The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today welcomed a comprehensive joint report by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Amnesty International USA detailing the systemic suppression of pro-Palestinian and anti-genocide speech across American colleges and universities.
The report, titled “Student Speech Under Attack: Suppression of Pro-Palestine Speech and Dissent on Campus,” compiles findings from a two-year investigation across 80 public and private institutions in 28 states and Washington, D.C. The findings document discriminatory disciplinary actions, police deployment, surveillance, and government retaliation aimed at silencing students, faculty, and scholars advocating for Palestinian human rights.
In a statement, CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad said:
“This landmark report confirms what so many students have experienced firsthand on campuses across the country: a coordinated, viewpoint-based campaign to punish, intimidate, and censor those speaking out against their school’s complicity in Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
“Academic freedom and First Amendment rights must no longer be suspended to appease political pressure from school officials, politicians, donors and others who prioritize the Israeli government’s demands over the right to free speech.
“We applaud the ACLU and Amnesty International USA for documenting these civil rights violations, and we echo their demand for university leaders and government officials to immediately halt this repressive crackdown.”
Earlier this week, CAIR announced that it is endorsing the Drop the Genocide 20 declaration, a call by human rights groups for former Biden administration officials who helped enable Israel’s genocide in Gaza in violation of federal law.
CAIR continues to provide legal aid, advocacy, and resources to students and faculty facing retaliation for anti-genocide advocacy on campus.
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CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, [email protected]; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, [email protected]; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, [email protected]; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, [email protected]