Exposing the Terror Ties Behind Within Our Lifetime
How the NYTimes Whitewashed a Network of Violence and Extremism
Just days before the anniversary of the October 7th attacks, The New York Times published a puff piece on Nerdeen Kiswani and Within Our Lifetime (WOL) that conveniently ignored their history of violence and ties to designated terrorist organizations.
Despite what Nerdeen and her fellow comrades might claim, they are not in the business of civil rights activism. This is an organization that openly supports terrorism, has multiple ties to terrorist groups, and celebrated the October 7th terrorist attacks. In fact, after a year of frequent public appearances, the video that Nerdeen posted last year on October 7th is the only time I have ever seen her smile.
Anyone looking at WOL objectively can see that their true mission is to sanitize the narratives of terrorist groups to garner domestic support for their war against the West.
Is chanting “Bomb, bomb, Tel Aviv, Abu Obaida you make us proud, kill another soldier now” a call to be treated equal? Clearly not, but this didn’t stop the NYTimes from helping launder WOL’s pro-terror narratives.
Let’s not forget when WOL supporters violently assaulted Joey Borgen in the center of Times Square, or the time they drove through NYC’s diamond district and hurled commercial-grade fireworks at Jews.
Kiswani is most known from the protests under her own banner (Within Our Lifetime), but spent years collaborating with another organization called Samidoun before launching WOL.
Samidoun is run by a senior member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), Khaled Barakat. As you read this article, Barakat is actively fighting alongside terrorist groups in Lebanon. Given that Samidoun’s activities predate Within Our Lifetime by a decade, it is safe to say that this is where Nerdeen learned the ropes of grassroots terrorist advocacy, following in Barakat’s footsteps.
Kiswani also launched NYC's chapters of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), an organization currently under congressional investigation for its support of Hamas. SJP's connection to Hamas runs through individuals formerly associated with the Islamic Association for Palestine (IAP) and the Holy Land Foundation, both of which were shut down by the FBI for financing Hamas. After the dissolution of these organizations, many of their former members, still sympathetic to Hamas, found refuge in American Muslims for Palestine (AMP), a new nonprofit founded by Hatem Bazian, who is also the founder of SJP. Bazian, a professor at Berkeley and frequent speaker at IAP events, helped these individuals transition into his new nonprofit, allowing them to continue their activities under a new name.
The Holy Land Foundation case remains the largest terrorism financing trial in U.S. history, revealing a direct financial pipeline to Hamas. However, in today's climate of "colonizer vs. colonized" rhetoric, many are quick to overlook these domestic terror threats—at least until another mass casualty event brings them into focus.
While only five individuals from the Holy Land Foundation were convicted, countless others connected to both the Holy Land Foundation and IAP were never prosecuted. With Hatem Basin’s help, these individuals seamlessly transitioned to organizations like AMP, continuing their mission under the radar.
Within Our Lifetime (WOL) openly supports the Holy Land Five—and has hosted multiple events to demand their release, including screenings of their propaganda at NYU. WOL’s alignment with these individuals speaks volumes about their true ideological stance, despite their efforts to brand themselves as mere activists.
WOL’s co-founder, Abdullah Akl, also comes from a different lineage of student group with ties to terrorist organizations, his background rooted in the Muslim Students Association (MSA), a group with ties to Al-Qaeda that date back for 40 years. A 2007 report from the NYPD called the MSA an incubator for terror recruitment. Here are just a few members of the MSA that have been arrested for terrorist activities:
Abdurrahman Alamoudi (Washington, D.C.) – A prominent MSA figure and political activist, Alamoudi was convicted in 2004 for his role in an assassination plot against a Saudi prince and for financing al-Qaeda-related operations.
Anwar al-Awlaki (Denver, Colorado) – A former MSA leader and imam, al-Awlaki became a key al-Qaeda recruiter and propagandist; he was killed in a U.S. drone strike in 2011 after being linked to several terrorist plots, including the attempted Christmas Day bombing.
Aafia Siddiqui (Boston, Massachusetts) – A former MSA member at MIT and Brandeis University, Siddiqui was convicted in 2010 for attempting to murder U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan and was linked to al-Qaeda operatives.
Zachary Adam Chesser (Fairfax, Virginia) – A former MSA member at George Mason University, Chesser was arrested in 2010 for attempting to join al-Shabaab (an al-Qaeda affiliate) and for making threats against the creators of South Park.
Omar Hammami (Daphne, Alabama) – An MSA member who later became a prominent figure in al-Shabaab, Hammami was involved in recruiting and propaganda for the group before being killed in a dispute with other militants in 2013.
But student groups like SJP shouldn’t be scrutinized, right?
The NYTimes dismisses this dumpster fire of troubling facts, even as masked men waving PFLP and Hamas flags appear increasingly at WOL events. Do we really believe these men, waving terrorist flags and wear their official headbands want peace?
This dangerous pattern of violence and terror support runs deep within organizations like WOL, SJP, and the MSA, and our institutions need to wake up to this reality and stop platforming figures who openly advocate to bring the war home.
Here are just a few questions I have for those who insist WOL is just a regular civil rights organization:
What do you think the terms 'globalize the Intifada' and 'glory to our martyrs' (terms that are regularly chanted at WOL protests) really mean?
When the next terrorist attack happens here on American soil, which side do you think Within Our Lifetime and their terrorist flag waving followers will be on?
Can you name another organization that’s leadership has a clear history of supporting 3+ terrorist organizations that’s currently doing important work?
Given WOL’s ties to multiple designated terrorist organizations, it's fair to assume that their message is simply a repackaging of Hamas, the PFLP, and al-Qaeda’s narratives, carefully crafted to resonate with young Americans while also building domestic support for the war against the West.
The public deserves to know the truth about these dangerous organizations, and we cannot afford to let such groups continue to hide behind a façade of faux civil rights activism.