NYT: USC cancels (Muslim) valedictorian’s speech after Jewish groups object

[Electric Circus]

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/16/us/usc-valedictorian-speech-gaza-war.html

The announcement of Ms. Tabassum’s selection cited her volunteer work with nonprofit organizations in the Los Angeles area, including a mobile blood pressure clinic that visits homeless shelters and a group she co-founded that distributes medical supplies to areas in need around the world.

Shortly after the announcement, a campus group known as Trojans for Israel issued a statement saying that Ms. Tabassum “openly traffics antisemitic and anti-Zionist rhetoric.” It cited her social media bio that included a link to a page that calls Zionism a “racist settler-colonial ideology.”

USC's provost explained the decision to cancel as follows:

The intensity of feelings, fueled by both social media and the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, has grown to include many voices outside of U.S.C. and has escalated to the point of creating substantial risks relating to security and disruption at the commencement.”

The student herself is not shying away from making public statements, so the story continues to develop:

I am not surprised by those who attempt to propagate hatred. I am surprised that my own university—my home for four years—has abandoned me.

In a meeting with the USC Provost and the Associate Senior Vice President of Safety and Risk Assurance on April 14, I asked about the alleged safety concerns and was told that the University had the resources to take appropriate safety measures for my valedictory speech, but that they would not be doing so since increased security protections is not what the University wants to “present as an image.”

[Horus]

Why are some (not all) Zionists so incredibly censorious? It's some of the most blatant I've seen in my lifetime, and it is terrifying.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Unless there's something missing here this is completely over the line.

[Brittain33]

Why are some (not all) Zionists so incredibly censorious?

Are you under the impression that Palestine activists don't try to deplatform and ban speakers, scholars, artists for being Israeli - not even for what their opinions are?

Taking a tactic that is used widely by activists (or countries) of all kinds and describing it as a distinctly Zionist feature is part for the course for this discourse, of course.

Notice that the Dean at UC-Berkeley who was caricatured as a bloodthirsty vampire by not-at-all-anti-Semitic Palestinian activists defended their right to put those posters up on campus.

[Stand With Israel. Crush Hamas]

As with most things, this depends entirely on the actual text and opinions. The CUNY fiasco never should have happened - Jewish students should not have their graduation turn into a frenzied spewing of hate against them. Not only is it a hostile environment, it could be dangerous. But I don't see anything on that level here yet.

[Brittain33]

Jewish students should not have their graduation turn into a frenzied spewing of hate against them.

That's awfully censorious.

[DrScholl]

From what I read there was a link on her Instagram to a slideshow that advocated for one Palestinian state and completely abolishing Israel. That's enough to give the school concern about the possible content of her speech. It's a privilege not a right to give a valedictorian speech and it reflects on the school if the speech goes off the rails.

[Born to Slay. Forced to Work.]

From what I read there was a link on her Instagram to a slideshow that advocated for one Palestinian state and completely abolishing Israel. That's enough to give the school concern about the possible content of her speech. It's a privilege not a right to give a valedictorian speech and it reflects on the school if the speech goes off the rails.

Hey whatever she could’ve done it can’t be worse when UofSC’s president Plagiarized his commencement speech, during which he also got the name of the school wrong, and may have been drunk/hungover

[GoTfan]

From what I read there was a link on her Instagram to a slideshow that advocated for one Palestinian state and completely abolishing Israel. That's enough to give the school concern about the possible content of her speech. It's a privilege not a right to give a valedictorian speech and it reflects on the school if the speech goes off the rails.

I thought Atlas was against people being cancelled for social media posts?

Funny how that only rears its head when people are cancelled for ill-advised comments about the LGBTQ population.

[Progressive Pessimist]

I'm growing bothered by many on the Pro-Palestinian left too, but even as a Jew I don't think this is right.

[HisGrace]

None of these sympathetic news articles are giving any details on her social media activities that prompted this which is pretty telling. One did have a quote from her where she referred to the entirety of Israel as "Palestinian land" which is pretty blatant ethnonationalism. Like if a white nationalist called the British isles or something "Anglo Saxon land" I don't think they'd let him give a commencement speech either.

If this was my school I'd still let her do it with whatever content she wanted if she actually had the academic record to be valedictorian. But I'm not the one who made the rules and decided that everyone has a right to never be offended, if you're going to cancel conservative commencement speakers for being offensive no reason you shouldn't do it to a (probably) antisemitic Arab nationalist too unless you agree with her.

Why are some (not all) Zionists so incredibly censorious? It's some of the most blatant I've seen in my lifetime, and it is terrifying.

LOL, dude, this has been par for the course for any remotely right of center (or more recently even centrist or center-left) for decades in academia. You guys just now have a problem with it when they start coming after people you agree with. Which is what always happens with censorship but you didn't listen when the warning cries about cancel culture started coming out ten or so years ago.

[HisGrace]

From what I read there was a link on her Instagram to a slideshow that advocated for one Palestinian state and completely abolishing Israel. That's enough to give the school concern about the possible content of her speech. It's a privilege not a right to give a valedictorian speech and it reflects on the school if the speech goes off the rails.

