Media Roundup: Palestine Legal supports CUNY Law commencement speaker Fatima Mohammed

On June 13th, Palestine Legal wrote a civil rights letter signed by 13 legal groups to the City University of New York (CUNY) to raise serious concerns that the university's statement condemning as “hate speech” the principled remarks by CUNY Law graduate Fatima Mohammed violated state and federal laws.

Below is a media roundup on our support for Fatima Mohammed mentioned in outlets including Jewish Currents, The Daily Beast, The Electronic Intifada, Mondoweiss, and The Forward.

Jewish Currents

Fatima Mohammed Has No Regrets

"The harassment was overwhelming for me and my family. We worried for our safety. I was trying to study for the bar exam while getting comments like, 'I can’t wait until we’re at your funeral' and 'I would pay to see you get killed.' People were not saying these things anonymously; they were posting on LinkedIn using their full names and job titles. That is the extent to which they feel comfortable harassing Palestine organizers [said Fatima]. 

The support is what has kept me on my feet. There’s a student in California, Jana Abulaban, who is also right now being subjected to a smear campaign [for speaking about Palestine]. She told the New York Post she was inspired by my speech. It makes this whole thing worth it to know that censorship is not working anymore. 

The support coming from [civil rights] organizations was also very meaningful. You have a [CUNY] Board of Trustees who does not understand the legal definition of hate speech, and then you have many organizations that are defending my First Amendment speech rights and arguing that we must be able to speak about Palestine without being subjected to a smear campaign. That support has given me a lot of motivation and conviction to carry on."

The Daily Beast

The ‘Palestinian Exception’ to College Campus Free Speech

“In this case, such hate became such a threat to Mohammed’s security that, as The Mehdi Hasan Show recently reported, the CUNY Law grad ‘has had to go into hiding.’ Naz Ahmad, a staff attorney at CUNY Law, told Hasan that Mohammed ‘had to leave and explain to her parents why this is happening,’ and that CUNY Law faculty is looking to ‘connect her with resources that help people who have been doxxed.’

This context considered, it seems entirely untoward of academic administrators to have compounded the barrage against an imperiled community member with an imprecise, hair-trigger denunciation of her political expression, rather than an unequivocal affirmation of her free speech rights.

In this haphazard attempt to avoid the heat of controversy, those helming this progressive academic institution and supposed bastion of free inquiry seem to have chilled open debate instead, reinforcing the notion of a ‘Palestine exception’ to free expression while doing so.”

The Electronic Intifada

CUNY caves to Israel lobby over anti-racist speech

“The speech was vetted and approved in advance by administrators at CUNY Law ‘as part of an apparently new policy as a condition of her speaking,’ according to civil rights group Palestine Legal.

Palestine Legal said that CUNY’s condemnation of Mohammed’s address as ‘hate speech’ is ‘a false accusation that flies in the face of the university’s First Amendment obligations and Mohammed’s principled words.’

The group called on the university to ‘apologize to Mohammed, correct the record, and take serious measures to protect its students from such attacks that put them, their families, and their careers at risk.’”

Mondoweiss

Lawmakers attack CUNY law grad for criticizing Israel in commencement speech

“'This isn’t the first time that CUNY has been criticized for censorship of Palestine this month. On May 15 Hunter College’s administration attempted to stop Nerdeen Kiswani (CUNY Law ‘22) from speaking at the event commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Nakba. The administration told organizers of the event that campus officers would be present to prevent Kiswani from speaking and that she would be suspended if she gave a talk. After pressure from groups like Palestine Legal the event ended up proceeding as planned.

Kiswani gave a speech at the May 2022 CUNY Law commencement and said she almost didn’t make it through three years at the school due to pro-Israel pressure and slanders. ‘I’ve been facing a campaign of Zionist harassment by well-funded organizations with ties to the Israeli government and military on the basis of my Palestinian identity and organizing,’ Kiswani said.”

The Forward

 Behind CUNY graduation speech furor, a university divided over Zionism

“'Mainstream media is attempting to paint me as a lone wolf — like an isolated person who just took the mic and went rogue,' Mohammed told me during our interview, one of the first she has granted since the video of her speech went viral. 'But that is very divorced from the reality.'"

"'CUNY Law has a reputation for being a place that’s for leaders of revolutionary movements, for revolutionary thinkers, for people who are inspired by joining larger movements for liberation,' Mohammed said." 

"'Fatima’s speech was pretty standard,' said Amal Thabateh, an attorney at Palestine Legal who graduated from CUNY Law two years ago. 'A lot of student groups and speakers and advocates have given the same kind of talk.'"