The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, and Palestine Legal filed a lawsuit today on behalf of University of Maryland Students for Justice in Palestine to challenge the university’s decision to cancel the group’s interfaith vigil to honor the lives lost during Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza.
WATCH NEWS CONFERENCE ANNOUNCING LAWSUIT.
The University of Maryland’s decision to cancel the event comes after it initially granted SJP permission to hold the vigil, which SJP planned to co-host with Jewish Voice for Peace at the University of Maryland. The University of Maryland canceled the vigil after overwhelming pressure from anti-Palestinian groups and has announced that only university-sponsored “expressive events” would be allowed on campus that day.
SEE: COMPLAINT
The University’s decision constitutes unlawful viewpoint and content-based discrimination, in violation of the First Amendment. This cancellation continues a trend where universities across the country have targeted, harassed, and punished pro-Palestinian, anti-genocide students on their campuses.
SEE:CAIR Designates Columbia, UT Austin as ‘Institutions of Particular Concern’ Due to Mistreatment of Anti-Genocide Voices. Palestine Legal Condemns Wave of Campus Anti-Protest Policies Intended To Suppress Student Activism.
“Throughout history, students have been at the forefront of speaking out in favor of civil rights, and divestment from apartheid from South Africa to Palestine. The University of Maryland cannot ignore the Constitution to censor Palestinian and Jewish students, simply because anti-Palestinian groups complain. It is the job of universities to seek out, not censor, robust debate on pressing social issues,” said Palestine Legal staff attorney Tori Porell.
The First Amendment does not allow the government to make October 7th or any other day a free-expression-black-out date.The clarity of the constitutional violation, if maintained, courts conflict,” said CAIR National Deputy Litigation Director Gadeir Abbas.
In August, CAIR launched its Unhostile Campus Campaign, a project aimed at fostering a campus environment where Palestinian, Muslim, Arab, Jewish, and other students, faculty, and staff opposing the genocide of the Palestinian people in Gaza enjoy free speech and academic freedom and are not subjected to state force or university discipline due to their viewpoints. As part of the campaign launch, CAIR designated three universities as “institutions of particular concern” due to their creation of “a thoroughly hostile and dangerous environment for anti-genocide students, faculty, and staff, especially Muslim and Palestinian community members.”
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is America’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy group. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
Palestine Legal’s mission is to bolster the Palestine solidarity movement by challenging efforts to threaten, harass and legally bully activists into silence and inaction.
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CONTACT: CAIR National Senior Litigation Attorney Gadeir Abbas 720-251-0425, gabbas@cair.com; Palestine Legal Media, media@palestinelegal.org; CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR Maryland Director Zainab Chaudry, zchaudry@cair.com; CAIR Maryland Outreach Coordinator Kimberly Syuardi, ksyuardi@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com