BYU invited an official from UNRWA, which is heavily infiltrated by Hamas, to give a presentation at the BYU Kennedy Center. The presentation followed Hamas's talking points and received a standing ovation.
Hamas terrorists working as employees for UNRWA were involved in the October 7 massacre.
so last week BYU's Kennedy Center
invited Hani aladun who is the senior
director of philanthropy at the United
Nations relief and works agency often
called unra This is a little odd since
throughout this year it has been exposed
that unra is a Hamas run organiz ation
in February earlier this year 2024 it
was exposed through Israeli
investigation that Hamas had completely
infiltrated unra and is apparently
working hand inand with the commissioner
General L serini now unra is a relief
organization so they're helping with
soup kitchens and clothing and anything
that could be given in places like Gaza
and West Bank and they're also in
Lebanon but you'd have to have your head
in the sand to think that the
commissioner general of unra does not
know that it is infiltrated by Hamas now
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journey of wisdom so then later on June
8th 2024 a un probe itself a un probe
confirms the participation of unra Staff
in the October 7th Massacre so often
times posing as a un worker Hamas
workers officials lieutenants captains
are actually using that cover to
disguise themselves as they plan and
execute terrorist activities it's funny
I was on X here and I saw this uh
actually pull up just before I put this
uh recording together but this is Daniel
Rubenstein he writes a substack on the
Israeli Palestinian conflict he says
unra says at least 243 unra Personnel
have been killed in the war need to keep
this in mind I will keep asking a simple
question until I get a simple answer
okay it's a good reason what are their
names why would that matter Alon Levy
responds he's the former spokesman for
the state of Israel says I'll explain
his question unra can't name its staff
killed in the war because then Israel
will crosscheck them against a list of
known Hamas terrorists and show how
deeply Hamas has infiltrated this this
agency again BYU invited a
representative from this agency and then
just on September 30th of 2024 it was
confirmed that the Hamas commander in
Lebanon doubled as an unra school
principle fatash Sharif who was killed
in an Israeli air strike was an unra
employee he doubled as a school
principal and headed the unra Teachers
Association in Lebanon of course Lar
says that he didn't know that Sharif was
a Hamas Commander so then BYU who has to
know about all of this invites a an
official of udra who happens to be a BYU
Alum to speak at the Kennedy Center at
BYU his talk is called perfect love
casts out fear and again lots of good
things I think that came from this there
is a lot of relief a lot of humanitarian
Aid and things that is done here through
some of these individuals at least but
by all reports of those that were in the
at the at the presentation it was all
Hamas talking points and Mr aladun got a
resounding Standing Ovation as he
claimed that we need to get rid of all
of the Israeli evil I wonder if there
will be a similar person invited to BYU
to give a different point of view Jabra
ganame a friend of mine a pal
Palestinian born American and an
academic discusses this visit and
presentation at BYU now
interestingly just this last
week BYU invited Hy aladun who is the
senior director of philanthropy for
unra yes and know now I don't think when
they probably originally invited him
that they knew that all this was coming
and the controversy was there and I
don't know I mean how you would think
that those that are in charge of the
Kennedy Center are
very they've got their ear to the ground
on things they know what's going on they
know there are questions about this
organization and its affiliation with
Hamas I I would think what and he is a
uh uh Mr aladun here is a is a a BYU
Alum yeah right so he went to he went to
be maybe he's a great guy I I you know
but it's it's just interesting that they
this is who they invited to come speak
at the Kennedy Center I know and and you
know this this has come as a surprise to
me I mean I saw the announcements on it
through friends friends on social media
and I was like I mean I kind of know
hany he is a great guy yeah he you know
he's doing great work the soup kitchen
in
Gaza but when I looked at the
announcement and by usually the church
in general and church organizations are
are usually very cautious in how they
portray and how they present and I know
that BYU specifically is building trying
to build Bridges with the Jewish
community and Jewish organizations
they've been doing that for years uh
especially Elder cook he seems to be the
Outreach Jewish Outreach person okay so
I was I was shocked with a bold move
like that
for on one hand I'm not against reaching
out I'm not against you know honoring
alums but to invite someone who is a
director at unra and actually put that
on the program given everything that's
been happening that was very surprising
to me and it's kind of a hot potato you
know hot potato and it sends the wrong
message and then you know there were
some posts in social media with some
slides and of the content you know I was
like okay they are presenting him they
proud of him of what he has attained as
a BYU Alum but then you look at you I
looked at some of the slides and they
were Hamas talking points basically the
lies the Hamas lies that for example
Gaza was this great prison on Earth
surrounded on all sides that you know
there is genocide that you know I've
heard that he said you know the I want
the evil Jews to be away from me things
