Free Speech Archives

Amid Gaza War, College Campuses Become Free Speech “Testing Ground” [Intercepted]

The conflict in Gaza has galvanized a new generation of young anti-war activists, in the same way that opposition to the Vietnam War and apartheid South Africa did in decades past. A backlash is now building in the United States, led by right-wing activist and pro-Israel groups aimed at eliminating any public dissent over U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East. As the death toll of Palestinians rises, a new authoritarian climate is sweeping across the U.S. — particularly on college campuses, which have transformed into laboratories for censorship… Continue reading

Unconditional Supporters of Israel Know the Facts Are Not on Their Side [Jacobin]

On Saturday, November 4, some three hundred thousand people marched in Washington, DC, in solidarity with Palestinians. It was the largest pro-Palestine march in US history, a heartening sign that the McCarthyite backlash to solidarity with Palestinians in the face of Israel’s ongoing onslaught on the besieged Gaza Strip has not accomplished its aims. Rather than cowing critics of Israel, which has killed more than twenty-two thousand Palestinians in Gaza, domestic repression has fueled commitment, a determination among many not to sit idly by as an entire people are slaughtered.… Continue reading

Threats to Free Speech on College Campuses [Katie Halper Show]

Universities across the United States have been targets of censorship campaigns by external special interest groups seeking to quash debate about Palestinian human rights, U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East, and international law violations by the state of Israel. Muslim, Arab and Palestinian students and faculty are most frequently targeted as political speech is mislabeled as antisemitism. Professor Sahar Aziz joined Mitchell Plitnick to discuss this troubling anti-American trend as well as their groundbreaking report “Presumptively Antisemitic: Islamophobic Tropes in the Palestine Israel Discourse” on the Katie … Continue reading

The Hamline Controversy and the Real Threat to Academic Freedom [Al Jazeera]

Over the past few weeks, there has been much debate about academic freedom in the United States. It was sparked by the decision of Hamline University not to renew the contract of an adjunct professor who showed a famous 14th-century Persian painting of the Prophet Muhammad and Angel Gabriel in her art history class. The decision was made following the complaint of a Muslim student who felt offended. “We now find ourselves at the heart of a purported standoff between academic freedom and equity.” These words by Hamline University President Fayneese… Continue reading

She was Fired for Being Publicly Pro-Palestinian [Philadelphia Inquirer]

“This particular case is going to the heart of the American fundamental right to politically dissent, to express your beliefs,” said Sahar Aziz, a Rutgers Law professor and author of The Racial Muslim: When Racism Quashes Religious Freedom. “And when you belong to a group that’s not afforded those beliefs at equal levels as everyone else, that’s evidence of discrimination against that group — but also a threat to those American values.” Flip the situation to a member of any other marginalized group speaking in support of human rights… Continue reading

Free Speech in the Age of Politically-Motivated Violence [Georgetown Law]

The Journal of National Security Law and Policy hosted a symposium at Georgetown Law Center on the relationship between free speech and politically-motivated violence. Sahar Aziz participated on a panel addressing threats of violence, including the doctrine established in Brandenburg v. Ohio and the infamous “Unite the Right” rally and implications of United States v. Miselis on the Anti-Riot Act, alongside Professor Amanda Shanor, Professor Laura Donohue, and Lieutenant Commander Navy JAG Lauren Cherry. -To learn more about the conference, click here… Continue reading

The Dichotomy Between the First Amendment and How Muslims are Treated [The Jabot]

In this episode of the Jabot podcast, Kathryn speaks with Sahar Aziz, author, and Professor of Law at Rutgers Law School. Sahar shares how she first became interested in her book, The Racial Muslim. She details some historical examples of how the book’s hypothesis is supported and discusses how far back the ideas go. Professor Aziz also talks about the dichotomy between belief in the First Amendment and how that squares away in modern political discourse with the reality of how Muslims are treated. — To listen to the… Continue reading

Author | Professor | Advocate

Tag: Free Speech