The University of Southern California cancels its Muslim valedictorian’s commencement speech, citing safety concerns
CNN
What was supposed to be a time of celebration for Asna Tabassum – the University of Southern California’s 2024 valedictorian – has turned to disappointment after the university denied her the chance to give a speech at commencement over security concerns.
What was supposed to be a time of celebration for Asna Tabassum – the University of Southern California’s 2024 valedictorian – has turned to disappointment after the university denied her the chance to give a speech at commencement over security concerns. “Over the past several days, discussion relating to the selection of our valedictorian has taken on an alarming tenor,” USC Provost Andrew Guzman said in an online campus-wide letter. “The intensity of feelings, fueled by both social media and the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, has grown to include many voices outside of USC and has escalated to the point of creating substantial risks relating to security and disruption at commencement.” Tabassum – a “first-generation South Asian-American Muslim,” according to a statement she released via the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Los Angeles – would have delivered her speech at the graduation ceremony on May 10. “I am both shocked by this decision and profoundly disappointed that the University is succumbing to a campaign of hate meant to silence my voice,” Tabassum said in the online statement. “I am not surprised by those who attempt to propagate hatred. I am surprised that my own university – my home for four years – has abandoned me.” As tensions in the Middle East rage on, the deadly war in Gaza has yielded a dire humanitarian crisis while stoking angst across the world as supporters of Israel and Hamas advocate online and in the streets, many in support of a ceasefire. The change to USC’s commencement program only affects plans for a student speech, the university’s Associate Vice President for Strategic and Crisis Communications Lauren Bartlett told CNN.
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