About half of Muslim faculty college students in California, U.S., have confronted harassment or discrimination, in accordance with a not too long ago launched survey.
The report from the California chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the Center for the Prevention of Hate and Bullying (CPHB) consists of responses from 720 college students at 87 private and non-private schools and universities throughout California, which discovered a ten% spike in Islamophobia confronted by college students since 2020.
The Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led cross-border assault, in addition to Israel’s onslaught on the besieged Gaza Strip, have exacerbated Islamophobia on campuses in addition to “anti-Palestinian hate, and anti-Arab racism, leaving Muslim students feeling targeted and unsupported,” CAIR stated in a press release.
Student-led anti-war protests that erupted nationwide on campuses within the wake of the escalating loss of life toll have been repeatedly met with an effort to stamp them out or in any other case curtail the demonstrations.
“This past year has been extremely traumatizing for college students of varying ethnicities within the Islamic faith-all because they valiantly chose to stand up and humanize the plight of Palestinians, who have suffered from over 75 years of oppression, dehumanization, and war,” CPHB Director Osman Khan stated in a press release.
“These students should not have to suffer physical reprisals, nor fear possible academic and future employment repercussions, for simply practicing their constitutionally protected rights of petition, assembly, and speech,” he added.
University of Southern California pupil Summer stated many Muslim college students have felt remoted inside their faculty communities, significantly those that have misplaced family and friends in Israel’s battle, which has claimed the lives of greater than 43,000 Palestinians.
“Some students, while in class, have received (the) devastating news of losing loved ones in Gaza. They not only mourn their families but also face the silence and lack of empathy from their own community. Where are the statements of solidarity, safe spaces for healing, or meaningful support from the administration for those grieving innocent lives?” she requested rhetorically.
“We cannot claim to be a global institution of higher learning while neglecting the global realities of our students. We cannot say we stand for justice when we turn a blind eye to injustice within our own campus,” she added.
Source: www.dailysabah.com