Online campaign launched following ‘Islamophobic, anti-Palestinian’ incidents targeting Muslim family
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is calling for an investigation after a Pakistani-American Muslim student who delivered a speech during her US school graduation ceremony was subjected to Islamophobic abuse.
An online campaign called #WeStandWithHuda was launched by CAIR demanding school officials “publicly apologise and take corrective action following an Islamophobic, anti-Palestinian and anti-immigrant incident”.
We stand against Islamophobia, Anti-#Palestinian, Anti-Immigrant hate targeting Muslim Family at the Wheatley School Graduation.
School must apologize publicly and address Islamophobia seriously.
Full Press Release: https://t.co/jttekfWEVY@CAIRNewYork pic.twitter.com/a7PZcdPXtW
— Islamic Leadership Council of New York (@ShuraNewYork) June 22, 2021
A Muslim student graduating from a Long Island high school mentioned the human rights of Palestinians and Uyghur during her speech.
*Rather than being applauded for her bravery – she was booed/heckled
*Told to “go back to Pakistan”
*AND THE PRINCIPAL APOLOGIZED FOR HER SPEECH. pic.twitter.com/v7Bd6jx9ty— Imraan Siddiqi (@imraansiddiqi) June 22, 2021
Simultaneously hopeful / impressed by these young leaders using thr graduation speeches to call attention to injustice & infuriated by the idiotic / infantile actions of adults who decide to use these moments to heckle and abuse them. #IApplaudYou Rachel Cheng#WeStandwithHuda
— Sabreen Akhter (@dakhterakhter) June 23, 2021
I’m sorry that Huda and her family was harassed from parents at the graduation! It’s racist and Islamphobic to yell racial and religious slurs at someone! And I’m disgusted that the principal did not have her back and apologized to her harassers! #WeStandwithHuda https://t.co/KwUVN3DOy5
— Shula (@mathe1_m) June 22, 2021
The Muslim graduate speaker at New York’s The Wheatley School was reportedly booed and told to “go back to Pakistan” by a parent after she spoke about her heritage and the plight of Muslims across the world.
On 20 June, the 17-year-old Muslim student, who wears a hijab and is of Pakistani descent, gave a graduation speech that was approved by the school principal.
The student, who has not been named for child protection reasons, urged her peers to educate themselves on global topics, including the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians and Uighur Muslims, as well as global warming.
Her speech read: “Educate yourself about international dilemmas, including the ethnic cleansings of Palestinians and Uighur Muslims. Families are continuously torn apart and real human lives are being lost but ignored.
“Educate yourself on the widespread issues that plague our planet and threaten our very existence in the long run: consider global warming with the gravity that it needs to be looked at with. And never stop speaking about these issues until they are resolved.”
The student was then booed by some parents who chanted, “we support Israel.”
Afterwards, parents reportedly harassed and bullied the student and her family. One parent is caught on video asking the student, “what about Hamas?”
#WeStandwithHuda an example of an ADULT harassing Huda at the graduation Ceremony pic.twitter.com/9UmfWcS0Sr
— Ali Aldoise 🇵🇸 (@AAldoise) June 22, 2021
Another parent made the anti-immigrant statement, “go back to Pakistan!”
In response, the principle of the school blamed the issue on the student’s reference to Palestinians, and claimed that he had failed to review the speech before he approved it. He later sent two emails to parents.
In Principal Dr. Feeney’s email, he claimed: “Unfortunately, one of the student speakers diverted from the remarks that had been originally approved by the Graduation Speech Committee who made the selections, presenting personal views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
“I want to be clear that the injection of such remarks was absolutely inappropriate to the graduation ceremony, as would be any political statements during a celebration solely intended to acknowledge our seniors and their many achievements and accomplishments as members of our Wheatley School community. The comments were not part of the approved speech.”
The principle’s email was criticised by the civil rights groups, who called for a retraction and apology for “failing” to support his student in the face of abuse.
“Instead of supporting the student, they made false and defamatory statements about the student and failed to address the harassment and bullying the student and her family received at graduation and continue to receive,” said CAIR New York’s Legal Director Ahmed Mohamed.
“The student and her family faced Islamophobic and anti-immigrant hate from parents at the graduation ceremony.”
“The school district and school must condemn these actions, immediately investigate and hold these parents accountable for harassing and bullying a student and her family at a school-sanctioned activity.”
