Amid complaints about alleged anti-Semitic views posted online, the school's chancellor will not be allowed to deliver a speech at the university's commencement ceremony over security concerns, the school's chancellor announced today.
“While this is disappointing, tradition must give way to safety,” Provost Andrew Guzman wrote in a message to the university community. “This decision is not only necessary to maintain the safety of our campus and students, but is consistent with the fundamental legal obligation, including the expectations of federal regulators, that universities act to protect students and keep our community from safe campus
“It applies the same values and criteria we have used in the past to guide our actions. It in no way diminishes the outstanding academic achievements of any student considered or selected for graduation. To be clear: This decision has nothing to do with freedom of speech There is no right to free speech to begin with.The issue here is how to keep the campus safe and secure.
Jason Armond
Asna Tabassum was previously announced as this year's laureate. However, critics raised questions about views related to the conflict in the Middle East that he has posted online. In letters to USC administrators, critics accused her of posting on a social media account a link to a website that “takes a beating from more than 10 percent of the USC student body and s 'angry at calling Zionists “racist settlers”.
“Ms. Tabassum shamelessly and openly endorses the link's calls for the complete abolition of the state of Israel (sic),” according to a letter distributed for critics to present to administrators. “As if the unqualified order to abolish the State of Israel wasn't clear anyway, Ms. Tabassum's link reinforces racism with another link, urging readers to “reject the hegemonic efforts to demand that the Palestinians accept that Israel has a right to exist as a Jewish state.”
Immediately after Guzman's announcement, the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Los Angeles issued a statement demanding that the decision be reversed and that Tabassum be allowed to speak. Tabassum released a statement through CAIR-LA, saying “anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian voices have subjected me to a racist hate campaign because of my uncompromising belief in human rights for all.”
“This campaign to prevent me from addressing my classmates at commencement has clearly achieved its goal: Today, USC administrators informed me that the university will no longer allow me to speak at commencement due to alleged security concerns.” he said. “I am shocked by this decision and deeply disappointed that the university succumbed to a campaign of hate aimed at silencing my voice.
“I am not surprised by those who try to spread hate. I am surprised that my own university, my home for four years, has abandoned me.”
CAIR-LA Executive Director Hussam Ayloush called USC's decision “cowardly” and the reasoning “spurious.”
“Asna is an incredibly accomplished student whose academic and extracurricular achievements made her the ideal and historic recipient of this year's award honor,” Ayloush said in a statement. “The university can, should and must ensure a safe environment for graduation rather than taking the unprecedented step of canceling a PhD speech.
“The dishonest and defamatory attacks on Asna are nothing more than thinly veiled manifestations of Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian racism, which have been weaponized against university students across the country who stand up for Palestinian human rights and humanity.”
Guzmán, in his message to the campus, said that the uproar over the selection of finalists has acquired “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 escalated to the point of creating substantial risks related to security and disruption at the start,” Guzman wrote. . “We cannot ignore the fact that similar risks have led to harassment and even violence on other campuses.
“As always, and especially when tensions are so high around the world, we must prioritize the safety of our community,” he said. “And as we do every year, we've been monitoring our startup security needs based on all the information we have and the facts on the ground. Our (Department of Public Safety) and expert security team at the campuses are uniquely poised to assess potential threats, and we've consulted with them about the current situation, taking into account everything we know about our reality, as well as the unprecedented risks we're seeing on other campuses and around the world. We are steadfast in our commitment to maintaining and prioritizing the existing safety and well-being of our USC community in the coming weeks, and allowing graduation attendees to focus on the celebration our graduates deserve.”
