By As the war on Gaza progresses, university campuses across the United States have now turned into microcosms of sorts, reflecting the polarized nature of opinions across the country around the ongoing status quo and the pro-Palestine advocacy championed by Students for Justice in Palestine (SJPs).
Being institutions that help develop critical thinking and decision-making skills of students, the ideal role of universities in challenging times such as these should be to create safe spaces for students to express their opinions and engage in discussions that may challenge their worldview.
However, many universities across the country, whether directly or indirectly, are explicitly stating their stances surrounding the ongoing war. Whether it’s donors pulling out, job offers being rescinded, or pro-Palestinian students being doxxed the status quo is consistently making clear what opinions are allowed to exist.
While genuine acts of anti-Semitism against individuals advocating for the rights of Israeli citizens are worth condemning, dismissal of pro-Palestine opinions as anti-Semitism is an attack on the rights to freedom of speech of students.
When universities, institutions that are supposed to be havens of intellectual discourse, are exercising their influential power to curb what students can and can’t say, the myth of democracy shatters into shambles.
The recent incident at Harvard has raised many questions about what it means to have a strong opinion in today’s polarized political climate. Soon after the students had published a statement, which in effect was an expression of their own views, Harvard donors pulled out, and alums started putting pressure on campus authorities to crack down on pro-Palestine protests.
To further perpetuate this environment of crackdown and danger, Adam Guillette, 42, the president of Accuracy in Media decided to dox the students associated with the groups that had signed the letter by flashing their photos and names in a truck, with the caption “Harvard’s leading anti-Semites” and circling it around Harvard square. Within days of signing the letter, the information of these students was out online, in the public domain to permanently threaten their privacy.
Such gruesome acts are a clear exemplification of the interests of the status quo. By choosing to favor one side over the other, the universities are cracking down on the freedom of expression of students.
When universities, institutions that are supposed to be havens of intellectual discourse, are exercising their influential power to curb what students can and can’t say, the myth of democracy shatters into shambles.
Follow Muslim Girl on social media platforms to keep yourself in the loop on what’s currently happening in the United States and beyond.