Kremlin.  Read More

Four Charged in Scheme to Evade Russian Sanctions

• Four individuals were arrested and charged for two separate conspiracies involving the unlawful export of controlled, dual-use technologies to Russia.

• A Brooklyn resident and two Canadian nationals were arrested for a global procurement scheme, using two corporate entities registered in Brooklyn to unlawfully purchase millions of dollars' worth of dual-use electronics for end-users in Russia, including companies affiliated with the Russian military.

• Some electronic components shipped by the defendants matched those found in seized Russian weapons platforms and signals intelligence equipment in Ukraine.

• Another Brooklyn resident was arrested in a separate case, with a four-count indictment unsealed, alleging an illegal exports scheme to procure dual-use electronic components for entities in Russia involved in developing and manufacturing drones for the Russian war effort in Ukraine.  Read More

TikTok Influencers Share Their Conversion to Islam as Rebellion Against the West

• Millennial and Gen-Z women claim they are converting to Islam, attributing their decision to the Israel-Hamas conflict, with TikTok being a platform for sharing their religious journeys.

• Some converts cite the perceived resilience of Palestinians and their faith during the conflict as a motivating factor, viewing Islam as an act of rebellion against the West.

• TikTok plays a significant role, with users like Alex and Megan Rice sharing their conversion experiences and establishing online communities, such as the World Religion Book Club, which engages thousands.

• The phenomenon includes the idea of "reversion," viewing conversion to Islam as a return to the faith one is born into. Some experts suggest that this trend reflects a form of rebellion against Western values.  Read More

Research and Trends in Extremism

 People place their caps and gowns on the gates of Columbia University as they gather to protest the banning of Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace on November 20, 2023 - Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

DOE Opening Investigations Into Incidents of Campus Hate

• The U.S. Department of Education is conducting investigations into several colleges and schools for reported incidents of antisemitism and Islamophobia related to the Israel-Hamas war.

• Under Title IV, which bans discrimination based on race or shared ancestry, there are currently five antisemitism cases and two Islamophobia cases under investigation at seven institutions, including Cornell University, Columbia University, and the University of Pennsylvania.

• The investigations could result in schools losing federal funding or facing further action from the U.S. Department of Justice if violations of the law are found.  Read More

Survey Shows Campus Jews Feel They Must Hide Their Identity

• A survey by Hillel International reveals that over one-third of Jewish college students have felt the need to conceal their Jewish identity on campus since the start of the Israel-Hamas war.

• Among the 300 Jewish college students surveyed, 84 percent said the conflict has affected them, 68 percent reported feeling sadness, and 54 percent expressed fear.

• One-third of Jewish students (35 percent) reported experiencing acts of hate or violence against Jews on campus, and a majority expressed dissatisfaction with their university's response to such incidents.  Read More

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QUOTABLE 

“The alternate domination of one faction over another, sharpened by the spirit of revenge, natural to party dissension, which in different ages and countries has perpetrated the most horrid enormities, is itself a frightful despotism. But this leads at length to a more formal and permanent despotism.”

- George Washington's farewell address

NOTE TO OUR READERS: We have pulled out the salient points of the articles in this newsletter to keep you informed and focused on the most relevant, important and timely news in national security and extremism. While our national security experts stand behind the summary bullets and deem them trustworthy, Clarion Project does not endorse all the views expressed in the articles linked.