The University of Southern California (USC) has cancelled student Asna Tabassum’s graduation speech due to her anti-Israel social media activity.
USC provost Andrew Guzman cited “safety” as the reason behind the cancellation. “The intensity of feelings, fueled by both social media and the ongoing conflict in the Middle East… has escalated to the point of creating substantial risks relating to security and disruption,” he wrote in a message to the university community, adding that there is “no free-speech entitlement” to speak at a commencement.
Tabassum, however, wrote in a statement that “The university is succumbing to a campaign of hate meant to silence my voice.” USC’s decision has been met with widespread backlash. The Council of American Islamic Relations, the US’ largest Muslim civil rights group, called the decision “cowardly”, and asked USC to reverse it.
This is just the latest instance of the ongoing conflict in Palestine spilling over into US college campuses, triggering controversies which have made global headlines. We take a look.
Asna Tabassum, a student of biomedical engineering, was chosen as USC’s 2024 valedictorian for her high academic scores, and involvement in campus activities. After her selection was announced, however, a swarm of on- and off-campus groups attacked Tabassum for her pro-Palestine views, which they deemed as “anti-semitic”.
Behind this outrage was the activity on Tabassum’s Instagram account. In her bio, Tabassum has shared a link to a slideshow titled “learn about what’s happening in Palestine and how to help”. The presentation advocates for the “complete abolishment of Israel”, and “one Palestinian state” where Jews and Arabs “would live together”.
She also calls Zionism “a racist settler-colonial ideology that advocates for a jewish ethnostate built on palestinian land”, and says that the charge of “antisemitism is weaponized against palestinians and allies… by zionists as a way to shut down criticism of israel.”
