Egypt’s New Authoritarian Republic [Arab Center]

Professor Sahar Aziz joined experts on Egypt for a conversation about the new book Egypt’s New Authoritarian Republic co-edited by Robert Springborg and Abdel-Fattah Maty (2025). Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi has sought to create a “New Republic,” a stronger, more authoritarian state capable of positively transforming Egypt’s polity, economy, society, and role in the region and the world. Thus far, success has been elusive. Why? And with what consequences for the regime and the country? These are the two questions at the heart of the new book Egypt’s New Authoritarian… Continue reading “Egypt’s New Authoritarian Republic [Arab Center]”

Mahmoud Khalil Released, Free Speech Under Attack [Al Jazeera]

A federal district judge ordered the release of Mahmoud Khalil on bond, after finding that he is not a flight risk or a danger to society. Professor Sahar Aziz explains why the judge also concluded that Khalil had a strong likelihood of success in his claim that the Trump administration violated his First Amendment rights in his original arrest and detention. Mahmoud Khalil participated in nonviolent, anti-genocide student protests at Columbia University in 2023 to 2024. Professor Sahar Aziz offers her analysis of the legal and political implications of the… Continue reading “Mahmoud Khalil Released, Free Speech Under Attack [Al Jazeera]”

ADL Fuels Islamophobia and Betrays Its Civil Rights Mission [Academe]

For decades, when the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) was mentioned, it was usually in reference to combatting antisemitism. Now the ADL is more accurately cited in the litany of pro-Israeli groups attempting to criminalize Muslim and Palestinian students for seeking an end to the horrific genocide in Gaza. For over a hundred years, the ADL has described itself as a leading civil rights organization focused on Jewish American communities but also recognizing that the civil rights of Jews are interconnected with those of other minority communities. Indeed, the ADL was… Continue reading “ADL Fuels Islamophobia and Betrays Its Civil Rights Mission [Academe]”

Trump Calls Federal Troops to Crackdown on LA Protests [CGTN]

Professor Sahar Aziz provides her analysis of President Trump’s decision to call the national guard to intervene in Los Angeles in retaliation for mass protests against his administration’s crackdown on immigrants. What critics call a political move to undermine California’s Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom sets an alarming precedent for deploying federal troops to conduct domestic policing. Watch her analysis here and below.… Continue reading “Trump Calls Federal Troops to Crackdown on LA Protests [CGTN]”

ICC Investigation of Biden Administration Officials for Aiding Israeli War Crimes [RaceandRights Podcast]

In January of 2025, the human rights organization, Democracy in the Arab World Now (DAWN) made a formal request with the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate former U.S. officials President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin for their accessorial roles in aiding and abetting, as well as intentionally contributing to, Israeli war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. With the support of ICC-registered lawyers and other war crimes experts, the submission details a pattern of deliberate and purposeful decisions by these… Continue reading “ICC Investigation of Biden Administration Officials for Aiding Israeli War Crimes [RaceandRights Podcast]”

Antisemitism, Islamophobia, and Israel/Palestine in the Context of Current Attacks on Academic and Political Freedom [UCDavis]

Current attacks on academic and political freedom at universities are justified by claims to combat antisemitism at the same time that such attacks disproportionately target Muslim, Palestinian, and Arab students and faculty. Professor Sahar Aziz joined Professor David Myers in conversation examining how these issues are influencing public debate, academic spaces, and political expression at universities across the United States. The event was co-sponsored by the University of California-Davis Department Religious Studies, Department of Jewish Studies, and Department of Middle East and South Asia Studies.… Continue reading “Antisemitism, Islamophobia, and Israel/Palestine in the Context of Current Attacks on Academic and Political Freedom [UCDavis]”

Campus Speech, Antisemitism and Islamophobia [UWisconsin]

Universities are now at the center of societal debates about antisemitism, Islamophobia, and freedom of expression. Increasingly, voicing support for Palestinians is cast as antisemitism or as a form of support for terrorism. This panel examines the controversy from a critical perspective. What are the limits of pro-Palestinian speech? What do the constraints on pro-Palestine speech on campus portend for intellectual inquiry and research more generally? Professor Sahar Aziz joined Professor Peter Beinart in a conversation at the University of Wisconsin addressing Islamophobia, antisemitism, and nationwide crackdowns on free speech… Continue reading “Campus Speech, Antisemitism and Islamophobia [UWisconsin]”

Trump Unlawfully Deports Kilmar Abrego Garcia [Al Jazeera]

The Trump administration deported Kilmar Abrego Garcia to El Salvador in direct contravention of an immigration court order that he has a well founded fear of persecution from gangs in El Salvador. Despite the U.S. Supreme Court’s order for the government to facilitate the immediate return of Abrego, there has been no effort made by the administration to follow the Court’s order. Professor Sahar Aziz provides her analysis of the legal and political consequences on the rule of law and separation of powers.… Continue reading “Trump Unlawfully Deports Kilmar Abrego Garcia [Al Jazeera]”

Silencing Dissent: The Islamophobia Industry’s Assault on Academic Freedom [Rutgers]

Anti-Muslim and pro-Israeli Zionist special interest groups are orchestrating hate campaigns against Muslim faculty and academic centers focused on studying Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian racism. Falsely claiming to combat antisemitism, these hate groups lobby Congress and state legislatures to violate free speech laws and academic freedom principles with the objective to deny Muslim, Palestinian, and Arab faculty and students equal rights to engage in open intellectual inquiry as their Jewish, Christian, and White peers. Professor Sahar Aziz joins other experts to discuss the origins and harms arising from the Islamophobia industry’s… Continue reading “Silencing Dissent: The Islamophobia Industry’s Assault on Academic Freedom [Rutgers]”

How Trump’s attacks on DEI and Palestine activists are connected [Mondoweiss]

The national crackdown against diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) was inevitable. After racial progress, there is often retrenchment. DEI programs were the institutionalized response to the Black Lives Matter movement. They reshaped conversations around representation, missing perspectives, and ultimately who belongs, whether in universities, boardrooms, or other institutions of power.  So when President Donald Trump terminated these programs in the public and private sectors with a stroke of his pen through executive orders, it was a stark reminder that the past is a prologue in the struggle for racial equality.… Continue reading “How Trump’s attacks on DEI and Palestine activists are connected [Mondoweiss]”