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May 2024 Update
We are outraged by the shocking, violent attempts of state power to suppress nationwide protests supporting Palestinian lives and freedom. We know that many of you, your friends, and your children have been directly affected by the police crackdowns on campuses. In the face of that violence, we take comfort and inspiration from the courage of students who bravely continue to decry the genocide in Palestine and related U.S. complicity—despite the punitive, repressive, and discriminatory responses against their activism by law enforcement, campus leadership, politicians, and much of the media. In the last few weeks, we’ve been defending the domestic movement for justice in Palestine by protecting students’ rights to free speech and academic freedom and calling out police departments and campus leadership for targeting Palestinian, Muslim, and allied communities. Here’s an overview of our work from April 2024.
Defending Students’ Right to Protest
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Fighting Anti-Palestinian Censorship at CUNY
Muslim Advocates, along with Jonathan Wallace of the Parachute Project, represents a group of eight brave law students who are suing the City College of New York [[link removed]] (CUNY) for suppressing student speech at the law school’s commencement ceremonies as of this year. Their First Amendment lawsuit alleges that the school unlawfully engaged in targeted censorship by terminating its longstanding practices of having student-elected speakers at commencement.
CUNY’s repression of the law school’s commencement is part of an escalating and national pattern of repressing student speech supportive of Palestinian freedom.
“It’s outrageous that CUNY would rather erase that tradition and stifle free speech than allow students to speak and be heard at the event marking the culmination of their program. The cancellation of student speakers only happened after Arab, Palestinian, and visibly Muslim women started speaking up for Palestinian freedom.” - Sajia Hanif, a third year law student at CUNY Law
Additionally, Muslim Advocates filed a complaint [[link removed]] with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) on behalf of students at CUNY Law. The complaint alleges that the school’s administration engaged in campus-wide anti-Palestinian discrimination and repression and refused to protect students from anti-Palestinian racism and related harassment, doxxing, and intimidation on campus—all in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Last week, in response to the complaint, OCR announced it is launching a formal investigation into CUNY Law.
Both the lawsuit and the investigation are ongoing; we’ll keep you updated as they proceed.
Congressional Update
Alternate text [[link removed]] Calling out Congress and President Biden
As we have been defending and supporting students, Muslim Advocates, in coordination with myriad partners, condemned Congress for passing [[link removed]] one of the largest expansions of federal surveillance power since the U.S.A. Patriot Act—with the full support of President Biden. The measure allows the federal government to secretly force Americans and businesses of any size, even landlords, to engage in warrantless spying on the government’s behalf. Muslim Advocates is part of a diverse coalition fighting against this abusive state power and is committed to continuing this fight with our partners.
Muslim Advocates in the News
Alternate text [[link removed]] Colleges change graduation plans as protests spread to more campuses
The Washington Post covered our lawsuit against CUNY
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Alternate text [[link removed]] Students Sue After CUNY Folds to Backlash Against Muslim Commencement Speakers
A reporter from Truthout interviewed one of our clients about the CUNY lawsuit
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Alternate text [[link removed]] US citizens can be caught up in new surveillance law
Muslim Advocates Senior Policy Counsel Sumayyah Waheed discusses government surveillance
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Muslim Advocates
P.O. Box 34440
Washington, DC 20043
United States
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