After over a year of campus-wide protests, campaigns and advocacy, OU Students for Justice in Palestine is now a registered student organization under the Student Government Association.
As a registered student organization, SJP will have access to SGA's auxiliary funds, the ability to reserve spaces on campus and access to primary funds once the organization has been registered for at least a year.
Registered student organizations use auxiliary and primary funds to fund events and make investments in their organization.
“Whenever you’re a registered student organization, that gives you rights and some access to things on campus,” Jacob Schonfield, SGA Budgetary Committee chair said. “It kind of creates an entity for you to do a lot.”
Becoming a registered student organization also gives SJP's faculty adviser the ability to deliver campuswide emails through OU’s mass email platform.
Mashhad Fahes, a petroleum engineering professor and SJP’s faculty adviser, wrote in an email to OU Daily the organization had been discussing registering as a student organization since October but waited until January to proceed with the process.
“The group was very new and needed time to get organized, find an advisor and build those connections that would make it a viable student organization,” Fahes wrote. “The timing was a matter of logistics.”
Abraar Hassany, history senior and SJP spokesperson, wrote in a text to OU Daily that being a registered student organization allows SJP to continue to expand their community and build stronger relationships with other student organizations.
“Together, we can better work to advocate for change,” Hassany wrote.
SJP’s mission is educating, organizing and advocating for Palestine, according to the organization’s OU Engage page.
“The Students for Justice in Palestine chapter at the University of Oklahoma believes that the land of Palestine belongs to Palestinians, ...” SJP’s mission statement reads. “We believe that Palestinians have a right to self-determination, government autonomy, and sovereignty on their land.”
Rhona Seidelman, director of the Schusterman Center for Judaic and Israeli Studies, in a statement to OU Daily, said SJP targeted the Schusterman Center with “violent and slanderous language." Seidelman wrote she is hopeful members of SJP will work to “change the tone” of the organization’s activity on campus.
“I welcome dialogue with anyone who is willing to build bridges among the people from Palestine and Israel who are hurting and simply want to live in peace,” Seidelman wrote.
Students for Justice in Palestine’s history
On Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas, a Palestinian militant group, launched a series of attacks on Israel that killed around 1,200 people, according to the U.S. Department of Defense. The attack set off a series of retaliations by the Israeli Defense Force, including a siege of Gaza, that characterized the war in Gaza. According to Al Jazeera, 61,709 Palestinians have been reported as dead or presumed dead.
Since the war in Gaza began, SJP, formerly known as the OU Student Coalition for Palestinian Liberation, has hosted numerous events to raise awareness.
SJP held a teach-in at the Physical Sciences Center 10 days after the Hamas attacks. On Instagram, the group reported over 200 people attended the event. The following week, the group held a walkout to support Palestine.
In March, SJP held a protest in the Oklahoma Memorial Union food court. Protestors at the event were met by pro-Israeli counter-protesters organized by OU College Republicans, who issued an OU mass email to publicize their counter-protest.
About a year after Oct. 7, 2023, SJP hosted a series of events titled “Week of Rage” for the week’s programming including a vigil, a teach-in, a walkout and a film screening.
On Nov. 21, SJP and the Student Socialist League held an educational strike, featuring a series of lectures. and activities Held in Farzaneh Hall, the event consisted of 7 hours of programs ranging from education on health in Gaza to bracelet making.
In early December, SJP hosted a study-in protest in the Great Reading Room of the Bizzell Memorial Library. SJP hung flyers and flags in the room that were removed by university officials.
In an Instagram post publicizing the university's actions, SJP wrote it was a move by the university to “further demonstrate their commitment to genocide.”
SJP has consistently demanded for OU to divest from weapons manufacturers and specific corporate partners.
A letter outlining SJP’s wishes reads, “We demand the establishment of an advisory committee on corporate responsibility in investment policies.”
The demands of SJP and similar protests by other university-based organizations across the country prompted efforts by conservative politicians to crack down.
According to an executive order signed by President Donald Trump, the U.S. Department of Justice will take action to "quell pro-Hamas vandalism and intimidation.” The order also includes a promise to deport “Hamas sympathizers” and revoke student visas for those protesting against the war in Gaza.
Hassany wrote that SJP is aware of Trump’s recent executive order, and the organization's primary concern is for the safety of students everywhere.
“It’s clear that the Executive order is an attack on both free speech, international students, and the humanity of Palestinians. Even though the order attempts to silence us, it is still our responsibility to actively stand up against oppression,” Hassany wrote. “Palestine will be free in this lifetime and the only way to achieve that is to continuously push back against an attempt at the normalization of systematic violence.”
Fahes told OU Daily she’s used to dealing with changes in the political winds due to her experience in the oil and gas production field. She said SJP’s primary goal is safety.
“SJP is composed of students who are passionate about a cause, and they expend a significant amount of time and effort furthering their own knowledge and sharing that knowledge with others,” Fahes wrote. “I have a lot of respect for student movements which have throughout history served to drive positive change for humanity.”
This story was edited by Ismael Lele, Anusha Fathepure and Ana Barboza. Geethika Kollu and Grace Rhodes copy edited this story.