like that usually BYU is more cautious
than that and I I didn't hear of any
push against his points against his
historical errors during the
presentation during the Q&A I didn't
hear of anyone pushing back and you'd
think some of these professors would
know better but the problem to me it
seems I remember my days that you know
I've just had my PhD four years ago so I
was in campus but I wasn't involved in
the Middle East seen much because I was
in a different department but 25 years
ago when I did my Master's
Degree we taught BYU and the Kennedy
Center were aligned with church doctrine
when it came to Israel Israel is the
homeland of the Jews I mean every Church
president I pulled it up every single
Church president from Joseph Smith to
the to president Nelson has said Israel
is the land of the Jews the homeland of
the Jews we we have this doctrinal
position that Israel is the homeland of
the Jews that's what we're built on the
Jews will return including the the
Gathering you know that's the state of
Israel we have all of these positions
and so 30 25 years ago it was that was
the position that's what you were taught
as a middle eastern study student it was
hard to be anti-israel on campus it was
hard to advocate vate not that that was
right but it was hard to advocate for
Palestine on campus you couldn't even
say it and so now it seems to me that
there is a flip and I've had some
personal encounters with people and I'm
I'm not going to name names but I've had
encounters with faculty where you know
you know my positions and when I started
you know tried to start a dialogue it
was shut down quickly you know you you
can't even though I'm of Palestinian
Origins yeah well they know better than
you Jabra come on they know better than
me exactly exactly they we know better
than you and and here is with all due
respect to people who have that opinion
not I hope I don't come come across as
arrogant because trust me I value all
opinions
but by the time I graduated from high
school I would say my second year in
college I knew 10 times more than any
Middle Eastern studies Professor on
campus I know the three languages of the
region I read them I speak them I lived
33 years of my life in the region I know
what how people think so for someone to
condescend to me and tell me oh I don't
want to listen to you because I know
better that irritates me I'm willing to
listen to people I I respect their
opinions of course yeah and believe me I
changed my positions on so many things
including Israel but for someone to come
and condescend to me that that's
unacceptable and so I've met with with
many of the faculty and I can tell that
they've created maybe an environment in
the classroom where all anti-israel like
even advocating for Israel advocating
for the return of the Jews advocating
for Israel as a homeland of the Jews
have been
vilified and have any uh there's a book
by BYU at BYU my friend Jason olon I
mean if you read his Memoir the burning
book and he talks about his years at BYU
at the Kennedy School at the Kennedy
Center and he talks about how you know
he couldn't even say two words for
Israel in a classroom and he felt shut
down and he felt alienated and I think
that continues I've had I've I've talked
to people I've known for for many years
and you know who have had the Kennedy
sener experience and it seems like the
atmosphere has flipped and and that's
was obvious when they invited hany to
give this talk there was no push back
against the narrative but they have they
have also not invited anyone you know
representing the Israeli point of view
to to talk at the Ked Center like since
710 happened imagine this is a momentous
event in in
history the Kennedy Center to my
knowledge has not invited any
pro-israel person to Advocate or to talk
about what happened or to present to the
students you know the facts as they are
on the ground or the Israeli point of
view and when they chose to do something
about the region they invite an unra
representative and put it out there in
the program and again Han is doing great
work with the soup kitchen feeding
people nothing against that nothing
against that at all but the the you know
presentation the that that one or two
slides about about the situation in Gaza
no push back nobody has been invited
from the Israeli side and the church and
the canned Center people know many
people from you know who can represent
and talk about the Israeli side heck we
have even members Church who who live in
Israel you know who can come and talk
about it but nobody want just
unfortunately though it just doesn't
surprise me no it doesn't surprise me
that that isn't
happening what what what needs to be and
this is my point of view the there was I
don't know if you've ever watched the
Netflix show the crown about Queen
Elizabeth my wife is watching I have not
seen well it's it's it's it's a good
lesson in history I watch that I'm a I'm
like a buff an imperi British is I love
it but there is a scene when the Queen
the Queen's secret the queen wants a
certain secretary now remember this is
after the ABD abdication of uh her uncle
her dad becomes king then she becomes
Queen and King Edward is like the spah
now nobody likes him and they've learned
the lessons from him and
so she wants the secretary so she goes
to her you know head of secretaries or
something and she says I want this
person and he says no there is an order
to this we have to have this person be
your secretary and we know you like this
person and it's your choice but we
prefer that this and
so she says no I've decided and she
starts walking out and he's like you
know how the how the abdication
happened and she stands there and she
