Top US universities defend track record amid spike in Islamophobia and anti-Semitism

Presidents of Harvard, University of Pennsylvania and MIT say that Jewish, Muslim and Palestinian students are 'scared'

The presidents of Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and University of Pennsylvania were called to defend their institutions at a Republican-led House Education Committee hearing. Photo: Jannis Werner (Harvard Images) / Alamy Stock PhotoShow less

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Anti-Semitism has “no place” on campus, the presidents of some of the top US universities told Congress on Tuesday, warning of a surge in anti-Semitic, Islamophobic and anti-Palestinian hate.

The presidents of Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and University of Pennsylvania were called to defend their institutions at a Republican-led House Education Committee hearing “to answer for mishandling of anti-Semitic, violent protests”.

Claudine Gay, president of Harvard, said “anti-Semitism is hate, or suspicion, of Jewish people – and that's all I need to know to take action against it on campus”.

“I have seen reckless and thoughtless rhetoric here in person and online on campus and I've listened to leaders in our Jewish community who are scared,” said Ms Gay, who defended universities for walking a tough line between combating hate and defending campus free speech.

UPenn president Liz Magill, one of the seven universities involved in a federal civil rights investigation over claims of anti-Semitism on campus, emphasised that “history teaches us that where anti Semitism goes unchecked, other forms of hate spread and ultimately can threaten democracy”.

“At Penn, we are investigating all these allegations from members of our community and providing resources for individuals experiencing threats online harassment,” she said.

“We will continue to deploy all the necessary resources to support any member of the community experiencing hate.”

The university leaders noted that hate has expanded beyond the committee's focus on anti-Semitism to include “anti-Muslim, anti-Palestinian” hate as well.

The hearing came amid a surge in anti-Semitic and Islamophobic hate crimes in the US, including the killing of six-year-old Palestinian-American Wadea Al Fayoume.

Republicans largely centred their questioning on a surge in college activism amid the Israel-Gaza, showing video footage of pro-Palestine demonstrators at colleges and universities chanting “free Palestine” and “intifada”. Committee chairwoman Virginia Foxx asked each witness to state if they agreed that “Israel has the right to exist”.

Equating demonstrations against the Israeli government's actions in Gaza to anti-Semitism has drawn criticism from some corners of staunchly pro-Israel Washington.

Jerry Nadler, a Jewish-American congressman from New York, this week spoke out against a new resolution in the House that states that “anti-Zionism is anti-Semitism”.

“That's either intellectually disingenuous or just factually wrong … The authors if they were at all familiar with Jewish history and culture, should know about Jewish anti-Zionism that was and is expressly not anti-Semitic,” Mr Nadler said on Monday.

Educational issues have been at the centre of the conservative-led “culture wars” in the US and Republicans focused much of their criticism of the witnesses on claims of a lack of “ideological diversity”.

Glenn Grothman grilled Ms Gay over “only 2 per cent” of Harvard's faculty having a favourable view of right-wing former president Donald Trump.

Joe Wilson, who also serves as chairman of the Middle East House Foreign Affairs subcommittee, charged that universities have become “illiberal sewers of incompetence and bigotry”.

Ranking member Bobby Scott charged Republicans with hypocrisy over their more tempered response when Mr Trump said there were “good people on both sides” of a deadly 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, during which white supremacist factions chanted slogans including “Jews will not replace us”.

“You can't have it both ways,” Mr Scott told Republican members.

A 2022 poll from J Street, a non-profit organisation that focuses on Jewish-American voters and is a self-branded “pro-Israel, pro-peace” organisation, found that 97 per cent of Jewish people in the US are concerned about the rise of anti-Semitism.

Pew Research in 2021 found that “many Americans know little about Islam or Muslims, and views towards Muslims have become increasingly polarised along political lines”.

