USC Student’s Graduation Speech Nixed Over Israel-Gaza Controversy
The University of Southern California (USC) has stirred controversy by canceling a student’s graduation speech due to backlash over her social media posts about Israel. Asna Tabassum, the 2024 valedictorian known for her academic excellence and campus involvement, expressed feeling targeted by what she describes as “a campaign of hate” to silence her voice.
USC cited “substantial risks” to campus security as the primary reason for halting Tabassum’s address. This decision came after allegations that her social media activity contained antisemitic content. The debate surrounding free speech on U.S. college campuses has intensified in the wake of the Israel-Gaza conflict last October.
Tabassum’s Instagram account links to a website advocating for the abolition of Israel and endorsing a “one-state solution” where Arabs and Jews coexist. The website also criticizes Zionism as a “racist settler-colonial ideology” advocating for a Jewish ethnostate on Palestinian land.
Pro-Israel groups, including Trojans for Israel, called on the university to reconsider Tabassum’s valedictorian status, denouncing rhetoric denying the Jewish people’s right to self-determination or calling for Israel’s destruction as antisemitic bigotry.
In response, Tabassum expressed shock and profound disappointment at USC’s decision, stating that her university had abandoned her. She criticized the move as capitulating to fear and rewarding hatred. Tabassum, who studied biomedical engineering with a minor in resistance to genocide, emphasized the contradiction between USC’s decision and its supposed commitment to inclusivity and diversity.
USC’s Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, Andrew Guzman, defended the decision in an email to the campus community, citing concerns about security and safety at the graduation event, which typically draws a large crowd. Guzman emphasized that the decision was not about restricting free speech but ensuring campus security amid escalating tensions fueled by social media and the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations criticized USC’s decision, accusing the university of cowardice and disingenuously using security concerns as justification. The incident underscores the complexities of balancing free speech with concerns about safety and inclusivity on college campuses, particularly concerning geopolitical issues.
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