America’s largest Muslim advocacy group has declared war on the City University of New York over its decision to throw one of its students under the bus.
The student, Fatima Mohammed, delivered an antisemitic commencement address on May 12th in which she accused Israelis of committing “settler colonialism” and said that “Israel continues to indiscriminately rain bullets and bombs on worshipers, murdering the old, the young, attacking even funerals and graveyards.”
Her speech prompted a massive backlash, which in turn spurred the school into turning on Mohammed and condemning her speech.
“Free speech is precious, but often messy, and is vital to the foundation of higher education. Hate speech, however, should not be confused with free speech and has no place on our campuses or in our city, our state or our nation,” CUNY said in a statement.
“The remarks by a student-selected speaker at the CUNY Law School graduation, unfortunately, fall into the category of hate speech as they were a public expression of hate toward people and communities based on their religion, race or political affiliation. The Board of Trustees of the City University of New York condemns such hate speech,” the statement continued.
Please read the full statement from the CUNY Board of Trustees and @ChancellorCUNY. https://t.co/TBpNCdlFRa pic.twitter.com/pshnGzUE6b
— The City University of New York (@CUNY) May 30, 2023
The New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, which has previously been linked to terrorism, did not appreciate this statement.
In a statement issued on May 31st, a day after CUNY’s own statement was released, CAIR slammed the school for throwing Mohammed under the bus.
“CAIR-NY strongly condemns the City University of New York (CUNY) for joining dishonest, cowardly, and dangerous attacks on their own student leader, Fatima Mohammed, who has been relentlessly harassed by far-right media, Mayor Eric Adams, and multiple members of Congress and City Council,” CAIR wrote.
FYI, nobody she listed has harassed her. They have all simply justifiably called out her anti-semitic speech.
“As an institution of higher education, CUNY has a responsibility to protect its students, even in the face of disagreement or discomfort, and its failure to do so is unacceptable,” the far-left advocacy group continued.
“Fatima’s speech was submitted, examined, and pre-approved by CUNY in written form and a verbal recording. Furthermore, the speech was celebrated by the audience. CUNY student leaders, including the Jewish Law Students Association, have spoken up in her defense. Moreover, CUNY’s mischaracterization of Fatima’s speech as ‘hate speech’ is false and defamatory,” they added.
CAIR continued its statement by accusing CUNY staff of having “examined” and “pre-approved” Mohammed’s speech.
“Furthermore, the speech was celebrated by the audience. CUNY student leaders, including the Jewish Law Students Association, have spoken up in her defense. Moreover, CUNY’s mischaracterization of Fatima’s speech as ‘hate speech’ is false and defamatory,” the group wrote.
However, a source within CUNY insisted “that the speech that Mohammed delivered differed from the draft she submitted before delivery to the administration,” according to the New York Post.
“The insider said she was expected to speak four four minutes, while her rant went on for 13 minutes,” the Post reported Wednesday.
We stand in solidarity with Fatima and all students targeted for daring to support justice for the Palestinian people. Read @CAIRNewYork‘s statement for more information. 6/6https://t.co/jFz72958Dj
— CAIR National (@CAIRNational) May 31, 2023
The group also accused CUNY of standing in opposition to the right of free speech.
“The right to free speech is a fundamental pillar of our democracy, and it is alarming to see an institution of higher education fail to defend it. By failing to support Fatima, CUNY is sending a message that it is willing to cowardly yield to pressure from those who seek to silence dissenting voices,” the group wrote.
“CAIR-NY further condemns those elected officials who have engaged in cyberbullying of Fatima. Due to their online targeting of her, along with the far-right media, Fatima has received death threats and a torrent of anti-Muslim, anti-Arab, and anti-immigrant threats. As elected officials who allegedly ‘stand against all hate,’ they found it acceptable to target a young, Muslim woman who dared to call attention to the injustice faced by Palestinians,” they added.
Keep in mind that critics like New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who labeled Mohammed’s speech “hate speech,” aren’t responsible for crazy, deranged people issuing threats against her.
“CAIR-NY demands that CUNY and all elected officials publicly denounce the attacks against Fatima and provide her with the necessary resources and support. We urge CUNY to live by its stated values and stop cowering to anti-Palestinian pressure,” CAIR’s statement concluded.
“CAIR-NY stands in solidarity with Fatima and all students targeted for daring to support justice for all. They will not be silenced, and we plan to continue to fight for the right to free speech and a just society. CUNY must take responsibility for its actions and do better, and we must hold them accountable until they do.”
Ironically, CAIR’s own statement was hit by a torrent of outrage from critics, with one critic, in particular, asking the group whether it maintains the same “free speech” standard when dealing with speech that IT finds offensive:
How about a speech that is blasphemy to your faith? Still free speech? Or death sentence?
— Howard (Leave / Me / Alone) (@hpreszler) June 1, 2023
The answer, FYI, is a resounding NO …
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