The Los Angeles office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA) said on Wednesday that its petition to the University of Southern California to reverse its decision to cancel the graduation speech by Muslim, pro-Palestine valedictorian Asna Tabassum has been signed by more than 41,000 people in less than 48 hours.
“The overwhelming response in support of Asna is truly inspiring,” CAIR-LA executive director Hussam Ayloush said in a statement shared with TheWrap.
“Our community is using its collective voice to push back against USC’s cowardly decision to cancel her 2024 valedictorian speech and to demand that the university take immediate action to right its wrong,” Ayloush continued. “We call on the school to take a stand against anti-Palestinian and anti-Muslim hate and create a safe environment on its campus — not just for Asna, but for all its students.”
On Monday, USC provost Andrew Guzman said in an online letter that “the discussion relating to the selection of our valedictorian has taken on an alarming tenor.”
Guzman added, “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.”
In a statement shared by CAIR on Tuesday, Tabassum said, “I am both shocked by this decision and profoundly disappointed that the University is succumbing to a campaign of hate meant to silence my voice.”
The student, who is a biomedical engineering major with a minor in resistance to genocide, added, “I am not surprised by those who attempt to propagate hatred. I am surprised that my own university – my home for four years – has abandoned me.”
“Asna’s strength and courage are admirable, and we fully support her as she continues to speak out against injustice and stands up for human rights for all,” Ayloush’s Wednesday statement concluded.
Lauren Bartlett, the university’s associate vice president for strategic and crisis communications, declined to specify whether any direct threats had been made about Tabassum, who was accused of spreading antisemitic rhetoric online. “In the interest of safety and security, we don’t disclose specific threats around the assessment,” she told CNN on Tuesday.
