LOS ANGELES (AP) — The University of Southern California has canceled the commencement speech of its 2024 valedictorian, a Muslim student who expressed support for the Palestinians, citing “substantial” security risks for the event that attracts 65,000 people to campus.
Andrew T. Guzmandean and senior vice president for academic affairs at the private university in Los Angeles, said in a statement Monday that the debate over valedictorian selection had taken on an “alarming tenor.”
“The intensity of feeling, fueled by both social media and the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, has grown to include many voices outside of USC and has intensified to the point of creating substantial security and disruption risks early on,” Guzman wrote. .
Valedictorian Asna Tabassum, who graduated with a major in biomedical engineering and a minor in genocide resistance, said she was blindsided by the decision, in a statement provided Tuesday by the Greater Los Area office Angeles of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. She said university officials told her Monday that the school had the resources to take appropriate security measures, but that they were concerned about their image.
“Anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian voices have subjected me to a racist hate campaign because of my uncompromising belief in human rights for all,” she said, adding, however, that she does not was aware of any specific threats against her or the Palestinians. university.
“I am both shocked by this decision and deeply disappointed that the university is succumbing to a hate campaign designed to silence me,” she said. “I am not surprised by those who try to spread hatred. I’m surprised that my own university – my home for four years – has abandoned me.
In his statement, Guzman said the decision was solely about safety and USC’s obligation to protect the campus community.
“Let’s be clear: this decision has nothing to do with free speech,” Guzman wrote. “There is no right to free speech to express oneself during a debut. The question here is how best to maintain the safety and security of the campus, period.
Although Guzman did not specify whether any threats were made against the keynote speech, he said that “we cannot ignore the fact that similar risks have led to harassment and even violence against other campuses.
The decision was condemned by the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
“USC cannot hide its cowardly decision behind a false concern for ‘security,’” the organization’s executive director, Hussam Ayloush, said in a statement.
Tabassum’s selection as valedictorian drew criticism from groups on and off campus, including Trojans for Israel, who criticized her for “anti-Semitic and anti-Zionist rhetoric,” the Los Angeles Times reported.
The organization EndJewHatred released a statement Monday evening welcoming USC’s decision.
“M.S. Tabassum’s valedictorian speech was intended to be harmful to Jewish students and even potentially agitate anti-Jewish activists,” the organization said.
Tabassum said she loves her school and wanted to use her speech to inspire hope: “I’m a proud Trojan who loves my campus that took me from building a walker to shipping from medical gowns in Ukraine to writing about the Rwandan genocide and taking blood pressure measurements for our neighbors on Skid Row,” referring to an area of Los Angeles known for its large homeless encampments .
“By canceling my speech, USC is only pandering to fear and rewarding hatred,” she said.
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Watson reported from San Diego.
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