A new report considers two New York universities to be among the “most hostile” campuses for free speech nationwide.
The Council on American Islamic Relations report evaluates 51 colleges and universities that it says suppressed free speech about the war in Gaza and pro-Palestine protests.
It found that Columbia University and the City University of New York were the most restrictive about pro-Palestinian speech. Maryam Hasan, PhD – research and advocacy specialist with CAIR – said there are ways these two schools, and many others, can improve their rankings.
“Review their policies,” said Hasan. “Review their adoption of IHRA or any similar definition that’s targeting student activism. Review their biased statements. Some of these professors were calling the students ‘terrorist sympathizers."”
IHRA is the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance. The report notes 12 schools adopted the alliance’s strict antisemitism definition, which includes speaking out against Israel or its government policies.
It’s been used to censor speech from various groups like Amnesty International. Kenneth Stern – who wrote the definition – condemns its use and said it does more to censor pro-Palestinian speech than protect Jewish students.
So far, some community groups say the report findings have been eye-opening. Not every school rated as poorly as Columbia or CUNY, though the average score was 38% out of 100, with most scores below 50%.
Hasan called the low rankings of Ivy League schools in the report alarming.
“They’re supposed to be our example,” said Hasan. “They are supposed to be holding the torch and everyone follows, yet they have these extreme policy changes; they have events where they’re making biased statements against students, and these students are just speaking up for a genocide going on in Gaza.”
This comes as some of the same schools this report considers Islamophobic – like Columbia and Harvard – have been accused of antisemitism by the federal government.
It’s led to research grants being pulled at these two schools and many others, and calls for them to rein in antisemitic policies.
