NEW YORK - Columbia University senior Maryam Alwan was visiting family in Jordan over winter break when she received an email from the school accusing her of discriminatory harassment. Her supposed top offense: writing an op-ed in the student newspaper calling for divestment from Israel. The probe is part of a flurry of recent cases where students have been investigated for speaking out against Israel, sparking concerns about free speech and academic freedom.
The controversy began when Alwan wrote an op-ed in the Columbia Daily Spectator, the university's student newspaper, arguing that Columbia should divest from companies that do business with Israel. The op-ed was part of a larger campaign by student groups to pressure the university to withdraw its investments from companies that profit from Israel's occupation of the West Bank and Gaza.
However, shortly after the op-ed was published, Alwan received an email from the university's Office of Student Conduct, informing her that she was under investigation for discriminatory harassment. The email cited a complaint from a student who alleged that Alwan's op-ed had created a hostile environment for Jewish students on campus.
Alwan was shocked and outraged by the investigation, arguing that her op-ed was a legitimate exercise of free speech and that she had done nothing to harass or intimidate anyone. She pointed out that the op-ed was carefully researched and argued, and that it did not contain any hate speech or personal attacks.
Despite Alwan's protests, the investigation into her activities continues, with the university's Office of Student Conduct refusing to drop the charges. The university has argued that it has a responsibility to protect all students from harassment and discrimination, and that it must investigate all complaints, no matter how frivolous they may seem.
However, critics argue that the investigation is a clear attempt to silence students who speak out against Israel and to stifle free speech on campus. They point out that the university has a long history of protecting the rights of students to express themselves freely, and that the investigation into Alwan's activities is a clear departure from this tradition.
The controversy at Columbia is just the latest example of a growing trend of universities cracking down on students who speak out against Israel. In recent years, there have been numerous cases of students being investigated, disciplined, or even expelled for participating in protests or rallies against Israel, or for expressing their support for the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement.
The trend has been fueled in part by the Trump administration's efforts to silence critics of Israel and to punish universities that allow anti-Israel speech on campus. In 2019, the Trump administration issued an executive order that effectively classified Judaism as a nationality, rather than a religion, and that defined anti-Semitism to include criticism of Israel.
The order was widely criticized by civil liberties groups, who argued that it was an attempt to stifle free speech and to silence critics of Israel. However, it has been used by universities to justify investigations and disciplinary actions against students who speak out against Israel.
As the investigation into Alwan's activities continues, the Columbia University community remains deeply divided over the issue of free speech and academic freedom. While some students and faculty members have rallied to Alwan's defense, arguing that she has a right to express her opinions freely, others have condemned her op-ed as hate speech and have called for her to be disciplined.
The controversy has also sparked a wider debate about the role of universities in protecting free speech and academic freedom. While some argue that universities have a responsibility to protect all students from harassment and discrimination, others argue that this responsibility must be balanced against the need to protect free speech and academic freedom.
As the debate continues, one thing is clear: the investigation into Alwan's activities has sparked a critical conversation about the limits of free speech on campus, and the role of universities in protecting the rights of all students to express themselves freely.