Islamist non-profit gave cash awards to university Gaza camp protesters: report

The Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI) and the Intelligent Advocacy Network (IAN) allege that the California chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-CA) created a “Champions of Justice Fund” to financially support students penalized for pro-Palestinian activism before and after Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack on Israel.

The payments came from CAIR-CA’s “Champions of Justice Fund,” which raised more than $100,000 for students who lost scholarships, housing, or other support due to their activism. The group received hundreds of thousands in donations from progressive nonprofits, including Tides Foundation and the California-based Weingart Foundation. In October 2024, the fund awarded $20,000 to 20 students from universities including Columbia, Penn, and Harvard.

One case highlighted in CAIR’s materials appears to match the experience of former Harvard student Ibrahim Bharmal, who was arrested during a 2023 “die-in” protest and later convicted of assaulting a Jewish classmate. Although he faced no disciplinary action from Harvard, he later received a $65,000 fellowship and now works at CAIR-Los Angeles.

NCRI argues that CAIR’s financial support for disciplined protesters “creates a reward structure” for increasingly militant activism.

Meanwhile, CAIR-CA is reportedly under federal and state scrutiny for alleged financial mismanagement involving millions in refugee resettlement funds.

While CAIR promotes itself as the nation’s leading Muslim civil-rights organization, the group has long been entangled in controversy.

During the Holy Land Foundation case, the largest terrorism-financing prosecution in US history, federal prosecutors named CAIR an unindicted co-conspirator after the foundation was convicted of sending millions of dollars to Hamas, a US-designated terrorist organization. Evidence presented in the trial linked CAIR’s early leadership to Hamas-affiliated networks, identifying it as part of the Muslim Brotherhood’s US network.

In November 2023, CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad drew national condemnation after saying he was “happy” to see Hamas’s October 7 attack, an assault that killed more than 1,200 people, included widespread rape, kidnapped around 250 civilians, and marked the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust. Members of Congress and Jewish organizations accused Awad of glorifying terrorism. Awad later framed the attack as “resistance,” reinforcing criticism that CAIR’s rhetoric aligns with Hamas narratives.

The remarks prompted the Biden administration to sever official ties with the group.

At CAIR’s 2025 gala in Washington, DC, the organization honored Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University activist involved in Hamas-aligned organizing, leadership of the Hamilton Hall takeover, and distributing Hamas propaganda. Khalil was later detained by immigration authorities and ordered deported, yet CAIR named him its 2025 “Champion of Justice.”

Recent internal documents show the Democratic Socialists of America in New York, backed by Sarsour, pressuring newly elected Mayor Zohran Mamdani to advance a socialist and anti-Israel agenda, including divesting from Israeli bonds, cutting NYPD ties with Israel, and pursuing arrests of Israeli officials.

Several lawmakers have urged federal scrutiny of CAIR, including Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR), who called for the IRS to review CAIR’s 501(c)(3) status, citing “deep ties” to Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) requested a Treasury investigation into potential sanctions violations, and Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) demanded that tax-exempt status be revoked for any nonprofit with terror-linked associations.

On Tuesday, Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott formally designated both CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood as foreign terrorist organizations and transnational criminal organizations, blocking them from purchasing land in the state.