Pro-Palestine and Pro-Israel supporters protest in New York – in pictures

A pro-Israel supporter argues with people marching in support of Palestine in New York City. Getty Images

New York City Police hold back Israeli supporters during a protest between Palestinian and Israeli demonstrators. EPA

New York police detain an Israeli supporter during the demonstration. EPA

Israeli and Palestinian supporters on opposite sides of 42nd Street in New York. EPA

Palestinian supporters during a demonstration in New York. EPA

A New York police chief heads to intervene as Palestinian supporters move closer to Israeli supporters during a protest. EPA

A pro-Israel supporter holds up a Star of David necklace during protests near the Israeli Consulate in New York. Getty Images

Opposing groups protest in support of Palestine and Israel near the Israeli Consulate in New York. Getty Images

A man prays on the Palestinian flag near the Israeli Consulate in New York. Getty Images

Pro-Israel supporters embrace during protests near the Israeli Consulate in New York. Getty Images

A person holds a sign in support of the Palestinian people in Times Square in New York. Getty Images

People protest in support of Israel near the Israeli Consulate in New York. Getty Images

And in 2017, during the first few months right-wing former president Donald Trump's administration, Pew found that 48 per cent of Muslim-American adults “had personally experienced some form of discrimination because of their religion in the previous year”.

Growth of US pro-Palestine demonstrations

According to the Crowd Counting Consortium, a group run by researchers from Harvard and the University of Connecticut, this year's pro-Palestine wave is the largest and broadest in US history since the social justice uprisings of 2020.

“One reason this year's pro-Palestine wave has got so large is that it spread to so many towns including ones that haven't traditionally mobilised around this issue,” said Jay Ulfelder, a Harvard political scientist who led the research.

“This isn't just a big city thing and the movement still spreading to new parts of the country.”

The consortium, which has been monitoring protests in the US since the 2017 Women's March, has documented more than 2,100 pro-Palestine demonstrations in 497 cities and towns across 49 states since October 7.

Their data revealed contrasts between the pro-Palestine and pro-Israel rallies.

“We've seen elected officials at a much larger share of the pro-Israel events than the pro-Palestine ones – almost 25 per cent compared with less than 2 per cent at the pro-Palestine events,” explained Mr Ulfelder.

Furthermore, he noted, among the officials seen at pro-Israel events, there have been a substantial number of state governors and US senators, whereas the highest-ranking officials spotted at pro-Palestine events have been US representatives.

The Crowd Counting Consortium said there has also been a shift in rhetoric. They analysed language used at pro-Palestinian gatherings and observed shifts in messaging in the weeks following October 7.

In the initial stages, references to “apartheid” and “rights and resistance” gradually shifted to “stop funding genocide”, “stop killing children” and calls for “ceasefire now”.

“Ceasefire now” is the third-most used slogan at pro-Palestinian gatherings, not far behind “from the river to the sea”, according to the study. The latter reference – “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” – is considered anti-Semitic by critics, while those who support it consider it a call to freedom.

The latest from the Israel-Gaza war – in pictures

Cancer patients and injured people from Gaza arrive at Abu Dhabi International Airport. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Palestinians gather to receive flour distributed by the UN during a temporary truce between Hamas and Israel, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip. Reuters

A Palestinian man carries flour bags distributed by UNRWA. Reuters

A Palestinian woman presents her ration card to receive food. Reuters

Palestinian detainee Khalil Zama hugs a relative after being released from an Israeli jail, at his home in Halhul in the occupied West Bank. AFP

Tal Almog-Goldstein in a bus after he was released by Hamas. AFP

Members of the Al Qassam Brigades handing Israeli hostages over to officials from the International Committee of the Red Cross in Gaza. AFP

Palestinians fleeing northern Gaza move south as aid convoys head in the opposite direction, near Gaza city. Reuters

A helicopter carrying Israeli hostages released by Hamas lands in Petah Tikva, Israel. Getty Images

Israeli military patrolling the Gaza Strip during a temporary truce. Reuters

View of what the Israeli military says are lorries carrying humanitarian aid being transported to Gaza, at a location given as the Nitzana border crossing. Reuters

US President Joe Biden speaks about the release of hostages from Gaza, in Nantucket, Massachusetts. AFP

A Red Cross bus carries Palestinians detainees released from Israeli jails in exchange for hostages released by Hamas, in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank. AFP

Yahel Shoham, three, and Sharon Avigdori, released Israeli hostages, interact shortly after their arrival in Israel. Reuters

Palestinians walk among the rubble, as they inspect houses destroyed in Israeli strikes. Reuters

Palestinian women bake on wood fire outside their damaged homes in Khezaa district, near Khan Younis. AFP

Damage in Khezaa district after weeks of Israeli bombardment. AFP

Israeli soldiers who have recently left the Gaza Strip organise their equipment. Getty Images

Destruction in Gaza city. AFP