The New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NY), a chapter of the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, joined CAIR National to designate the City University of New York (CUNY) system a ‘Hostile Campus’ for systematic repression of students and faculty advocating for Palestinian human rights.
SEE: CAIR Designates CUNY a ‘Hostile Campus’
Since October 2023, the CUNY administration has been targeting Palestinian, Arab, Muslim, Jewish, and other allied students who speak out against the genocide in Gaza, creating a hostile campus environment for free speech and academic freedom. By supporting the controversial International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, CUNY’s Chancellor reinforces a framework that CAIR warns chills protected political speech.
READ: CAIR & CAIR Action’s Factsheet:“Voices of Resistance Against the IHRA Definition and the Antisemitism Awareness Act.”
Censorship of pro-Palestinian speech across the CUNY campuses, particularly at Brooklyn College, the City College of New York (CCNY), Hunter College, and Queens College has been documented. This includes a Department of Education Office of Civil Rights Title VI investigation, a lawsuit filed by CUNY Law students, and the systematic cancellation of educational events featuring Palestine. On May 8, 2025, multiple Brooklyn College students who had participated in establishing the Hassan Ayad Liberation Zone were brutalized, hospitalized, and arrested by the NYPD. In July 2025, four faculty members who were publicly supportive of Palestine were dismissed from their positions by the administration, which gave no explanation for their terminations.
SEE: CAIR-NY, Condemn CUNY Brooklyn College’s Crackdown on Peaceful Anti-Genocide Student Protesters
SEE: MONITORING AND COMBATING ISLAMOPHOBIA A Project of the Council on American-Islamic Relations
In a statement, CAIR-NY’s Executive Director Afaf Nasher, Esq. said:
“CUNY’s pattern of repression has crossed every conceivable line of institutional responsibility. What we are witnessing now is an escalation into outright retaliation, censorship, and the violent suppression of dissent.
“When Arab and Muslim students are brutalized for peaceful protest, when faculty are fired for advocating against genocide, and when entire campuses rewrite policies simply to silence one political viewpoint, it becomes undeniable: The CUNY system has created a hostile campus for anyone who dares to defend Palestinian life.
“Our students and educators deserve an environment where academic freedom is protected, not one where fear and intimidation are deployed as administrative tools. CAIR-NY stands with every member of the CUNY community demanding safety, dignity, and the basic right to speak the truth without being punished for it.”
CUNY has been added to CAIR’s list of designated ‘Hostile Campuses’ across the country for suppressing students who advocate against apartheid, genocide, and U.S.-backed military occupation. In the state of New York, Columbia University, New York University, and Cornell University are also included on this list. To read more about CAIR’s Unhostile Campus Campaign and how to take action, visit: https://islamophobia.org/reportcampus/
END
CONTACT: Afaf Nasher, CAIR-NY Executive Director, ANasher@cair.com; CAIR-NY Communications Team, CAIR-NY, comms@ny.cair.com