The Greater Los Angeles Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA) today welcomed the positive outpouring of support from University of Southern California (USC) faculty, staff and students for USC’s Class of 2024 valedictorian Asna Tabassum. USC officials recently told Tabassum she would not be allowed to speak during the commencement ceremony in May.
SEE: Faculty sign letter in support of reinstating valedictorian Asna Tabassum’s commencement speech
Hundreds protest valedictorian speech revocation in march across campus
More than 150 professors and faculty members signed onto a letter addressed to USC Provost Andrew Guzman in response to the university administration’s decision earlier this week to cancel Tabassum’s speech after she began receiving a wave of hate online for supporting Palestine.
SEE: CAIR-LA Petition To Reinstate USC Muslim Student’s Valedictorian Speech Tops 38K Signatures
On a call with Provost Guzman, Tabassum was told that she would not be allowed to speak at the school’s upcoming commencement ceremony in the interest of maintaining the “safety of our campus and students” due to the volume of security threats and harassment from pro-Israel groups. The letter calls on the university to reverse its decision and allow Tabassum to deliver her speech at the school’s upcoming commencement ceremony in May.
In the letter to USC administration, the school’s staff members said:
“We call on Provost Andrew Guzman to reinstate the valedictorian Asna Tabassum’s opportunity to speak at commencement. We are proud of the extraordinary work our Valedictorian has done to be given this opportunity, work reflective of the excellence of our student body. It is an honor that should not be revoked because we live in troubled times. Rather, it is in troubled times that we should recommit to our core values and the mission of the University of Southern California.”
Hundreds of USC students have also spoken out against the university’s decision to bar Tabassum from delivering her speech. More than 200 students, staff, and faculty gathered on the USC campus on Thursday, April 18, to participate in a silent march to protest the decision, symbolizing the institutional silencing of Tabassum.
In a statement, CAIR-LA Executive Director Hussam Ayloush said:
“We thank the USC professors and faculty members who signed onto the letter for their principled stance in calling on the university to reinstate Asna’s speech as valedictorian, an honor that she undoubtedly has earned through her merit and academic and extracurricular accomplishments. We also thank the USC students who have the courage to speak up when they see an injustice happening on their campus. The support of Asna from USC faculty, staff, and students sends a strong message to the administration that they cannot, and should not, give into this campaign of anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian hate against her.”
CAIR-LA’s recent petition in support of Tabassum has received more than 50,000 signatures from supporters urging the USC to reverse its decision to cancel Tabassum’s speech and resist caving into anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian hate.
For requests to speak with USC professors who signed on to the letter in support of Asna Tabassum, contact CAIR-LA Digital Communications Manager Enjy El-Kadi at eelkadi@cair.com.
CAIR-LA is Southern California’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
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CONTACT: CAIR-LA Digital Communications Manager Enjy El-Kadi, (714) 851-4851, eelkadi@cair.com; CAIR-LA Communications Coordinator Madi Morse-Hameed, mmorse-hameed@cair.com