University community uproar over suppression of Mohamed Abdou, a pro-Palestine professor at Columbia University
New York, NY - A heated controversy has engulfed Columbia University, with serious allegations of antisemitism on campus, targeting of academics, and intense debate over the university’s response.
The controversy began in late 2023 when a university task force investigated antisemitism and released a report in August 2024, revealing widespread antisemitic incidents within student clubs, classrooms, dorms, and among some faculty members. Examples of these incidents included harassment of Jewish students, faculty disparagement of Israeli military veterans and Jewish donors, students being chased off campus, and verbal/spitting attacks on students wearing kippahs. The report highlighted a troubling conflation between anti-Zionism and antisemitism, with the former often acting as a cover for the latter[1].
Among those targeted were three academics linked in some way to the controversy. One of these academics, Mohamed Abdou, is currently under investigation for making "discriminatory remarks." The incident occurred earlier this week and is part of an attempt to discredit those refusing to stay quiet on Palestine, according to students and faculty[2].
The targeting of Abdou has led to his job being effectively terminated, with more than 100 students arrested, three others suspended, and 50-plus tents dismantled by police in full riot gear. Hundreds of activists from the local community and other city boroughs came to show their disgust at university president Nemat Minouche Shafik for calling on the police to arrest students peacefully protesting on campus[3].
The university faced significant scrutiny from federal authorities when the U.S. Department of Education threatened its accreditation, accusing the university of failing to adequately address antisemitism and harassment of Jewish students. A member of Columbia’s Board of Trustees demanded full compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, condemning the university leadership for what was perceived as a lack of moral clarity and failure to protect Jewish students and faculty[4].
In July 2025, Columbia announced it would adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, which includes some language equating criticism of Israel with antisemitism. This move sparked internal controversy for its potential to suppress legitimate criticism of Israeli policies and pro-Palestinian activism[5].
Jared Sacks, a Jewish PhD student at Columbia, accused administrators of using the specter of antisemitism to silence critics of Israel. Sacks described the professors under scrutiny as caring educators, committed to addressing racism, antisemitism, and Islamophobia in all forms. Saumya Dadoo, a doctoral student at Columbia, believes the attacks on Abdou are racially motivated[2].
Rebecca Jordan-Young, professor in the Department of Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies at Barnard College, at Columbia University, described the response as the most repressive she’s ever witnessed on a university campus. Palestine Legal described the Capitol Hill hearings as a McCarthyist witch-hunt targeting professors and students who speak out for Palestinian rights[6].
In the midst of these heated debates, Mohamed Abdou's case has become a symbol of the ongoing struggle between academic freedom, combating hate, and balancing the complex interplay between antisemitism and pro-Palestinian activism on campus.
- The ongoing controversy at Columbia University, centered around alleged antisemitism and the university's response, has sparked a significant media frenzy, featuring in general news, opinion pieces, and education-and-self-development segments.
- In the aftermath of the report revealing widespread antisemitic incidents, the Middle East politics, particularly concerning Palestine and Israel, have become a contentious topic in the university's classrooms, student clubs, and among faculty members.
- The media's analysis of the situation in the Middle East, specifically focusing on Palestine and Israel, has been instrumental in shaping public opinion regarding the heated debates and protests that have erupted on campus.
- The security situation on campus has been a hot topic, with concerns raised over the heavy-handed response of police to peaceful protests, which has led to numerous arrests and tents being dismantled.
- The politics surrounding the issue go beyond the university's borders, with federal authorities threatening to revoke Columbia's accreditation due to its perceived failure to address antisemitism and harassment of Jewish students, in violation of the U.S. Civil Rights Act.
- The escalating war-and-conflicts between opposing student groups and faculty members at Columbia University has led to intense debates over the balance between academic freedom, combating hate, and maintaining an environment that respects human rights for all students and faculty members.
- The case of Mohamed Abdou, under investigation for alleged discriminatory remarks, has become a symbol of the complex interplay between antisemitism, pro-Palestinian activism, and the dynamics of academic freedom on college campuses across the world.
