UC-Merced Professor Abbas Ghassemi has become notorious for his rabid Jew-hatred expressed in both English and Farsi on a now-deleted twitter account.
In June 2020, Ghassemi shared a cartoon caricature of the “Zionist Brain,” which contained a “frontal money lobe,” “world domination lobe,” a “terrorism centre,” “Holocaust Memory Center,” “Self Pity Lobe” and “compulsive lying olfactory.” A caption under the image reads: “Note: The ‘compassion for others’ gland is not shown due to its small and underdeveloped nature. Best viewed under a microscope.” Ghassemi then commented on this outrageous display of Jew-hatred, stating: “…reality bites!!!!!!”
In November of 2020, he again displayed his deranged hatred for the Jewish people, sharing a graphic titled “Jewish Victim Card” which stated, “As a Jewish person if I am accused of anything I am in no part criminally responsible. All accusations are fueled by anti-Semitism…If there is any doubt, please refer to the Holocaust.” A caption accompanying the image stated, “Here in [America] you can criticize God but not [Israel][chin-scratching emoji].”
Professor Ghassemi has also made numerous tweets promoting classic anti-Semitic tropes about Jews controlling the world media and the economy. “[T]he Zionists and IsraHell interest have embedded themselves in every component of the American system, media, banking, policy, commerce, … just a veneer of serving US interest and population – everyone pretends that is the case,” he tweeted in December, 2020. “[T]he entire system in America, government, banking, media, …. is owned and operated by the Zionists and IsraHell,” Ghassemi stated in another tweet. “Everyone pretends like this is America, land of liberty and beacon of light. Doing criminal acts under this cover is prescribed from the Zionist masters!”
Anti-Semitic blood libel tropes also feature in Ghassemi’s social media activism. In October of 2020, Ghassemi shared a tweet featuring an Israeli plane that had the word “Peace” written in blood on it, alongside a Palestinian child with a knife in his back. The caption for this horrifying image read, “Death to israel.”
In November, 2020, Ghassemi shared a tweet accusing Israel of “50 years of brutality” and added, “They have extorted $$$ from everyone that has been doped everywhere under every auspices including religion, Judaism and Christianity. Zionists and the thugs in IsraHell lack human decency and principles!”
In November 2020, Ghassemi marked the occasion of the presidential election by sharing a tweet stating, “Trump or Biden? Democrat or Republican? What difference does it make when American policy is determined by the Zionists? What difference does it make when the Zionists ask the United States for the colonization and arrogance of other countries? #AmericanDelusion.” The tweet was accompanied by an image of two hands representing the nations of Israel and America shaking, while spilling blood on a map of “Palestine.” Ghassemi commented on this graphic promotion of anti-Semitism: “Right on. Well said. The entire system has been Owens and operated by Zionist and IsraHELL for a very long time, no matter who is propped up in politics and every other sector!”
Ghassemi’s hatred for America and Israel is matched only by his appreciation of the Lebanese terrorist organization, Hezbollah, which has called for the annihilation of Israel and the Jewish people.
On November 4, 2020, Ghassemi shared a tweet pretending to illustrate a write-in vote for Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah in the American presidential election. “Love it!!!!,” Ghassemi wrote.
When news of Ghassemi’s abhorrent and abundant Jew hatred first made headlines in late 2020, UC-Merced initially chose to respond with a statement calling his views “repugnant.” Only after outrage from Jewish groups, did the university open an inquiry into whether the professor had violated the Faculty Code of Conduct. Notably, the twitter account Ghassemi used to share the virulent anti-Semitic conduct made note of his academic title and his attached biography stated that he was a professor at UC-Merced. As of the writing of this report in April 2023, Ghassemi is still listed as a “Teaching Professor” on UC-Merced’s website and abundantly deserves to be labeled one of the most anti-Semitic professors in America.