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The University of California, Irvine, a public research university, is set to offer a Fall 2026 course titled “Settler Colonialism & Palestinian Cinema” taught by visiting professor Ahlam Muhtaseb, a filmmaker and professor at California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB).
Muhtaseb’s public record extends well beyond academia. Her academic CV and public activity document more than two decades of involvement with the radical anti-Israel group Al-Awda, appearances at events involving Samidoun, repeated public support for members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), and apparent familial connections to a PFLP commander.
Muhtaseb’s Father Appears to Match PFLP Commander Profile
Muhtaseb grew up in Hebron, known in Arabic as al-Khalil. She came to the U.S. in 1998 on a Fulbright scholarship, originally intending to only stay one year. In a Mondoweiss interview, she said, “My father was a political prisoner. He was arrested many times,” and alleged that he had been tortured while in Israeli custody.
Those details closely match a Palestine Photo Project profile of an individual named Hatem Muhtaseb from al-Khalil. The profile, written by someone identifying as Hatem’s child, described him as “a commander in the Palestinian Popular Front in the Southern Region of Palestine,” said he had been imprisoned by Israel several times, and similarly claimed that he had been tortured.
Additional records indicate that the Hatem Muhtaseb profiled by the project appears to be Ahlam Muhtaseb’s father. She has been publicly identified by her full name, Ahlam Hatem Almuhtaseb. In Arabic naming conventions, a person’s father’s given name commonly appears after their own given name. That naming match, together with Muhtaseb’s statement that she grew up in Hebron and that her father was repeatedly imprisoned and allegedly tortured, is nearly identical with the Hatem Muhtaseb described by the Palestine Photo Project. Professor Muhtaseb did not respond to request for comment about her father’s identity.
Muhtaseb has also described her own upbringing during the First Intifada. In a December 2024 episode of the Foundation for Middle East Peace’s Occupied Thoughts podcast, she said she “came out of the first Intifada” and claimed she was shot when she was 16.
History of Pro-Terror Statements
Muhtaseb has publicly supported figures associated with the PFLP. In 2023, she called for the release of Walid Daqqa, a PFLP-affiliated prisoner convicted for the 1984 kidnapping and murder of Israeli soldier Moshe Tamam. She has also called for the release of PFLP leaders Ahmad Sa’adat and Khalida Jarrar. In addition, Muhtaseb posted in support of Rasmea Odeh, a former PFLP member convicted in Israel for her role in a 1969 bombing that killed two Israeli students.
Muhtaseb’s public statements and social media activity following the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack have also drawn scrutiny. On the day of the attack, as Hamas terrorists were kidnapping Israelis into Gaza, Muhtaseb shared caricatures and images depicting Hamas fighters paragliding into Israeli communities.
During the ensuing war, Muhtaseb repeatedly shared Hamas-produced battlefield footage. In February 2024, she shared a video published by the alleged Qatari-linked outlet Middle East Eye featuring Hamas footage of attacks against Israeli forces in Gaza. In January 2024, she reposted a video showing a Hamas terrorist in civilian clothing firing an RPG.
In January 2025, during the ceasefire and hostage-release negotiations between Hamas and Israel, Muhtaseb shared a post about the Hamas-organized hostage ceremonies, which featured hostages displayed before crowds of armed terrorists and signs mocking Israeli military units that suffered losses during the Gaza war.
“Settler Colonialism & Palestinian Cinema”
According to the course flyer, the UCI class will introduce students to the “contemporary history of Palestine” and the “settler colonization of the land,” while drawing on Palestinian cinema, scholarly literature, critical film theory and post-colonial thought.
UCI currently lists Muhtaseb as a visiting professor in Film and Media Studies. The class is listed as FLM&MDA 160, “National/Regional Cinemas and Media.” UCI’s catalog describes the course as examining national schools, period styles or cultural movements beyond U.S. cinema and notes that its topics can vary. The Fall 2026 flyer advertises film screenings, filmmaker guest lectures and seminar discussions.
UCI is also holding an October 6 event with Muhtaseb titled “Reimagining Our Future Through Film & Media,” where the university says attendees will see her virtual-reality work and learn about her UCI course offerings. The event is hosted by Film and Media Studies and the UCI Arabic Language & Culture Club.
