(PHILADELPHIA, PA, 10/28/2024) — On Tuesday, Oct. 29, the Philadelphia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Philadelphia), in collaboration with the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), community leaders and civil rights advocates, will hold a press conference announcing a Title VI complaint with the Department of Education against Swarthmore College.
CAIR-Philadelphia said Swarthmore College’s repeated violations of student rights and discriminatory treatment across diverse student and affinity groups is in violation of Department of Education guidelines. Speakers at the press conference will provide examples of the hostile environment on campus and the threat it imposes to the safety of Palestinian, Muslim, Arab, Jewish, and other students, staff, and faculty who stand against occupation, apartheid, and genocide.
WHEN: Tuesday, October 29, 2024; 11 a.m.-12 p.m.
WHERE: 1501 Cherry Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102 (Cherry Street Room at The Friends Center)
WHO: CAIR-Philadelphia Legal Team, Impacted Swarthmore College Faculty and Students, Faith and Civic Leaders
CONTACT: CAIR-Philadelphia Legal Director Adam Alaa Attia, aattia@cair.com; CAIR-Philadelphia Executive Director Ahmet Tekelioglu, atekelioglu@cair.com; 617-401-5397
Livestream: Accessible at instagram.com/cairphilly
Members of the Press: To receive a copy of the full text of the Title VI complaint, please enter your information on this link: pa.cair.com/swarthmore
In a statement, CAIR-Philadelphia Legal Director Adam Alaa Attia said:
“It is deeply troubling that Swarthmore, an institution trusted with shaping future leaders, has created and enabled a hostile environment for Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim students on campus. The administration’s disregard for these students’ rights not only violates Title VI, but it also erodes the very values of diversity and inclusion Swarthmore claims is core to its Quaker foundation.
“Swarthmore is criminalizing Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim students by pursuing disciplinary proceedings for the same actions it has permitted of other students in the past and is even pursuing assault charges against students for using a bullhorn during protests. Palestinian, Muslim, and Arab students and faculty at Swarthmore feel excluded from the Swarthmore community and report feeling the disdain by Swarthmore officials in their interactions with them. We are filing this Title VI complaint to hold the college accountable and demand concrete actions to ensure all students are provided an environment free from discrimination.”
Chris Godshall-Bennett, ADC Legal Director, said:
“Swarthmore College has the dubious distinction of joining the ranks of colleges and universities that have engaged in a clear pattern of discrimination against their Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim students, as well as those associated with them. It is essential that the Department of Education Office of Civil Rights takes complaints of such discrimination very seriously and refrains from lumping them in with allegations of antisemitism, especially when those complaints are often based on problematic conflations of criticism of Israel with anti-Jewish hatred. Our students are bravely leading the way in our efforts to stop a genocide and their actions should be protected and celebrated, not punished.”
BACKGROUNDER: Introduction to Title VI Complaint
Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim students and faculty report that they feel unsafe on campus and feel excluded from the greater Swarthmore College (Swarthmore) community. Swarthmore has initiated disciplinary proceedings against a disproportionate number of Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim students based on frivolous charges and has failed to afford these students fundamental due process rights during these proceedings. Most egregious, Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim students and faculty report that the Swarthmore administration, especially Student Affairs, exude disdain towards these students and faculty during interactions such as meetings and public statements.
Swarthmore has created an environment in which Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim students and their allies feel targeted, threatened, and unsafe. The administration has taken a hostile approach toward Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim students by ignoring their complaints of discrimination, pursuing student disciplinary proceedings against these students, limiting and prohibiting their on-campus and speech related activities, and ignoring requests by civil rights organizations to address concerns of discrimination. Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim students, and those associated and affiliated with Palestinians, feel that their voices are being silenced due to their racial, ethnic, and religious backgrounds, as well as their advocacy for Palestine.
Swarthmore has been determined to pursue student disciplinary proceedings against Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim students for nonviolent protest related activities that were previously permitted by Swarthmore.
Thousands of dollars and countless hours and resources are being used to criminalize Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim students. Members of the Muslim community have reported that they feel like “non-entities” and feel excluded from the Swarthmore community. This past year there have been numerous actions by the administration to make Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim students and faculty feel this way including student disciplinary proceedings, public statements against organizations composed of Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim students, public statements and displays of support for only Israeli victims, and even in Swarthmore programming. Swarthmore has chosen to discontinue the Islamic Studies programming for this academic year, demonstrating that Swarthmore does not care about the mostly Muslim students the Islamic Studies program served.
CAIR is America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
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CONTACT: CAIR-Philadelphia Legal Director Adam Alaa Attia, aattia@cair.com; CAIR-Philadelphia Executive Director Ahmet Tekelioglu, atekelioglu@cair.com; 617-401-5397.
