Saree Makdisi, a professor of English and Comparative Literature at UCLA, has spent years leveraging his academic authority to advance deeply antisemitic narratives and providing intellectual cover for extremist movements. Drawing from a family legacy rooted in radical anti-Zionism—his uncle being the late Edward Said—Makdisi has taken that ideology a step further, transforming it into a relentless campaign to demonize Jews and justify violence under the guise of “resistance.”

Rather than fostering open inquiry or academic rigor, Makdisi has used his classroom, public appearances, and writing platforms to promote conspiratorial rhetoric, defend terrorist sympathizers, and blur the line between critique and hate. His influence has helped normalize antisemitism in academic settings and reinforce anti-Jewish hostility on UCLA’s campus.

A Career of Antisemitic Incitement and Historical Distortion

Makdisi has spent decades spreading antisemitic tropes under the protection of academic speech. His work goes beyond criticizing Israeli policy—it mirrors the talking points of organizations and individuals who celebrate the targeting of Jewish civilians.

 

Championing the Extremist BDS Agenda

Makdisi is a leading proponent of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement, whose core mission is not peace but the dismantling of the Jewish state. He has used his academic status to push for the economic, cultural, and academic isolation of Israel and Jewish institutions worldwide.

Justifying Terror and Downplaying Atrocities

Makdisi’s support for “resistance” includes clear rhetorical justification for violence against civilians and denial of terrorist war crimes.

 

Antisemitism as “Free Speech”

Makdisi’s strategy depends heavily on reframing antisemitism as dissent and portraying himself as a victim of institutional censorship, all while attacking Jewish voices with impunity.

 

Academic Legitimization of Extremism

Makdisi’s influence reaches far beyond UCLA’s campus. He is regularly invited to speak at radical conferences, appears on platforms known for promoting antisemitic and anti-Western narratives, and receives praise from organizations that openly sympathize with Hamas.

 

Conclusion: A Professor of Propaganda

Saree Makdisi has built a career not on scholarly integrity, but on erasing Jewish history, endorsing dangerous myths, and providing intellectual camouflage for violent ideologies. He occupies a prominent academic post while systematically undermining the principles of coexistence, free inquiry, and truth.

Makdisi’s rhetoric is not abstract. It contributes directly to a campus climate of hostility, fuels the marginalization of Jewish students, and legitimizes those who seek to destroy Israel by force or attrition. His continued employment at UCLA reflects the broader failure of universities to draw clear lines between academic freedom and incitement.

Makdisi is not an educator. He is a propagandist operating under academic immunity—and his ideas have real-world consequences.

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