Nadine Osman
The University of Southern California (USC) decision to cancel a speech by a top Muslim student has sparked heated debate about the silencing of pro-Palestinian voices. Citing unspecified security concern USC announced on April 15 that Asna Tabassum would no longer be allowed to deliver her valedictorian speech to 65,000 attendees at a commencement ceremony on May 10.
The decision was made in response to complaints regarding her social media activity, which was alleged to contain anti-Semitic content. “The university has betrayed me and caved into a campaign of hatred,” said Tabassum. Supporters of Tabassum organized a “silent march” on April 18, during which they wore masks and hoodies to symbolize their belief that Tabassum is being silenced.
Tabassum, who is graduating with a major in biomedical engineering and a minor in resistance to genocide, was named valedictorian because of her outstanding academic performance and extensive involvement in campus life. Zionists groups raised objections to her selection, pointing to a link Tabassum shared on Instagram to a website five years ago.
The page shared by Tabassum includes a slideshow urging people to educate themselves about Palestine. Part of this document characterizes Zionism as “a racist settler-colonial ideology that advocates for a Jewish ethnostate built on Palestinian land.” The presentation also argues that the path to justice involves the abolition of the state of Israel and the establishment of a single Palestinian state where both Arabs and Jews can coexist without an ideology that promotes the ethnic cleansing of either group.
The decision to cancel her speech sparked heated debate over free speech amid escalating tensions surrounding the Israel-Gaza conflict on college campuses.
Columbia University had the NYPD remove a student encampment on campus where students were protesting in support of Palestine.
Arwa Mahdawi, the author of “Strong Female Lead,” joined numerous critics in contending that universities are muzzling pro-Palestinian perspectives while giving amplified platforms to Zionist viewpoints.
She referenced a recent incident involving Jared Kushner, son-in-law of Donald Trump, who endorsed ethnically cleansing Gaza of Palestinians during a talk at Harvard University. Kushner suggested relocating Palestomoams from Gaza to desert areas while dealing with the strip, expressed opposition to Palestinians having their own state, and speculated about the potential value of waterfront property in Gaza.
Writing for The Guardian she argued, ‘Let’s be very clear: if Tabassum were pro-Israel and her Instagram linked to any of the very many genocidal things that the Israeli government had said about Palestinians, there is little chance her speech would have been cancelled. ‘USC Provost Andrew Guzman denied that Tabassum was being stripped of the opportunity to speak due to anything she might have said in the past and said that the decision had “nothing to do with freedom of speech”. He cited security concerns related to “the ongoing conflict in the Middle East”.
Muslim and pro-Palestinian students denied that her speech threatens campus security and say administrators bowed to pressure from pro-Israel organisations.
Students rubbished the university’s security argument as bogus pretext. arguing that last year’s commencement ceremony featured President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has described the decision to cancel the speech as “cowardly” and criticized the rationale on safety concerns as “disingenuous.”
A petition by CAIR, argues that she is the victim of “bigoted attacks” that “are nothing more than thinly veiled manifestations of Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian racism.” It asks that USC “immediately reverse course, restore her speech, and treat all students fairly and justly”
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