listens he says it started with the
small things it's started with your
uncle ER refusing to live at this Palace
it started with you and he started
mentioning all of these little things
and then you can see the and I hate the
slippery slope but I'm going to use it
here you started seeing the slippery
slope towards the abdication and towards
collaborating even with Hitler and
that's when she changes her mind and she
starts following the the protocol and I
think and Elder Holland gave a great
talk a few years ago about this about by
you and what's happening and it was
rough for some to hear but the r starts
with the small things so now we're
having the head you know someone from
anra speaking campus nothing against
honey it's just
anra then you start having you know I
don't know queers for Palestine on
campus then you start having the
lgbtq you know presenting at the Kennedy
Center or whatever and it it will just
go into a direction that does not align
with what the church wants and what the
church doesn't want to see and that is
that is the problem students are at the
Ken Center especially Middle Eastern
studies students are there to understand
the Middle East and you can't teach them
about the Middle East without presenting
both points of view equally and as
strongly as possible fine you want hany
there standing there talking about
gaza's the biggest prison on Earth then
let's have someone from the Israeli side
saying well if it was this big prison on
Earth how where did they get the
resources to build hundreds of
kilometers of tunnels under
Gaza here are videos that show how Gaza
as a you know this amazing place to live
where did they get the resources for
that how about the tens of thousands of
Gins who came to work in Israel for
amazing
salaries how about you know the Hamas
going after the Gaza the Israelis who
actually were pro peace and you know who
helped them who took their families to
hospital we need to hear both opinions
true education doesn't happen when you
go into a silo and shut down the
opposite opinion and I feel I feel
that's what's happening and let me
having said all of that let me say this
many of the people at the kid Center
again come from a good place they come
from a gospel oriented place we need to
love people we need I I'm totally
aligned with that but what's not
happening is I feel is that they've
allowed themselves to be biased to one
side and teaching only one point of view
well they're they're a part of Academia
and that is the almost the default
official position yeah exactly it's it
becomes once education becomes
ideological once ideology gets into it
and I know I'm not saying we can be
objective
100% but there are ways for us to strive
towards objectivity and you know
minimize the impact of our own
subjectivity and we do that by going to
the places and listening to the people
we do not want to listen to and you know
listening to the things and opinions no
matter how hurtful they are of the other
if we we do not do that then we are not
providing true education so you know
that's what needs to happen
now that's not happening right now I
feel at the kenned center and unless I
hear that they decided to bring in
someone to present the Israeli side the
side that they do not like and there are
many what I don't want to happen is for
them to bring someone from Jewish voice
for peace or from J Street or something
like that who is pro Palestinian and say
hey yeah basically anti-zionist yeah
anti-zionist we need to people the
students at by you need to hear the
Zionist perspective because the Zionist
perspective is a legitimate perspective
if they calm down and you know just
listen listen not talk they calm down
they will understand it's a legitimate
perspective and it is a perspective that
aligns with the gospel to be honest on
us it's well there's always hope deny it
yeah and and and and that's that's the
irony I mean we it it's like in my PhD
program I had an amazing program
director and I loved him he's this old
guy is is like Yoda like very revered
and that's one thing he taught and he
said you know when we started this
program the goal of this program is to
produce Scholars whose View
align with the gospel who can go out and
they can look at the research with
gospel eyes who can look at you know
these things but you're in the
background you have the doctrine of the
gospel and that's that's the goal I
think it is unless something has changed
of every Department that BYU I mean
that's why we started the medical school
that medical school is for example isn't
going to be isn't going to be just any
medical school is going to be it's
aligned with the mission of the church
aligned with the mission of the church
the humanitarian mission of the church
you know what's interesting Jabra and I
and I spoke to a a group once that had
uh I'm not going to say which department
it was at BYU but I was there visiting
and they had recently changed their
mission statement oh and they not only
changed their mission statement but they
in in in the floors they didn't have the
whole building but the floors that they
were on and occupying within the
building they changed all of the
paintings and and things that were up on
the wall to gospel centered this is not
you know this is not the religion
department yeah right there's pictures
of Christ and and their mission their
mission statement has the words Jesus
Christ in it yes what's interesting you
go through all the mission statements of
the Departments and the colleges most of
them don't do that yeah ex they don't
have that even in their mission
statement I I think the department of
education does and I now I'm kicking
myself in the head because I should know
