Posted on 04/16/2024 9:59:03 PM PDT by Libloather
A Muslim University of Southern California (USC) valedictorian has been barred from giving a speech at the school's graduation ceremony following a series of social media posts she allegedly made about Israel.
A spokesperson for the college directed Fox News Digital to information posted on the provost office website, which announced that Asna Tabassum will not deliver her speech at the ceremony that draws 65,000 people to the University Park Campus.
"While this is disappointing, tradition must give way to safety. This decision is not only necessary to maintain the safety of our campus and students but is consistent with the fundamental legal obligation – including the expectations of federal regulators – that universities act to protect students and keep our campus community safe," Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Andrew T. Guzman wrote.
Guzman also revealed he will work with faculty to reconsider how best to recognize undergraduate students' achievements, noting that many large universities have stopped selecting a single valedictorian.
"To be clear: this decision has nothing to do with freedom of speech. There is no free-speech entitlement to speak at a commencement. The issue here is how best to maintain campus security and safety, period," he stressed.
Tabassum is a biomedical engineering major chosen from nearly 100 student applicants with GPAs equal to or greater than 3.98.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Talk about a polarized, Balkanized population.
It must have been like this when in the 1800s people canceled a speech by one side or the other about the territories’ policies on slavery.
I don’t agree with him, but he should have the right to make his speech.
If you mean the Muslim who was to give the address, it's a HER not a HIM.
And she must have made some mighty fiery statements on social media to lose this opportunity to rabble-rouse 65,000 listeners. All that talk of "safety" -- she probably was calling for genocide of the Jews.
I assume that's in a university policy somewhere. If it's a private school it's entirely appropriate. But USC is public, is it not?
They are making a big deal over this because students think the real reason is they just wanted to silence her. She’s Malaysian and probably pro-Palestinian but then so are the vast majority of university students so I don’t see what’s so threatening about this one.
Good, cancel her degree and if she is not a citizen, deport her. Otherwise, put her on a watch list, no government jobs, no flights, put a stop to her terrorist support and risk to us.
Is a graduation speech where the valedictorian yells: DEATH TO AMERICA, or some such thing, any different than yelling FIRE ( when there is none ) in a crowded theatre or auditorium? THAT'S NOT "FREE SPEECH"!
She posted a link to a site calling for the abolishment of Israel
It would be akin to inciting a riot. You know, like what they are accusing President Trump of doing and are destroying his life over. They jailed Americans for years for far less...taking a tour of THEIR capitol.
Yes, they needed to stop her. Free speech does not apply.
You should probably read the article. (Hint: in her posts she calls for the complete abolition of Israel, among other things.)
USC is private.
Hmmm. I assume she posted it in a supportive context, in which case, yeah, that's not good. Thanks for the info.
OTOH, we all post links to various sites that we don't agree with (a good percentage of FR posts are to articles that are anathema to conservatives), so simply posting a link to a site is not, IMO, itself grounds for being silenced.
I'm not interested in her case enough to research it at 1:45AM. Maybe tomorrow...
These “death to America” terrorists are using our laws and weaknesses against us. They are blocking traffic and forcing their will upon us. How many people had more damaging cardiac problems because ambulances couldn’t reach them right away? How many people had more damaging stokes because they didn’t get to the hospital quick enough to get IV medication to clear out a blood clot? Deport these “death to American” people if they weren’t born here and if they were born here, throw them in prison.
USC is a private university.
How quick will that get turned around? Is ‘cair’ on it yet?
At least there’s some pushback against the terrorists who have suddenly come out of the woodwork.
It’s not much though.
It was not confirmed he was going to say that. He just said that previously.
By your reasoning they can say you can’t speak at your graduation even though you deserved it because you posted Pro-Trump info on J6.
Unless they had evidence she was going to do that at the speech...then this is a 1st amendment issue. If you don’t get to do things in the future because GOVERNMENT decided what you said in the past is not good then the 1st amendment means nothing.
Did they have evidence she was going to say those things AT THE GRADUATION? or just in the past? If in the past then free speech does apply.
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