By Jaryn Crouson
A professor at the University of Chicago on Saturday admitted she is using her platform at the school to “build power” and rally support for socialist and pro-Palestinian causes.
Eman Abdelhadi, an assistant professor and director of graduate studies at the university, told attendees at at an annual socialism conference in Chicago on July 5 that she uses her platform as a professor to mobilize support for socialism and Palestine and “build power” for the movement. Abdelhadi also described the university as “evil” and said it is a “colonial landlord.”
“I don’t care about this institution, like fuck the University of Chicago,” Abdelhadi said.
“I work at one of the biggest employers in the city of Chicago,” Abdelhadi continued. “A place where I have access to thousands of people that I could potentially organize … This is where I need to build power. This is my best possible structural leverage.”
Abdehadi added that the “genocide” happening in Palestine after Hamas’ deadly Oct 7, 2023 attack on Israel made her realize that her students “needed” her to rally a network of pro-Palestine supporters on campus. (RELATED: Virginia School Expelled Jewish Siblings After Parents Blew Whistle On Classroom Antisemitism, Lawsuit Alleges)
Abdehadi and the University of Chicago did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
Eman Abdelhadi: “F*** the University of Chicago… but it’s my best shot at power.”
At Socialism 2025, @UChicago professor Eman Abdelhadi called her employer “evil colonial landlord.”
Use it. Organize it. Seize its structural leverage.
“We don’t have power… but I work at one… pic.twitter.com/Mes06SYMEp
— Stu (@thestustustudio) July 6, 2025
The professor focuses her studies on religion, gender, identity and demography, according to the university’s website. She has published several papers on Muslim sociology.
Since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, violent protests have overtaken college campuses across the nation. Several university professors and administrators have been caught participating in the harassment of Jewish students and encouraging demonstrations.
