Columbia University’s Anti-Hate Stance Hailed After Muslim Student Harassed
The New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NY) on Saturday welcomed a statement by Columbia University denouncing the reported bias-motivated incident targeting a Muslim woman near the university.
Columbia University Acting President Claire Shipman stated in part:
“Last week, outside of our gates, one of our students was involved in a deeply troubling and frightening situation. An individual, unaffiliated with our University, targeted our student based on her identity. The perpetrator made derogatory comments regarding our student’s niqab and proceeded to harass and follow her down the street…The incident has been referred to the NYPD for investigation as an anti-Muslim hate crime.
“Although this happened outside of our gates, let me be clear: we have no room for this kind of hate at Columbia. Anti-Muslim hate, anti-Arab hate, on or off campus, is categorically unacceptable.”
In a statement, Afaf Nasher, Esq., CAIR-NY Executive Director, said:
“We fully agree with the strong message that anti-Muslim and anti-Arab hate have no place at Columbia University or anywhere in our city. We welcome Columbia University’s unequivocal condemnation of the disturbing hate incident targeting a Muslim woman near campus. No student should be harassed or intimidated simply because of their faith or the way they choose to observe it.
“At the same time, we all must recognize that hate incidents like this do not occur in a vacuum. Columbia University as an institution has targeted Muslims and Arabs for peaceful protest activity relating to Palestine. When large institutions use their power to unjustly cause harm, individuals are emboldened to act with similar malice. We hope others, like this Muslim sister and the many targeted students of the past two years, do not continue to live such detestable experiences.”
Nasher noted that last year, CAIR designated Columbia University as an “institutions of particular concern” due to its hostile treatment of anti-genocide protesters.
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She added that earlier this month, CAIR-NY said the Islamophobic and xenophobic online attacks surrounding the New York City mayoral election, as documented in a new report released by the Center for the Study of Organized Hate (CSOH), amounted to a “systemic and organized campaign of dehumanization.”
Also this month, CAIR-NY condemned a reported Islamophobic and racist anti-Palestinian outburst against an Iranian and Palestinian couple riding the New York Subway.
Earlier this year, CAIR released its 2025 Civil Rights Report, Unconstitutional Crackdowns, which reveals that Islamophobia remains at record-high levels nationwide.
Source: Cair.com