I thought Atlas was against people being cancelled for social media posts?

Funny how that only rears its head when people are cancelled for ill-advised comments about the LGBTQ population.

You could just say the same thing in reverse, red avs only seem to care about free speech for Arab nationalists and antisemites. If LGBT people have the right to never be offended then so does everyone else.

[GoTfan]

From what I read there was a link on her Instagram to a slideshow that advocated for one Palestinian state and completely abolishing Israel. That's enough to give the school concern about the possible content of her speech. It's a privilege not a right to give a valedictorian speech and it reflects on the school if the speech goes off the rails.

I thought Atlas was against people being cancelled for social media posts?

Funny how that only rears its head when people are cancelled for ill-advised comments about the LGBTQ population.

You could just say the same thing in reverse, red avs only seem to care about free speech for Arab nationalists and antisemites. If LGBT people have the right to never be offended then so does everyone else.

I care about free speech for everyone. Atlas on the other hand is fine with cancelling people for different views on Gaza, but foe some reason anyone cancelled over comments made about LGBTQ people is a victim.

See: this website's respone to JK Rowling being a TERF.

[Horus]

You guys just now have a problem with it when they start coming after people you agree with. Which is what always happens with censorship but you didn't listen when the warning cries about cancel culture started coming out ten or so years ago.

I've been pretty consistently anti censorship.

[gerritcole]

is anyone enjoying the neoliberal dems twisting themselves into pretzels trying to figure out how to placate disparate parts of their unstable coalition, orange man bad won't keep it together

[HisGrace]

is anyone enjoying the neoliberal dems twisting themselves into pretzels trying to figure out how to placate disparate parts of their unstable coalition, orange man bad won't keep it together

I know everyone gets tired of this getting brought up in unrelated threads, but the nonsense pretzel logic they use around trans issues and gender roles is the perfect example of this, trying not to offend feminists or LGBT activists and failing at both. It's what happens when you're just trying not to offend people and don't have real issue positions.

[gerritcole]

is anyone enjoying the neoliberal dems twisting themselves into pretzels trying to figure out how to placate disparate parts of their unstable coalition, orange man bad won't keep it together

I know everyone gets tired of this getting brought up in unrelated threads, but the nonsense pretzel logic they use around trans issues and gender roles is the perfect example of this, trying not to offend feminists or LGBT activists and failing at both. It's what happens when you're just trying not to offend people and don't have real issue positions.

Similar to how they love to be offended on minorities behalf until some of these communities beliefs offend them (see Somalian Americans in Mn) and then they’re calling for deportations and using almost Republican rhetoric against them

[Tintrlvr]

None of these sympathetic news articles are giving any details on her social media activities that prompted this which is pretty telling. One did have a quote from her where she referred to the entirety of Israel as "Palestinian land" which is pretty blatant ethnonationalism. Like if a white nationalist called the British isles or something "Anglo Saxon land" I don't think they'd let him give a commencement speech either.

I don't know that saying "It's Palestinian land" is really any worse on this basis than "Israel is and should remain a Jewish state". Absent more violent rhetoric, it all comes down to unpleasant ethno-religious nationalism of varying flavors. While the pro-Palestinian side would definitely protest the latter, I doubt the latter would result in a university removing a valedictory speaker for saying it, at least right now.

[jojoju1998]

The political aspects aside,

this just seems to me like an epic failure of administration from the USC Leadership. THat being said, USC IS a private University, and free speech rules don't.... neccsarily apply.

But it's a lose lose situation all the way.

[jojoju1998]

is anyone enjoying the neoliberal dems twisting themselves into pretzels trying to figure out how to placate disparate parts of their unstable coalition, orange man bad won't keep it together

It's because the Left is getting caught up into these academic culture wars.

[Libertas Vel Mors]

None of these sympathetic news articles are giving any details on her social media activities that prompted this which is pretty telling. One did have a quote from her where she referred to the entirety of Israel as "Palestinian land" which is pretty blatant ethnonationalism. Like if a white nationalist called the British isles or something "Anglo Saxon land" I don't think they'd let him give a commencement speech either.

I don't know that saying "It's Palestinian land" is really any worse on this basis than "Israel is and should remain a Jewish state". Absent more violent rhetoric, it all comes down to unpleasant ethno-religious nationalism of varying flavors. While the pro-Palestinian side would definitely protest the latter, I doubt the latter would result in a university removing a valedictory speaker for saying it, at least right now.

It absolutely is. Israel being a Jewish state is a statement that asserts Israel's nation in the European sense/ethnic based identity, no different than "Italy is and should remain an Italian state." For example, Israel's current laws both say that Israel is a Jewish state and that Arabic is an official language, and that non-Jewish citizens have equal rights to Jewish citizens. "It's Palestinian land," on the other hand, naturally suggests that all Israelis are thieves and that they ought to be expelled.

[Tintrlvr]

None of these sympathetic news articles are giving any details on her social media activities that prompted this which is pretty telling. One did have a quote from her where she referred to the entirety of Israel as "Palestinian land" which is pretty blatant ethnonationalism. Like if a white nationalist called the British isles or something "Anglo Saxon land" I don't think they'd let him give a commencement speech either.

