Rep. Mike Lawler pushes to defund universities promoting antisemitism after CUNY speech
New York Rep. Mike Lawler argues the City University of New York should be stripped of federal funding after a graduate accused Israel of encouraging 'lynch mobs' during her speech.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) New York chapter called out the City University of New York for their treatment of law school graduate Fatima Mousa Mohammed after she gave a controversial speech at graduation.
Mohammed spoke during a commencement ceremony at City University of New York (CUNY), where she called for a "revolution" to challenge "oppressive" institutions in America. Her speech included a declaration that the "law is a manifestation of White supremacy" and slamming the New York City Police Department as "fascist."
She also spoke out about perceived injustice against the Holy Land Foundation, which was a Texas-based charity that "existed to support Hamas," a designated terror group by the U.S. State Department, according to the Department of Justice.
CUNY's Board of Trustees and its chancellor condemned the commencement address as "hate speech" after intense public backlash, suggesting it could be categorized as a "public expression of hate toward people and communities based on their religion, race or political affiliation."
An anonymous insider from CUNY reportedly told the New York Post that the speech that was approved by the school and the speech the student gave were wildly different. (iStock)
Meanwhile, the CUNY Law branch of the college had a completely different response, which had previously told Fox News Digital, "[S]tudent speakers… offered congratulatory remarks and their own individual perspectives on advocating for social justice. As with all such commencement remarks, they reflect the voices of those individuals."
The New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NY) condemned school leadership and claimed it approved the student's speech ahead of time.
CUNY Law commencement speaker Fatima Mousa Mohammed (Fox News Digital )
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"Fatima’s speech was submitted, examined, and pre-approved by CUNY in written form and a verbal recording. Furthermore, the speech was celebrated by the audience, CUNY student leaders, including the Jewish Law Students Association, have spoken up in her defense," the organization wrote in a public statement last Wednesday. "Moreover, CUNY’s mischaracterization of Fatima’s speech as ‘hate speech’ is false and defamatory."
However, a CUNY source reportedly told The NYPost that the speech that Mohammed delivered was different from the draft she submitted before delivery to the administration.
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"The insider said she was expected to speak for four minutes, while her rant went on for 13 minutes," the New York Post reported.
Joseph A. Wulfsohn and Yael Halon contributed to this report.
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