it but I think the Department of
Education is very focused on the gospel
and the church's Mission but yeah I mean
my view has always been the gospel isn't
just something we do at church it's an
essential part of our identity and being
and it needs to be at the center of
everything we do everything your daily
job how you interact with your neighbors
how you present in the world how you do
anything and everything because BYU is
and I know this is a cliche and I
apologize to your audience but it is the
Lord's Church it is the Lord's church
and so people at the Lord's Church need
to look at things from the Lord's point
of view so we take this standard and we
look at this presentation at the Kennedy
Center and the Lord would have been
happy with you know hann's efforts to
feed and you know the soup kitchen all
of that now we should stayed at that but
then there was hate expressed lies you
know the perspective basically of a
terrorist organization presented in that
meeting and I don't think that's a part
of the Gospel that's
not that's not what we want people to to
learn now you yeah you're get informed
about it but I think in an event like
that uh it shouldn't have happened I
wish they controlled like the message a
little tighter I wish they looked at
those PowerPoints I wish they they told
him just talk about the soup kitchen
talk about that perspective humanitarian
portion of things the humanitarian
portion the portion that aligns with
what we do and that part's great yeah
and that part is great that part is the
Lord's work that's the part we need to
support but you know and but him being a
part of anra putting that in the program
then presenting the the anra Hamas
perspective on the Gaza history that is
controversial and not needed and
shouldn't happen at BYU and now I mean
now that it's out I feel it's the
obligation of the Kennedy Center to go
out and say well we're going to bring in
someone who is a Zionist and we need to
have the students listen to the Zionist
perspective why why does Israel exist
what's the background what why are the
things that were told about Gaza not
accurate I mean and hopefully someone
will see this show and do something
about it but I I I'm not gonna hold my
breath you know so let me tell you this
snugget here so right after 710 me and
my friend Jason uh went to BYU Hawaii
and we did we did a seminar there for
the students you know peacemakers wanted
it was amazing the students received it
very well we we had all perspectives
discussed and it was an amazing
presentation
but so far it hasn't been posted online
it's been over a year and it hasn't been
posted and we're told it will never be
posted because I don't know why so yeah
so so there you go I know why
but so but it's fine I understand it and
and I really do H it was beneficial to
those Souls who came in I feel it did
impact them it helped them understand
it's sad J it's still sad it's
sad that that that an academic cloud and
you know you know
it's doesn't allow this to shine out and
be bright and and come
out it is an it's biased it's it's very
biased it's not leaning toward gospel
principles and Doctrine as you say and
it's it's
academ to me it's not acceptable I I
don't it's not acceptable here is here
is another thing that I hope
administrators you know at the church in
BYU recognize that you look at the
anti-Semitism on campus that is rk12 you
know which has been the bane of my
existence this last 13 months so you
look at it and you look at the history
of it and it's really interesting
because the roots of it all of the
leaders
of the current anti-semitic
demonstrations on campus all of them
were educated in Middle Eastern studies
departments in those universities
whether it's Yale or Harvard or Colombia
especially Colombia it all started at
Middle Eastern studies departments so we
do not want the Middle Eastern studies
department at BYU which I believe is a
very important department I believe we
have this theological religious tie to
the land of Israel even to the
Palestinians and and to the whole region
and we need those students I mean we
need Arabic studies we need Hebrew
studies we need people who know the
culture and the history of the region
because these people if and I know I'm
right I mean look at all the immigration
of Arabs and Muslims to Europe and North
America the Berlin the the equivalent of
a Berlin wall has fallen now we have
access to these millions of people teach
the gospel to and that's why we need the
Middle Eastern studies department at byi
sure absolutely if I had any say you
know in with BYU funding I would double
the funding of the Middle Eastern
studies Department because you can't
believe how much we need you know people
who understand Middle Eastern culture
and languages we need them desperately
in the church especially but we cannot
produce IND IND doctrinated biased
students out of that department we have
to produce people with balanced point of
views points of view and opinions that's
what we need so that we can go to the
region and love all the people there and
spread the gospel there that's why we
need Mist studies theart at BYU it is
crucial to the mission of the church I
believe but and that's why it's sad to
me that's why I'm here with you talking
about this it's because they are
important but with the with the current
situation we can't have it again I refer
you to the burning book Jason Olson's
Memoir that that's the part of the book
that made me the saddest is how he felt
at BYU how he felt sitting in a middle
eastern history or something class at
BYU and being shut down and his Zionism
not acknowledged and people basically
shutting him down and so we that needs
to change that needs to change
