Mamdani Co-Founded Group for Justice After Terrorist Deportation
Student Group Supports Convicted Terrorist and Faces Deportation
The Bowdoin College chapter of the radical group Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), co-founded by political activist Zohran Mamdani, expressed support for Rasmea Odeh, a terrorist convicted of deadly bombings in Israel. Odeh, now 70, was involved in two bombings in 1969, including one that killed two students, and was associated with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a designated terrorist organization.
Odeh received a life sentence in Israel but was released in 1979 in a prisoner exchange. She later migrated to the United States in 1994 on an immigrant visa, gained citizenship in 2004, and was ultimately ordered deported in 2017 after being found guilty of lying about her criminal past during her immigration process. The plea agreement acknowledged that had her true history been disclosed, she would not have been granted legal status or citizenship.
Despite her deportation, support for Odeh persisted among her advocates. In 2014, the same year Mamdani graduated from Bowdoin, SJP shared an article defending Odeh’s case, calling for justice and praising her. Mamdani’s social media activity included liking supportive posts about Odeh, highlighting the group’s continued engagement with her case.
The student-led organization also invited controversial speakers, including As’ad AbuKhalil, a Lebanese-American scholar who has criticized Israel and praised Palestinian figures associated with terrorism. Critics, including independent candidate Jim Walden, have condemned Mamdani’s support for Odeh, calling it extremist and antisemitic.
Mamdani’s activism has extended beyond campus protests, with the group occupying a campus building earlier this year to oppose investment policies and comments related to Gaza. Mamdani himself has faced scrutiny over past statements, including a tweet defending a self-proclaimed terrorist and praise for the Holy Land Foundation, a nonprofit convicted of funneling funds to Hamas.
His representatives have not responded to inquiries. Support for Odeh remains controversial and highlights ongoing tensions surrounding radical activism and historical terrorism cases.