Call on CUNY to Condemn and Combat Antisemitism

When Jewish and pro-Israel members of the City University of New York (CUNY) School of Law Graduating Class of 2023 attended their commencement ceremony this year, they found themselves marginalized and harassed by their own classmate and commencement speaker, Fatima Mousa Mohammed, who urged “resistance” to “Zionism around the world” and accused “investors” of stifling criticism. 

Mohammed had previously submitted a draft of her speech to the law school administration. The university should have known that Mohammed had a social media history of violent anti-Israel rhetoric, such as her tweet wishing that “every Zionist burn in the hottest pit of hell.” 

In her hate-filled commencement tirade, Mohammed ranted that: “Israel continues to indiscriminately rain bullets and bombs on worshippers, murdering the old, the young and even attacking funerals and graveyards, as it encourages lynch mobs to target Palestinians' homes and businesses. As it imprisons its children, as it continues its project of settler colonialism….”

Professor Jeffrey Lax, co-founder of Students and Faculty for Equality at CUNY, observed: “Everyone was applauding on the stage. The dean applauded,” of Dean Sudha Setty and others.

Two weeks later, the CUNY Chancellor and Board of Trustees released a brisk statement tepidly condemning the speech.

Join us in urging CUNY’s administration to demonstrate its unwavering commitment to combatting antisemitism, ensuring the safety of its students, and fostering an environment of tolerance and understanding. We call upon the university administration, faculty, and staff to unite in solidarity and prioritize the following actions:

1. Release a stronger statement condemning acts of terrorism and expressing support for the affected CUNY community.
2. Institute mandatory antisemitism training for CUNY Law students, providing them with the necessary knowledge and tools to recognize and combat antisemitism.
3. Establish a more rigorous vetting process for commencement speakers, ensuring that individuals with a history of hate speech or extremist ideologies are not given a platform at CUNY events.