A video of a professor at the Islamic Studies Institute at Exeter University shows him casting doubt on the rape of Israeli women by Hamas. The university has been accused of "breeding terrorists" and fostering extremism, following incidents where a lecturer and PhD students at its Islamic Studies centre praised Hamas, and Jewish students fled from the angry mob.
The latest spout from the university against Israel was by professor Ilan Pappe, who was recently quoted saying, "my hope is the end of Israel and the creation of a free Palestine from the river to the sea." His shocking statement calling for the destruction of Israel, the world's only Jewish state, is sadly one of many to have come from this particular university.
One tutor at Exeter University’s Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies (IAIS), located on the same campus where Jewish students sought safety after being surrounded by an anti-Israel group, was filmed questioning reports of Israeli women being raped by terrorists.
Additionally, a PhD student affiliated with the institute, Zarefah Baroud, posted a photo on October 7 of an al-Qassam Brigades fighter alongside a threat of a strong response against Israel’s defence efforts after the attack.
The JC also discovered a WhatsApp group where several Exeter postgraduates, some associated with IAIS, openly celebrating Hamas's atrocities. Naema Aldaqsha, a politics PhD student, offered her "congratulations" to terrorists on October 7 and joked about showing settlers around Gaza.
Ali Alsayegh, also a PhD student at IAIS, tweeted on October 7, "Today Karma strikes," and praised Hamas's tactics as "inspirational." Recently, Jewish students running an Israel stall fled Exeter University campus after being surrounded and verbally attacked by about 100 students. One girl in the crowd accused them of killing her brother.
Rojin-Sena Cantay, a third-year student at Exeter and a fellow at the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis (Camera), was among those harassed by the mob. Expressing concerns about the institute, she questioned the education imparted there: “It makes you wonder what's being taught on campus. Are students being indoctrinated to hate?”
A Jewish law student, requesting anonymity, claimed to have been labelled a "baby killer" by an IAIS undergraduate. The student alleged the institute had become "a hotbed of anti-Semitic rhetoric," leading to radicalization among its students. "At best, we're breeding sympathizers for terrorism; at worst, we're breeding terrorists themselves."
Shortly before the mob incident, on February 29, Dr. Sabiha Allouche, a lecturer in Middle East Politics and gender studies at Exeter, was filmed discussing "the rape" of Israeli soldiers with skepticism, using air quotes. She also criticized "liberal feminists" for their limited perspective on the matter. Another woman, identifying as a Palestinian feminist, also expressed doubt about alleged sexual violence against settler women on October 7, stating there was insufficient evidence to support such claims.
Aldaqsha, who was active in a group chat, praised "the people of Gaza" for entering Israel to cook food on October 7, celebrating what she termed as liberation. She previously studied at Al Aqsa University in Gaza and wrote about her involvement in the 2019 Great Return March protests on her website, emphasizing a collective and revolutionary mindset among the new Palestinian generation.
Professor Ilan Pappé, known for his critiques of Zionism, appeared on Al-Jazeera soon after October 7, asserting that Hamas should not be considered a terrorist organization but rather a movement for national liberation and resistance. He later clarified his position, acknowledging Hamas's legal status as a terror group in the UK but maintaining his expert opinion differed.
Pappé has also previously criticized Exeter's Israel and Zionist society for allegedly spreading "Zionist propaganda."