More Than Two Decades Organizing With Al-Awda
Muhtaseb’s academic CV identifies her as an “Organizing member” of the San Diego chapter of Al-Awda, the Palestine Right to Return Coalition, from 2000 through “Present,” as of the July 2023 document. The CV says she had been “very active” in the organization’s administrative, media and event planning and execution since 2000. It also records her participation in Al-Awda’s 2009 West Coast Regional Conference at UC San Diego, where she presented an analysis of media coverage of Gaza.
Al-Awda has drawn scrutiny over its rhetoric and documented personnel overlap with Samidoun. NGO Monitor reports that Al-Awda published a May 2024 joint statement calling for the “complete liberation of Palestine, from the river to the sea” and endorsing the “right to resist by any means necessary.” NGO Monitor also cites an April 2022 speech by Al-Awda New York representative Lamis Deek in which she called Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the PFLP and Iran’s Quds Force “freedom fighters.” The same remarks were separately documented by ADL.
An archived version of Al-Awda’s National Board and Coordinating Committee page from December 2023 listed Charlotte Kates as the organization’s Communications/Secretary. Samidoun itself identified Kates that year as its international coordinator. The former Al-Awda board page is no longer available at its previous location.
Al-Awda itself issued an official statement on October 7, 2023, the day of the Hamas-led attack in southern Israel. The organization declared its “unwavering support” for the “Palestinian resistance”, described their actions as “brave” and called on supporters to stand “shoulder to shoulder” with it.
Muhtaseb’s Record Includes Events Linked to Samidoun
Muhtaseb’s academic record includes multiple links to Samidoun before the organization was sanctioned by the United States. Her academic vitae lists a September 21, 2022 screening of her documentary 1948: Creation & Catastrophe in Ottawa under the entry “Ontario Public Interest Research Group Carleton, Palestinian Youth Movement & Samidoun.”
Two years earlier, Samidoun promoted an Al-Awda virtual rally featuring Muhtaseb alongside Rabab Abdulhadi, Hatem Bazian and Mohammed Khatib. Samidoun’s listing identified Khatib as “Samidoun’s Mohammed Khatib” and said the event was organized by Al-Awda. Treasury later sanctioned Khatib as Samidoun’s Belgium-based European coordinator.
Muhtaseb has also publicly promoted Samidoun itself. In 2021, she called on her followers to donate to the organization. On October 15, 2024, Treasury designated Samidoun, describing it as a front organization established by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a long-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO).
BDS, Anti-Normalization, CAIR Affiliations and Iranian State Media
Muhtaseb’s CV documents sustained involvement in anti-Israel activism. In 2022, Muhtaseb appeared at an American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) conference in Irvine titled “Palestine: Action Towards Liberation.” The speaker list identified her alongside AMP Executive Director Osama Abu Irshaid, CAIR-LA Executive Director Hussam Ayloush and CAIR-San Francisco Bay Area Executive Director Zahra Billoo. The conference program placed those four, along with Taha Hassane, on a session titled “Paving the Road for Palestine Advocacy in America.” A Palestinian Youth Movement workshop at the conference focused on “Confronting Zionism Locally” and described campaigns against Zionism on university campuses.
Muhtaseb has also repeatedly appeared on Iranian state-controlled Press TV. CSUSB faculty-news records document Press TV interviews with her in April 2020, May 2020, October 2021 and November 2021. An additional April 2022 segment featured Muhtaseb criticizing differences in Western media coverage of events in Ukraine and Palestine, including coverage of armed resistance.
The U.S. Treasury subsequently designated Press TV in September 2023 under Executive Order 13846, identifying it as the English-language channel of Iranian state broadcaster Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting. Treasury said Press TV had broadcast scores of forced confessions and had been used by Iranian intelligence services to recruit sensitive assets, including U.S. persons.
The California Faculty Association has separately identified Muhtaseb as a co-founder of its Palestine, Arab and Muslim Caucus. Her July 2023 CV also lists her on the advisory council of CAIR’s Los Angeles chapter and on the Jerusalem Fund’s board of directors beginning in 2021.
How to poison the water in one easy lesson.