One of the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights groups has designated Stanford University as a “hostile campus” for allegedly stifling pro-Palestine activism.
The Council of American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) San Francisco Bay Area office held a press conference on Wednesday to officially announce the move.
[RELATED: UMich hit with civil rights complaint by CAIR over mishandling of ‘Islamophobia’]
CAIR has blamed Stanford for abandoning free speech principles by forming “a hostile climate for students and faculty who challenge Israeli occupation, apartheid, and genocide in Gaza.”
The organization points to various actions by Stanford in response to pro-Palestine activism, including “harsh” punishments for “students peacefully protesting,” as well as showing a “clear double standard” against such students.
CAIR has also taken issue with the university for failing to “provide assurances or protections” to international students who could be deported by the federal government for supporting Hamas.
“Stanford’s actions set a dangerous precedent for free speech on campus. By selectively enforcing rules against students and faculty advocating for Palestinian rights, the university has fostered an inequitable environment that discourages student activism—a cornerstone of university life and social progress,” CAIR San Francisco Bay Area Civil Rights Managing Attorney Jeffrey Wang said in a press release.
”Stanford’s treatment of its students and faculty makes clear that Palestinian voices are not welcome on its campus,” CAIR-SFBA Executive Director Zahra Billoo remarked in the same press release. “We call on the administration to uphold the fundamental rights of its students, faculty, and all members of the Stanford community.”
Other notable universities that CAIR has added to its “hostile campus” list include Columbia University, Harvard University, New York University, Northwestern University, the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and the University of Michigan.
This article was originally published at campusreform.org
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