Pro-Palestine Muslim barred from giving graduation speech at California university

A pro-Palestine Muslim student, selected as the valedictorian at the University of Southern California (USC), was barred from delivering a farewell speech at the graduation ceremony. The university administration cited 'safety concerns' as the reason for this decision.

The valedictorian, Asna Tabassun, a graduate in biomedical engineering, expressed disappointment over the cancellation of her speech, questioning “whether USC's decision was solely based on safety concerns.”

USC President Andrew Guzman said in a statement on Monday that the decision to cancel the graduation address next month has “nothing to do with freedom of speech” and is only aimed at protecting the campus.

Although not explicitly mentioning Tabassum by name, Guzman emphasised, "The intensity of feelings, fueled by both social media and the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, has grown to include many voices outside of USC and has escalated to the point of creating substantial risks relating to security and disruption at commencement." 

USC selected Tabassum as valedictorian from a pool of over 200 graduating seniors. She had secured the highest GPA from nearly 100 other qualified applicants.

According to a Reuters report, Tabassum had neither submitted an advanced copy of her speech to the university nor had she begun preparing it when her invitation to speak was revoked.

Tabassum, who studied genocide resistance as a minor, maintained that calls for equality and human dignity should not be equated with expressions of hatred. 

"Due to widespread fear, I was hoping to use my commencement speech to inspire my classmates with a message of hope," she mentioned in her statement. 

However, pro-Zionist groups actively campaigned on campus for the removal of Tabassum as the farewell speaker, citing her "anti-Semitic" views.

They criticised her support for Palestine and alleged statements advocating for the "complete destruction of Israel" on her social media accounts.

The incident has sparked widespread outrage on social media, prompting many to question the reasons behind the cancellation of her speech. Many perceive it as indicative of growing Islamophobia and the prevalence of pro-Zionist sentiments in the West.