I don't know that saying "It's Palestinian land" is really any worse on this basis than "Israel is and should remain a Jewish state". Absent more violent rhetoric, it all comes down to unpleasant ethno-religious nationalism of varying flavors. While the pro-Palestinian side would definitely protest the latter, I doubt the latter would result in a university removing a valedictory speaker for saying it, at least right now.

It absolutely is. Israel being a Jewish state is a statement that asserts Israel's nation in the European sense/ethnic based identity, no different than "Italy is and should remain an Italian state." For example, Israel's current laws both say that Israel is a Jewish state and that Arabic is an official language, and that non-Jewish citizens have equal rights to Jewish citizens. "It's Palestinian land," on the other hand, naturally suggests that all Israelis are thieves and that they ought to be expelled.

I don't see the difference between "Italy is and should remain an Italian state" and the cited reference to Great Britain as "Anglo Saxon land" that was being referred to as a "white nationalist" position. So clearly you are not in agreement with the original poster.

I find the Italian state thing just as unpleasantly nasty, under the surface. It's just as much delegitimizing the immigrant populations in Italy as "It's Palestinian land" is delegitimizing Jewish immigrants to Israel/Palestine.

And emphasizing Israel's status as a Jewish state is also delegitimizing the non-Jewish populations - in particular, that the non-Jewish population must be managed to always be a minority, and deference must always be made to the Jewish religion. That non-Jewish citizens of Israel have equal rights is less of a farce than many anti-Israel people say it is, but it is certainly not fully true, either.

[Since I'm the mad scientist proclaimed by myself]

is anyone enjoying the neoliberal dems twisting themselves into pretzels trying to figure out how to placate disparate parts of their unstable coalition, orange man bad won't keep it together

I know everyone gets tired of this getting brought up in unrelated threads, but the nonsense pretzel logic they use around trans issues and gender roles is the perfect example of this, trying not to offend feminists or LGBT activists and failing at both. It's what happens when you're just trying not to offend people and don't have real issue positions.

The idea that feminists and queer rights advocates are inherently at odds is pretty ridiculous. Modern feminism is defined by the opposition to the gender essentialism that's fundamental to terf ideology.

[HisGrace]

None of these sympathetic news articles are giving any details on her social media activities that prompted this which is pretty telling. One did have a quote from her where she referred to the entirety of Israel as "Palestinian land" which is pretty blatant ethnonationalism. Like if a white nationalist called the British isles or something "Anglo Saxon land" I don't think they'd let him give a commencement speech either.

I don't know that saying "It's Palestinian land" is really any worse on this basis than "Israel is and should remain a Jewish state". Absent more violent rhetoric, it all comes down to unpleasant ethno-religious nationalism of varying flavors. While the pro-Palestinian side would definitely protest the latter, I doubt the latter would result in a university removing a valedictory speaker for saying it, at least right now.

Someone could think that Israel should remain a Jewish state while also supporting a two state solution with a Palestinian state alongside it. Also, Israel being designated as a Jewish state is largely symbolic, it's not like there's a shortage of Israeli Arabs, when Arab Nationalists say that they're generally advocating for all Jews to be at least expelled from the area if not killed.

Then I seriously doubt they'd ever have a hardcore Zionist do a commencement speech either so there's no reason she should be able to either if that's the case.

[HisGrace]

is anyone enjoying the neoliberal dems twisting themselves into pretzels trying to figure out how to placate disparate parts of their unstable coalition, orange man bad won't keep it together

I know everyone gets tired of this getting brought up in unrelated threads, but the nonsense pretzel logic they use around trans issues and gender roles is the perfect example of this, trying not to offend feminists or LGBT activists and failing at both. It's what happens when you're just trying not to offend people and don't have real issue positions.

The idea that feminists and queer rights advocates are inherently at odds is pretty ridiculous. Modern feminism is defined by the opposition to the gender essentialism that's fundamental to terf ideology.

Not sure how TERFS are gender essentialist when they're the ones saying gender is 100% a social construct and it's not possible to "feel like" one gender or the other, have a "brain sex", be a man or a woman "on the inside", exc.

I don't have much of a dog in this fight in that I don't think there's enough information to have a strong opinion on the nature/nurture debate regarding gender roles one way or the other, but there's a clear intellectual discrepancy here that needs to be addressed. If the left is going to go all the way onto the trans activists side then that means they're going to have to change a lot of their rhetoric, not assuming any differences in outcome are because of discrimination, not getting mad at social conservatives when they hypothesize about differences between men and women, exc.

For an example just recently I had a friend from college come out as a transwoman on social media who said something to the effect of "I always knew I was more emotional and sensitive and now I know why". When those tradwife influencer girls said "I'm more emotional and sensitive because I'm a woman" they get flamed off the internet but if someone trans expresses the exact same opinion everyone supports it. As noted in the above discussion, they don't have real opinions, they're just trying not to offend anyone who they like.