It Was Not an ‘antisemitic’ Graduation Speech

1. Instead a beautiful, principled speech

…it was a beautiful, principled speech. @m7mdkurd

Today the message is to "Stand with Palestine activists who courageously speak up for Justice." @sumayaawad

This is the "hate speech" that CUNY is throwing this woman (Fatima Mohammed) under the bus for: entirely true facts about the genocidal settler state of Israel. Shameful. @BadEmpanada

2. A brain-dead statement from CUNY

This is the full statement from the CUNY (The City University of New York) Board of Trustees and @ChancellorCUNY

3. Comments on this statement by CUNY

3.1

This is a very disappointing and dangerous statement by @CUNY
They should be standing up for their students and protecting them. All of them. As a proud CUNY alumn I loathe to see the day when our Universities are not a place for diversity of thought and learning. Yuh-Line Niou @yuhline

3.2

Despicable statement by CUNY, as they throw a student-selected speaker at their graduation under the bus for speaking out in defense of human rights and calling out those who commit and support violations of them. #Israel gets its own standard. #Palestine #apartheid Mitchell Plitnick @MJPlitnick

3.3

The brazen Islamophobia and bullying tactics of the Murdoch-owned media, whether in the UK or here in the U.S., the way in which they love to kick down and target women and minorities, will never cease to disgust me. Mehdi Hasan@mehdirhasan

4. How the Murdoch Press Distorts the Message

5. More Comments

Reaction by an American Zionist
Raging antisemitism has fully consumed the City University of New York. Until the administration is overhauled and all Jewish students and faculty are welcome again, taxpayer funding must be immediately halted. Lee Zeldin @LeeMZeldin

→ Re: "until … all Jewish students and faculty are welcome again" see below (Jewish student organizations support her speech. → Ch. 8)

– 5.1 Condemning war crimes is not anti semitism. JORDΛN⁶ @JMoneyBag_ May 29, 2023
– 5.2 Thats the Point! How can it be antisemitic to condemn behaviour which goes against international law? vinzentwallner @vinzent_wallner

6. Video

Here is her courageous, clear speech. (You can start at 3:00) (Sky Star News: CUNY law school graduate’s controversial graduation speech)

6.1 Comment by Shabana Chaudhry

– Very impressive and courageous. She is too young to jeopardize her career like this =} but then every movement needs sacrifices . Hopefully she stands her ground and doesn’t deter. All the power to her parents who raised an independent thinker in the day and age where everyone just mimics whatever they see in social media ={ Shabana Chaudhry

6.2 More Comments to her speech

– It’s been quite a while not having such a brave voice screaming eloquently: I see the Emperor Naked. Very powerful voice of truth calling to fight for justice and humanity for all humanity, much a la Malcolm X, and the 60’s. A voice sorely missed in the domesticated mass media…Kudos to her, and God bless her parents for bringing up such a brave fighter for justice. osman bakhach

– That’s what happens when you educate people, they become smart and speak the truth. Rachel Corrie

– My blood boils when they say ‘you are anti-Semitic’ for calling out Israeli crimes against humanity in occupied Palestine. CobaltBomba

– I was questioning the same but found the answers in her speech. We brought wars in several countries particularly in the Middle East and deported their people out of their lands as one of the aspects of the war is the population change, Palestine for example. Brought in war and then settlers and put the Palestinians, Iraqis, Syrians, Yemen, Libya etc etc in diaspora. Marie Antoinette V

– What a Queen, so so proud of her, I see a leader with a great future ahead. Star69

7. CUNY must recant their most recent statement

From their post:
*Read our full statement and sign on as an org or individual at http://wolpalestine.com/defendfatima

*Email CUNY demanding they recant their most recent statement and protect Fatima and all students, faculty, and alumni facing repression for organizing for Palestine (template on our website) Within Our Lifetime @WOLPalestine

8. Jewish Law Students Association Statement

CUNY Jewish Law Students Association released a strong statement in support of the student who criticized Israel in a graduation speech: "If CUNY Law wants to show it cares for its Jewish students, it can do so by showing it cares for Fatima." Peter Sterne @petersterne

Excerpt:
The CUNY School of Law Jewish Law Students Association stands in solidarity with our friend and classmate Fatima, who is currently being targeted by a racist hate campaign from external organizations after delivering a commencement speech that addressed the struggle for Palestinian freedom. Our class, including its members in the Jewish Law Students Association, proudly chose Fatima as CUNY Law’s commencement speaker.

For years, Zionist organizations have been enacting targeted harassment campaigns against Palestinian and Muslim law students at the CUNY School of Law. As a public-interest focused law school, we have a duty to stand with Palestinians against zionist oppression, as Fatima has done. …

9. Links

– The Hateful Slander of CUNY Law Graduate Fatima Mohammed
– Tsedek – collectif juifs décolonial (Collective of decolonial Jews)
– Jewish Law Students Association in support of Fatima Mohammed’s speech